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 WITH NEW STATE EMPLOYEES TRYING TO WORK REMOTELY, AN INFLUX OF NEW LICENSE REQUESTS AND AN OUTDATED SYSTEM THAT RELIED ON FAX MACHINES AND PAPER COPIES, IT'S IS NO SURPRISE THERE WAS A SURGE IN STORIES ABOUT THE DELAYS.ú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,