An Act to amend 115.42 (1) (a) 1., 118.19 (7) (a), 118.19 (16), 118.193 (1) and 118.193 (4) (b) of the statutes; Relating to: updating references to PI 34 of the administrative code and eliminating an obsolete grandfather provision related to a license to teach industrial arts (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Public Instruction).
Summary
SB912 is a remedial education bill requested by the Department of Public Instruction to update Wisconsin statutes so they correctly refer to the current version of Chapter PI 34 of the administrative code, which governs educator licenses. Several statutory cross-references were broken when PI 34 was repealed and recreated in 2018, and this bill replaces those outdated citations with references to the current code provisions. It also makes a small conforming change to the definition and treatment of administrator licenses and experience-based licensure provisions tied to PI 34.
The bill also removes an obsolete grandfather clause in the industrial arts licensing statute. Current law still contains a 1936-era provision that deems certain long-serving industrial arts teachers to have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree for salary and promotion purposes; SB912 deletes that language while leaving the general licensing requirements for industrial arts subjects intact. The Legislative Reference Bureau describes the measure as minor substantive remedial legislation and notes that the Law Revision Committee concluded the changes are desirable as a matter of public policy.
Impact
SB912 would amend several sections of Wisconsin education law, including provisions governing teacher certification, industrial arts licensure, and school administrator licenses. Its practical effect is to modernize statutory references so they align with the current PI 34 administrative code framework and to eliminate a dormant grandfather provision that no longer has meaningful application. The bill does not create a new licensing system, but it does clarify how experience gained under emergency permits counts toward certain licensure requirements and how administrator licenses are categorized under current administrative rules.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment around SB912 appears neutral to mildly favorable. The bill was introduced as remedial legislation at the request of the Department of Public Instruction, and the prefatory note states that the Law Revision Committee found the changes desirable as a matter of public policy. Because the bill is largely technical and conforming in nature, there is no indication in the provided materials of organized opposition or significant debate over its substance.
Contention
The main point of contention, to the extent one exists, is the removal of the obsolete industrial arts grandfather clause. Although the provision appears to be a historical relic with no current practical effect, it does alter statutory language that once protected a narrow class of long-serving teachers. The other changes are largely noncontroversial technical updates to cross-references and definitions, intended to fix broken citations after the 2018 recreation of PI 34. No committee testimony or recorded votes are provided, and the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.
Crossfiled
An Act to amend 115.42 (1) (a) 1., 118.19 (7) (a), 118.19 (16), 118.193 (1) and 118.193 (4) (b) of the statutes; Relating to: updating references to PI 34 of the administrative code and eliminating an obsolete grandfather provision related to a license to teach industrial arts (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Public Instruction).