Legislative Affairs
Check this page for updated information regarding pending legislative issues.
The links below will be useful to learn more about Wisconsin state government and your Senators and Representatives. If you have any questions about legislative issues, please feel free to contact the WAO administrative office.
Recently Added -- Joint and Several Liability Issue Information from the Wisconsin Medical Society
On Wednesday, June 10th, State Assembly Democrats voted to remove the onerous joint and several liability provision from the 2009-2011 Bienniel State Budget. This is great news, but now we must work to ensure the State Senate does the same.
We need you to contact your State Senator to request that joint and several liability provisions be removed from the budget bill and debated on its own merits. Key points to raise:
- The bipartisan bill from 1995 (25 Democrats voted for the bill) has worked well in helping to keep Wisconsin's medical liability climate relative calm, compared to other states.
- Changing the joint and several threshold to 20 percent (or anything below the current 51 percent) would likely increase the number of lawsuites filed as trial lawyers search for "deep pockets" such as the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund. Our state's policymakers should concentrate on the difficult fiscal issues Wisconsin faces and not potentially undo liability system reforms that have worked well in this state.
- Wisconsin Medical Society's Memo to Legislators
- Wisconsin Medical Society's Joint & Several Liability Flyer
- Find Your State Legislator
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