Changes to child support, placement signed into law

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Several changes to Wisconsin statutes governing child support and placement of children have been signed into law.

Gov. Tony Evers signed 17 bills on Friday, including these four proposals that will affect children and their parents and their dealings with the courts:

• Senate Bill 105, now Wisconsin Act 35, which changes certain definitions and aspects of administrative rules in the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families relating to commonly used child-support formulas to reflect current practices, and eliminates future family-support orders to align with federal law changes, excepting any divorce or separation instrument executed before Dec. 31, 2018.
• Senate Bill 107, now Wisconsin Act 36, which requires individuals directed under current law to participate in mediation or family-court services pertaining to the placement of a child to submit a parenting plan before an initial mediation session, and adjusts the required content of that plan to no longer require that parties include what child support, family support, maintenance or other income transfer there will be and how their child’s medical expenses will be paid.
• Senate Bill 112, now Wisconsin Act 37, which specifies that if a court grants less than 25% of physical placement to one parent in a temporary or final order legal custody and physical placement of a child, specific findings of fact must be entered on the reason why greater physical placement with that parent is not in the best interest of the child; and reorganizes the statutory best-interest factors to remove two considerations, including the stability in placement and availability of childcare services, and specifies that the factors for consideration are not necessarily listed in order of importance.
• Assembly Bill 143, now Wisconsin Act 42, which in part would require the court to make several findings when it issues an order placing a child in a qualified residential-treatment programs following a required assessment. The findings would answer whether the needs of a child can be met through placement in a foster home, whether placement of the child in a certified center provides the most effective and appropriate level of care for the child in the least restrictive environment, whether the placement is consistent with the short- and long-term goals for the child, and whether the court approves or disapproves of the placement.

Other bills signed by the governor make changes to publication requirements for notifications of noncandidacy, allow home-schooled students who are 16 or 17 to serve as election inspectors, and require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to post minutes on its website within 48 hours of a meeting.

Evers also vetoed a bill to allow paddlewheel raffles for a second time. He said paddlewheel gambling isn’t allowed under the Wisconsin Constitution and he “couldn’t knowingly sign a bill” he believed was prohibited by the state constitution. Follow @WLJReporter