Wisconsin Assembly Bills 348 and 349

Have none of the sponsors of these two bills read any of the exposes about Planned Parenthood in the last few years? The undercover work that has been done across the nation and in Wisconsin specifically should raise legitimate concern about this legislation. Planned Parenthood has been caught in mega-departures from their stated policies and procedures. Citizens should question the motivation of bill sponsors particularly those representatives from minority communities.

AB 348 changes the Women's Health Block Grant to "Family Planning" funding. At least that removes the impression that recipients will provide total women's health care. It also gives full advantage of increased pregnancy prevention federal funding to family planning clinics.

AB 348 eliminates the Department of Health Services' (DHS) administrative restrictions on sub-grants. Currently, only a government Health Department/Hospital receives funds but can sub-contract out the "women's health" services. For instance, a Planned Parenthood clinic operates in the Milwaukee -Mill Road public health clinic on a contract basis. This means private agencies can receive contracts in direct competition to health departments. So this bill removes a layer of government accountability for tax payer dollars.

AB 348 removes the ban on funding agencies that provide abortion services.

AB 348 provides new funding to family planning agencies for PAP tests and followup cancer screenings, but no other medical services. So it can be assumed that funding is limited to cervical cancer screenings only.

AB 348 provides new funding for private family planning agencies to hire racial minority nurses, mid-wives and physicians assistants.

AB 348 increases family planning funding each year of the next budget period.

AB 349 restores the eligibility for AB348 services from 200% of the federal poverty line to 300%. The family size for both adult male and female clients, ages 18-44, determines the income level for eligibility. Therefore, males can count all their children regardless of his custody or child support to raise his eligibility for free services.

AB 349 does not specify the family planning services a male would receive or whether those services would be limited to him or extends to his sexual partner who might not be eligible.

AB 349 eliminates the current requirement for minors' eligibility to be determined by the parents'/guardians's income and for parents/guardians to be notified of a minor's treatment.

AB 349 strips DHS of policy development restricting it to only the requirements in this law. DHS also must implement every waiver granted by the federal government. In other words, our state law gives federal law precedence stripping Wisconsin citizens of the right to in-state spending of their tax dollars.

Did these 31 legislators understand the bill their names are on?