News

State landlords hit hard by eviction moratorium

Pandemic policy led to unfair losses for local rental property owners

By Ken Wysocky

Thousands of Wisconsin renters caught a break when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed a moratorium on evictions in September 2020, ostensibly to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The CDC was forced to lift moratorium in August 2021 when the United States Supreme Court ruled the agency had no authority to impose a moratorium.

But Wisconsin landlords like Mike Cerns had already paid the price.

Cerns estimates he lost between $60,000 and $80,000 in unpaid rental income and the cost of repairing property damage from bad tenants he could not evict. “The federal government essentially stole my property during the eviction moratorium and the courts were an accessory to the theft,” he says.

Cerns was hardly an outlier. The Badger Institute could find no federal or state studies showing how state landlords fared financially during the eviction moratorium. But a lawsuit filed by the National Apartment Association (NAA) in late July 2021 estimated landlords lost an estimated $26.6 billion, the amount of rent debt not covered by the roughly $47 billion in federal rent-assistance payments.

Viewpoint

At home with politically incorrect language

By Mike Nichols

I suppose I’ll be accused of being unkind, uncouth or maybe even unhinged, but why in the world does the La Crosse Tribune feel compelled to write about the “unhoused”?

The Tribune uses the word as both an adjective and a noun. They write about “unhoused people,” the “unhoused community,” the “unhoused population” and, also, just the plain old “unhoused.”

What they don’t write about any longer, at least in the story I saw dated May 21, is “the homeless” — a term which some people now consider derogatory.

Neither the reporter who wrote the story (it’s actually a pretty good story about the large homeless population in La Crosse) or the executive editor of the paper returned my call. So I don’t know if they’re among those people. But I do know that the label “homeless” now implies that one is “less than” and that it “undermines self-esteem and progressive change,” according to the website for an organization called Unhoused.org.

The term “unhoused,” on the other hand, “implies there is a moral and social assumption that everyone should be housed in the first place.”

News

Licensing reform gains momentum in Wisconsin Legislature

Badger Institute backs universal licensure bill

By Michael Jahr

Amid a sustained outcry from frustrated occupational license seekers and a statewide worker shortage, Wisconsin lawmakers are advancing a universal recognition licensure bill and nearly a dozen more narrowly targeted reforms that would finally help remedy longtime bureaucratic dysfunction and over-regulation.

Wisconsin has lagged other states in adopting meaningful licensure reform despite chronic backlogs at the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS).

“Over the last couple of years, I have heard from many frustrated constituents that are dealing with unnecessary delays, confusion and lack of communication while attempting to get an occupational license from DSPS,” said Sen. Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond), author of the universal measure that would grant a credential to an applicant who holds one in another state.

“These unnecessary delays cause individuals to postpone starting their careers or stop them from entering the workforce,” he said. “Wisconsin businesses are struggling to find qualified workers, so we need to ensure our licensure process is streamlined and functions efficiently. We cannot afford to fall behind other states in attracting skilled individuals.”

Testimony

Badger Institute in favor of licensing reform bills

Badger Institute President Mike Nichols on Wednesday submitted written testimony to the Assembly Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform in favor of three bills, AB 203, AB 204 and AB 205.

Chairman Sortwell and members of the Committee . . . 

Our research shows that Wisconsin regulates too many professions in too many ways. We believe universal recognition of credentials in other states with similar standards would be helpful. But we also support multiple other bills, including three being considered by your committee today. 

• Assembly Bill 203, which clarifies current law so someone renewing a license can continue to practice even if the DSPS is delayed in saying that renewal has been completed.

• Assembly Bill 204, which shifts two-year renewal cycles to four years, a move that should reduce the workload of both the DSPS and license holders.

• Assembly Bill 205, which extends to out-of-state individuals with business licenses a provision that already applies to out-of-state individuals with health care licenses. This bill would let them apply for a preliminary credential while an application for a permanent credential is pending.

Badger on Air

Segment begins around 22:23

Related Reading: Violence has progressives bringing cops back to schools

Progressive city councils across the country are being forced by violence in and near their public schools to rethink their bans on stationing police officers on those campuses. Next in line? Milwaukee.

Memorial Day

Weekly Survey: Do you support universal license recognition as an effective policy solution for Wisconsin workers?

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What We’re Reading

• AEI: The White House Defender of Welfare Work Requirements

• Heritage: Four Reasons for the Crime Increase

• Center Square: New report warns of fiscal cliff for Milwaukee, Madison public schools

• City Journal: Have You Looked Inside Any of These Books?

• Washington Examiner: School choice could boost birthrate among married couples, report finds

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