% THANKS VERY MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
% >> NEXT WEEK, REPUBLICANS ON THE
% JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE WILL
% TAKE UP BUDGET PLANS FOR THE
% DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND
% PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
% THE AGENCY THAT GARNERED
% HEADLINES DURING COVID FOR LONG
% DELAYS IN ISSUING PROFESSOR
% LICENSES TO WORKERS.
% REVENUE FOR D.S.P.S. COMES
% ENTIERLT FROM THE FEES PAID --
% ENSTYLER FROM THE FEES PAID FOR
% SERVICES, BUT IN THE PAST,
% REPUBLICANS HAVE SIPHONED OFF
% SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS INTO THE
% STATE'S HISTORIC SURPLUS, AND
% DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR TONY EVERS
% HAS REQUESTED THE AGENCY BE
% ALLOWED TO KEEP AWESOME THEIR
% FEE REVENUE AND USE IT TO HIRE
% ADDITIONAL WORKERS TO SPEED UP
% THE PROCESS, AN EXTRA $12
% MILLION TO HIRE 80 EMPLOYEES.
% NEARLY HALF OF WHICH WOULD BE
% HIRED FOR THE CALL CENTER TO
% PROCESS CREDENTIALS.
% "HERE AND NOW" SENIOR POLITICAL
% REPORTER ZAC SCHULTZ HAS THE
% STORY.
% >> DAN HERETH WOULD LIKE HIS
% STATE AGENCY TO BE LESS VISIBLE
% EXPERCHTION THE WAY TO DO THAT
% IS TO SHOW UP MORE OFTEN.
% >> LET'S JUST START OFF WITH
% SOME INTRODUCTIONS.
% >> WE'VE BEEN DOING ROUND TABLES
% ALL OVER THE STATE.
% I THINK WE'VE DONE NEARLY A
% DOZEN.
% >> HE IS THE DESIGNEE OF
% DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL
% SERVICES, OR D.S.P.S.
% FOR THE FIRST 10 YEARS OF ITS
% EXISTENCE, THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO
% THOUGHT ABOUT IT WERE THE
% WORKERS THAT NEEDED TO SEND IN
% THEIR C.D.C. TO BECOME
% PROFESSIONALLY LICENSED IN
% WISCONSIN, EVERYONE FROM
% ACCOUNTANTS TO WELDERS, NURSES,
% BASHBARBERS AND NURSES.
% >> YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO WE WERE
% AND THAT'S HOW WE LIKE IT.
% >> BUT THE PANDEMIC EXPOSED THE
% FAULTS IN THE OLD LICENSING
% PROCESS AND SENT CHAOS INTO
% PLACES LIKE THE HEALTHCARE
% INDUSTRY, WHERE NEARLY HALF OF
% ALL WORKERS NEED SOME SORT OF
% PROFESSIONAL LICENSE SPERRAZZA
% WE WERE EXPERIENCING DELAYS
% ABOUT AID YEAR AGO THAT WERE AT
% LEAST TAKING SIX MONTHS TO 12
% MONTHS BEFORE THEY WERE
% RECEIVING THEIR WISCONSIN
% LICENSE.
% >> JENNIFER WATERS-PLEMON WORKS
% IN BEAVER DAM.
% SHE'S THE ASSISTANT MANAGER OF
% RECRUITMENT FOR ADVANCED
% PRACTICE CLINICIANS, SO SHE FELT
% IT WHEN TRYING TO GET NEW HIRES
% LICENSED DURING A PANDEMIC.
% >> WITH COVID, WE HAD MORE
% PEOPLE COMING IN HERE THAT WE
% NEEDED THEM TO HAVE A LICENSE
% YESTERDAY, SO I THINK THAT
% DEFINITELY IMPACTED WHY IT TOOK
% A LONGER PROCESS FOR WISCONSIN
% LICENSE.%>> WITH NEW STATE EM
PLOYEES
% TRYING TO WORK REMOTELY, AN
% INFLUX OF NEW LICENSE REQUESTS
% AND AN OUTDATED SYSTEM THAT
% RELIED ON FAX MACHINES AND PAPER
% COPIES, IT'S IS NO SURPRISE
% THERE WAS A SURGE IN STORIES
% ABOUT THE DELAYS.ú>> FRUSTRATIOG
% POINT.
% >> I CALLED THE D.S.P.S. AT
% LEAST ONCE A WEEK, ON HOLD FOR
% AN HOUR OR LONGER.
% >> SHE FINALLY GOT HER LICENSE
% SIX MONTHS AFTER BICYCLE.
% >> IT WAS KILLING SOME OF THESE
% RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENTS.
% >> IMREAND GRISWOLD SERVES ON A
% COMMITTEE FOR THE WISCONSIN
% SOCIETY OF RADIOLOGICAL
% TECHNOLOGISTS.
% HE SAYS MOST NEW TECHNICIANS
% GRADUATE IN MAY AND USED TO BE
% ABLE TO GET THEIR STATE LICENSE
% SHORTLY AFTER PASSING A NATIONAL
% EXAM.%INSTEAD OF TURNING IT
AROUND IN
% 15 TO 25 DAYS, SOME OF THESE
% GRADUATES WERE WAITING UPWARDS
% OF 90 TO 120 DAYS UPON
% GRADUATION.
% >> THE ISSUE BECAME POLITICAL
% WITH REPUBLICANS BLAMING
% GOVERNOR TONY EVERS FOR NOT
% SENDING STATE EMPLOYEES BACK TO
% THE OFFICE, AND DEMOCRATS
% BLAMING REPUBLICANS FOR
% UNDERSTAFUNDERSTAFFING THE AGEN.
% >> THE GOVERNOR NEEDS TO FIX
% THAT AGENCY.
% IT'S JUST UNACCEPTABLE, THE
% AMOUNT OF TIME PEOPLE ARE
% WAITING FOR LICENSES.
% UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE BEEN KIND
% OF HAMSTRUNG BY LEGISLATION IN
% THE PAST WHERE IT GINT ALLOW TO
% US LOW-LYING AREA MORE PEOPLE.
% >> I'M SPEAKING FOR RAIDOLOGY,
% BUT I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR
% ANYBODY ELSE.
% >> HE ATTENDED A BUDGET MEETING
% LAST NOVEMBER WHERE THE GOVERNOR
% AND STAFF WERE ON HAND TO TAKE
% NOTES EXPERT LICENSING PROCESS
% IN WISCONSIN IS JUST SIMPLY
% CONFOUNDED.% SO IF YOU DIDN
'T GET A MESSAGE
% TO THE LEGISLATURE, I NOTICE
% THAT THE GOVERNOR IS SITTING
% THERE LISTENING.
% >> BY THAT POINT, TO THE EAST OF
% US HAD ALREADY CHANGED
% LEADERSHIP AT D.S.P.S.,
% APPOINTING DAN HERETH TO SPEED
% UP THE PROCESS.
% >> TECHNOLOGY IS SAY BIG PART OF
% OUR STORY AND SUCCESS.
% >> D.S.P.S. INTRODUCED A NEW WEB
% PLATFORM AND HERETH SAYS ROUND
% TABLES HAVE LED TO CHANGES IN
% THE SYSTEM.
% >> THERE HAVE BEEN REALLY
% INTERESTING INSTANCES WHERE,
% WITHIN A MATTER OF WEEKS, WE'VE
% BEEN ABLE TO TAKE IDEAS AND
% EITHER AUGMENT EXISTING
% SOLUTIONS OR CREATE NEW
% SOLUTIONS.
% >> JENNIFER WATERS PLEMON SAYS
% THE NEW SYSTEM ALLOWS EMPLOYERS
% AND APPLICANTS TO MONITOR THE
% LICENSING PROCESS.
% BECAUSE IN THE OLD SYSTEM, A LOT
% OF DELAYS WERE CAUSED BY MISSING
% PAPERWORK.
% >> THEY WOULD TELL US THAT THEY
% HAVE SUBMITTED EVERYTHING AND WE
% COULDN'T CHECK TO VERIFY IF THEY
% HAVE OR HAVE NOT SUBMITTED THAT
% SO NOW HAVING THAT TRANSPARENCY
% WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THAT WAS
% SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO US
% TO VERIFY THAT THEY SHOULD BE
% RECEIVING THEIR LICENSE MORE
% TIMELY.
% >> RANDY GRISWOLD SAYS HE'S
% HEARD OF IMPROVEMENTS IN HIS
% INDUSTRY AS WELL.
% >> THE TURNAROUND TIME, WHICH
% USED TO BE RUNNING INTO 90 DAYS,
% IS NOW BACK TO JUST UNDER 30
% DAYS NOW.
% SO THINGS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER.
% >> BUT THAT'S NOT THE END FELT
% STORY FOR D.S.P.S.
% CHANGES IN THE WORKFORCE FROM
% BABY BOOMERS RETIRING AND AN
% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF
% TRAVELING NURSES AND TECHNICIANS
% MEANS THEY WILL ALWAYS BE TESTED
% ON TURNAROUND TIME.
% >> THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS IN
% WISCONSIN, THE LICENSING PROCESS
% IN WISCONSIN NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND
% THE DRAMATIC CHANGE I AND THE
% LABOR FORCE THAT'S COMING INTO
% IT RIGHT NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
% >> WE'RE ISSUING MORE LICENSES
% MORE QUICKLY THAN AT ANY POINT
% IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS IN OUR
% AGENCY.%THAT'S AS FAR BACK A
S MY DATA
% GOES, BUT THAT'S NOT GOOD
% ENOUGH.
% THAT'S NOT HOW WISCONSIN WINS
% THE BATTLE FOR WORKERS
% THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND,
% QUITE FRANKLY, IN THE GLOBAL
% ECONOMY.
% >> REPORTING FROM BEAVER DAM,