Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (WAND) President Deborah Tang presented state Senator Joan Ballweg (R – Markesan) with a WAND 2024 Legislator of the Year Award at WAND’s annual conference in Oshkosh. Senator Ballweg was named a 2024 WAND Legislator of the Year due to her leadership in introducing Senate Bill 1059 and serving as the lead Senate co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 1153, both of which would ratify and enter Wisconsin into the national Dietitian Licensure Compact. In addition, Senator Ballweg introduced Senate Bill 948 and served as the lead Senate co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 1013, both of which create a healthy food incentive program. Assembly Bill 1013 was signed into law on March 25. “WAND greatly appreciates Senator Ballweg’s leadership in introducing legislation that would allow Wisconsin to join the national dietitian licensure compact. This legislation would allow dietitians to care for patients in states outside of Wisconsin that also join the compact by streamlining the licensure process. This legislation would decrease the risk of disrupted care when patients move out of state or reside in other states on a part-time basis. In addition, it would make Wisconsin a more military family-friendly state by making it much easier for military personnel or their spouses to continue to treat patients independent of their locale,” said Deborah Tang, WAND president. “Also, WAND would like to thank Senator Ballweg for introducing legislation – which is now law – that creates a program which incentivizes food stamp recipients to purchase more fruits and vegetables. This is a terrific way to encourage Wisconsinites to eat more healthy foods,” concluded Tang. The Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (WAND) is a statewide organization consisting of approximately 900 nutrition professionals, primarily Registered Dietitians (RDs) or Dietetic Technicians Registered (DTRs), who work in a variety of employment settings including hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities, public health, education and research, food management and food processing, corporate wellness and private practice.
