PRESCOTT - Gov. Tony Evers on Friday signed Senate Bill 74, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 49, a bipartisan bill that repeals 2015 Act 116 and related statutes to ensure Wisconsin's continued participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.

In September, Mr. Jeff Ryan, a social studies and civics teacher who has taught at Prescott High School for the last 31 years, sent a letter inviting Gov. Evers to visit his classroom. Mr. Ryan has invited every Wisconsin Governor since 1990 to Prescott, and wrote to Gov. Evers saying he hoped the “30-year streak of no visits to our school will end with you.” Gov. Evers signed 2019 Wisconsin Act 49, together with Mr. Ryan and Prescott High School students, at a school assembly after visiting Mr. Ryan's class.

“I'm especially excited to be here today, not just to be able to visit Prescott for Mr. Ryan, but because I get to show students firsthand what lawmaking and civics look like, and how important they are to our state,” said Gov. Evers. “It's easy to read the local newspapers and watch the news and to think that all elected officials do is fight and disagree—what I call 'huffing and puffing'—but today we get to show students that when folks set aside politics and put people first, there's a lot of things we can do and work together on to make our state a better place.”

Senate Bill 74, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 49:

• Repeals 2015 Act 116 which set a sunset date of Wisconsin's participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact of Dec. 16, 2019; and
• Repeals related statutes that were impacted by the enactment of Act 116.

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is an agreement with over 25 states and provides a voluntary expedited pathway to licensure in multiple states for qualified physicians. By participating in the Compact, licensed physicians can qualify to practice across state lines if they are board-certified, in good standing in their home state, and have no malpractice claims.