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 EMPLOYEES
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AND AN OUTDATED SYSTEM THAT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 AS 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,