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Walker Signs Off On Array Of Bills, Including Microbeads Ban And Remedial Class Tracking

Governor Also Approves Bill Ending SAGE Program

Melly Kay (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Gov. Scott Walker signed a number of wide-ranging bills into law Wednesday, including legislation that bans microbeads — a plastic exfoliant in soap, toothpaste and other personal care products — and that creates a system of tracking the high schools of college students who need remedial courses.

The microbead bill would ban the manufacturing of personal care products containing the small plastic particles starting in 2018, and disallow sales of products with the beads starting in 2019.

Scientists recently discovered that microbeads are flowing by the billions from wastewater plants into the Great Lakes and other water bodies. Manufacturers have already started substituting microbeads with natural substances including ground-up fruit pits, oatmeal and sea salt.

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The Senate passed the microbead proposal in March and the Assembly followed suit in April.

Walker also signed off on a measure that would require the University of Wisconsin System to determine the high schools that graduate students who must take remedial English and math courses at a UW school. The system would have to submit a report to lawmakers and the state Department of Public Instruction, which would forward the document on to school boards.

The bill’s author, Rep. John Jagler, has said he hopes the report will spark questions about why students at those high schools aren’t ready for college.

Walker also signed off on a bill to end a program incentivizing low teacher-student ratios, as well as bills to change the state’s election recount fee structure, disallow the use GPS to track people, criminalize lying about military service, permit businesses to keep epinephrine on hand for emergencies, and to allow motorcyclists to attach colored lights to their bikes.