ACTION NEEDED: Assembly to Vote on 1/15 to Override Governor’s CNA Training Bill Veto
We are passing on this time sensitive action alert received from our friends in the aging network. There is breaking news that tomorrow, Wednesday, January 15th, the Assembly will vote to override the Governor’s veto of a bill that would reduce training requirements for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).
Disability Rights Wisconsin and many disability and aging advocacy organizations opposed the bill (and agreed with the veto) because of concerns that lowering training requirements for certified nurse aides will affect the quality of care for people with disabilities and older adults in long-term and residential care facilities. Studies have demonstrated that increased training reduces job turnover while increasing job satisfaction. Over half of the states in the U.S. have elected to require training over the minimum 75 hours required by the federal government, and the Institute of Medicine recommends expanding federal training requirements to 120 hours.
Action Alert
The full Assembly is scheduled to vote this Wednesday (1/15/20) to override Governor Evers’ veto of Assembly Bill 76 regarding training for certified nurse aides (CNAs). In Nov. 2019, Gov. Evers’ vetoed this bill which would have resulted in a nearly 40 percent reduction in the required training hours for CNAs.
Overriding a veto requires the support of two-thirds of both the Assembly and a Senate. Current CNA requirements in Wisconsin include 120 hours of training (which includes 32 clinical hours/practical training), if overridden, the required training hours for CNAs would be lowered to 75 hours of training with at least 16 of those hours being supervised practical training.
ACTION: Call or email your State Assembly Representative tomorrow (Tues., 1/14) and let him/her know why lowering the required training hour for CNAs is a bad idea (and therefore the attempt to override the Governor’s veto should not be supported). See how your Assembly Representative originally voted on this bill.
Share this message with others (board members, volunteers, caregivers, older adults/people with disabilities, program participants, community members and partners) and encourage them to call or email too. Our Assembly Representatives must hear from constituents in their district that this is a concern. To find out who represents you, look up your legislator (type your home address in the white box under “Who Represents Me?”).
Let’s continue to work together to advance strategies that will address the workforce crisis without potentially putting workers or those they care for at risk.