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Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West
2303 North Mayfair Road
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2014 State Legislative Conference
Metro Milwaukee SHRM
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West
2303 North Mayfair Road
Milwaukee, WI 53226
The 2014 Wisconsin SHRM Legislative Conferences will provide HR professionals with an ideal forum to learn, discuss, network and engage with Representatives, Senators and our Legal Partner on important legislative topics.
The Legislative Conference has been approved for 6 General HRCI Credits - Register Today!
 Presenter: Representative Dan Knodl, Wisconsin State Assembly
Description:
The 2013-2014 legislative session has been an active one for the State Senate and State Assembly committees dealing with labor and employment issues. State Representative Dan Knodl, chairperson of the Assembly Committee of Labor, has been at the forefront of several pieces of key legislation, including changes to the State's Unemployment Insurance and Worker's Compensation Insurance programs. Representative Knodl will discuss some of the issue before the Committee, the challenges in passing legislation, the hoped-for effects of approved legislation and some thoughts on opportunities and challenges facing the legislation in the next session.
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8:00-8:55 – Registration/Breakfast/Networking
8:55-9:00 – Welcome – opening announcements
9:00-10:30am – Keynote Bob Gregg
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Featured Presenter Bob Gregg |
Presenter: Bob Gregg a partner and Chair of the Labor & Employment Law Practice Group at the Boardman & Clark Law Firm in Madison, Wisconsin
Description:
We expect the recent trend on employment issues to continue, and over the coming months we expect to see an enormous amount of activity on workplace legislative issues.
Bio:
Bob Gregg is an employment relations attorney with more than 30 years of speaking and training experience. Bob litigates and serves as an expert witness in a wide variety of employment cases. His main emphasis is helping employers achieve enhanced productivity, creating positive work environments, and resolving employment problems before they generate lawsuits.
10:30-10:45am – Short Break
10:45-12:00pm – FMLA Reform
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Featured Presenter Chris Reader |
Presenter: Chris Reader, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC)
Description:
Wisconsin is known for being a reform-focused state, often leading all other states in implementing major public policy initiatives. Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) is one such area where Wisconsin led the nation, as Governor Thompson signed Wisconsin's FMLA law five years prior to President Clinton signing the federal Act. Unfortunately, the federal and state FMLA laws have several areas of conflict, and have not yet been standardized. These differences force businesses to follow two sets of complicated laws for each employee, exposing employers to additional risk of costly litigation that their competitors in other states simply don't have to worry about. In addition to FMLA, there are several other areas of employment law where Wisconsin's law is simply not in line with the federal requirements.
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the largest business trade association in Wisconsin, is working on a common sense package of reforms to harmonize state and federal employment laws. The reform package will dramatically reduce the time and resources employers need to spend in order to stay in compliance with two sets of rules, while still maintaining the benefits and protections that Wisconsin workers have come to know and expect. The differences between state and federal employment laws and the reform package being developed to bring harmony to those laws will be discussed during this time.
Bio:
Chris Reader is the Director of Health & Human Resources Policy at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), the state’s largest trade association representing business. In this position Chris lobbies the legislature on health care policy and human resources issues, including unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, education and workforce development issues, employment laws, and telecommunications issues. Additionally, he answers member questions regarding policy and compliance related to these topics and staffs WMC’s Human Resources Committee and Health Care Committee.
Chris joined WMC in 2013 with significant experience in state government and Wisconsin politics. Previously, Chris was appointed as a Division Administrator at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Prior to that, he worked for 8 years in the state Legislature, including serving as the Chief-of-Staff for former Senator Rich Zipperer and Policy Advisor for former Representative Mark Honadel. Chris has also worked on several political campaigns throughout Wisconsin. Chris is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He and his wife live in Sun Prairie.
12:00pm -12:45 PM Lunch
12:45pm-01:45pm – State Labor Committee Actions & UI/WC
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Featured Presenter Rep Dan Knodl |
Presenter: Representative Dan Knodl, Wisconsin State Assembly
Description:
The 2013-2014 legislative session has been an active one for the State Senate and State Assembly committees dealing with labor and employment issues. State Representative Dan Knodl, chairperson of the Assembly Committee of Labor, has been at the forefront of several pieces of key legislation, including changes to the State's Unemployment Insurance and Worker's Compensation Insurance programs. Representative Knodl will discuss some of the issue before the Committee, the challenges in passing legislation, the hoped-for effects of approved legislation and some thoughts on opportunities and challenges facing the legislation in the next session.
Bio:
Representative Dan Knodl was born in Milwaukee and raised in Menomonee Falls. Dan's leadership days began in 4th grade as Class President and as Student Council President in 8th grade. He then became the first Junior in school history to become Student Council President at Menomonee Falls East. He served as Council President his Senior year as well.
His business endeavors began with a paper route at age 12, caddying at 14, bussing tables at 16, and at age 17 he purchased a mobile vending business. Dan, along with his older brother purchased rental real estate and also opened the Barrelhouse Bar and Broiler in Germantown in 1985. Dan then purchased Reef Point Resort on Pike Lake, Hartford, in 1989 and continues to operate the business today.
Dan has served in elected offices on the Pike Lake Advancement Association, Pike Lake Protection District, Washington County Board of Supervisors, and since 2008, a State Representative. He serves as Chairman of the Labor Committee, Vice Chairman of the Jobs, Economy and Mining Committee, and as a member of the Workforce Development.
01:45-02:00 PM – Short Break
2:00 -3:00PM Equal Rights & Workforce Excellance
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Featured Presenter Reggie Newson |
Presenter: Secretary Reggie Newson, Department of Workforce Development Description:
There are people looking for new or better work in our state and employers looking to fill new and existing opening. And while that may sound like a match made in heaven, often times, there is a skills gap that prevents individuals from getting the jobs they want and employers from getting the employees they need. Secretary Newson will explain the Department's many roles but focus on some of the programs and initiatives designed to bridge the skills gap and to keep Wisconsin competitive on a national and global scale.
Bio:
Reggie Newson is Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The agency, which has an annual operating budget of $450+ million and more than 1,600 employees, is charged with building and strengthening Wisconsin's workforce. He was appointed by Governor Scott Walker on October 24, 2011.
The agency includes six divisions: Employment and Training, Administrative Services, Equal Rights, Unemployment Insurance, Worker’s Compensation and Vocational Rehabilitation. Located within the Office of the Secretary are the chief legal counsel, communications staff, and the new Office of Skills Development.
Before coming to DWD in 2011, Newson was Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT). From 2005 to 2011, he was operations director for DOT’s Southeast Region, managing a $320 million budget and directing 500 employees. He was responsible for daily business operations including human resources, finance, policy implementation and quality control and oversight of project management. From 2003 to 2005, Newson managed the state Disadvantaged Enterprise Program, and in that capacity, he orchestrated and developed leading market management strategies for minority business development.
Secretary Newson has an MBA with an emphasis in corporate communications from Concordia University Wisconsin, an undergraduate degree and master’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as certificates in project management, management and Six Sigma from the UW-Milwaukee. He is an alumnus of Future Milwaukee and former member of the Milwaukee Forum.
3:00PM -3:15PM - Short Break
3:15PM - 4:30PM OSHA & NLRB - John Murray, Shareholder with Linder & Marsack, S.C. and Notable State Court Cases - Kris Hanson, Linder & Marsack, S.C
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Featured Presenter John Murray |
Presenter: John E. Murray, Shareholder with Linder & Marsack, S.C.
Bio:
John E. Murray is a Shareholder with Lindner & Marsack, S.C. He has represented employers for more than 20 years. He has helped employers develop policies to limit risks in areas including reasonable accommodations, FMLA leave, drug testing, harassment investigations, workplace privacy, and more.
He has worked with federal contractors and sub-contractors to draft and revise affirmative action plans, has represented clients in audits by the OFCCP and the Wage and Hour Division of the federal and state departments of labor.
Mr. Murray's representation of employers includes cases before state and federal courts, administrative agencies, arbitrators and the NLRB. He has represented clients against a variety of actions, including veteran's rights, employment discrimination, wage and hour violations, and wrongful discharge among others.
Mr. Murray frequently lectures on a wide range of HR law topics. Some of his recent presentations include Social Media for HR Professionals, Managing Ill, Injured and Disabled Employees, Effective Performance Reviews, Documentation of Discipline and Discharge Decisions, and Workplace Investigations.
Bio: Kristofor L. Hanson is an attorney with Lindner & Marsack. Mr. Hanson represents employers in various matters before both state and federal courts, and administrative forums. His practice includes defending clients in matters arising out of a variety of state and federal employment and labor laws, including: Title VII, Wisconsin Fair Employment Law, Wage and Hour Law, Family and Medical Leave Act (Wisconsin & Federal), Americans With Disability Act, and Age Discrimination Employment Act. Mr. Hanson is also involved in the representation of employer interests in the collective bargaining and labor arbitration processes.
While he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mr. Hanson was a member of the school’s final baseball team. He thereafter transferred and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and was selected to that school's Athletic Hall of Fame. Before attending law school, Mr. Hanson played five seasons of professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians.
He received his law degree, cum laude, from Marquette University Law School.
