By Thomas J. McKillen
Managing Editor

Changes to government operations as a result of state legislation kept the Washington County Attorneys office this year, according to annual report presented to the County Board Dec. 13.
“The Budget Repair Bill, the state budget and recount for the Wisconsin Supreme Court  are at the top as affecting this office significantly,” Washington County Attorney Kim Nass stated in the report.
In the report Nass stated her office kept track of changes regarding employee contributions to the state retirement system and collective bargaining that occurred under the budget bill, and then had to deal with the state Supreme Court recount a few months later.
“As activities unfolded in each branch of government, the county worked hard to react to changes in the law in a prudent, efficient and legal fashion,” the report stated.  She then added that “despite the uncertainties at the state level and the challenges presented by the political climate, legal services provided by the office continued without interruption.”
In addition to the high profile issues stemming from the state budget bill, Nass office also evaluated changes stemming from the federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which expanded the reach of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The county attorney’s office determined that the county needed to update its policies and retrain its workforce regarding issues surrounding the two federal laws.
Also during the year, the county attorney’s office,
•Prosecuted eight termination of parental rights cases;
•Handled 274 mental commitment cases as of November;
•Represented the county in 46 contested guardian and protective placement cases to secure the safe placement of elderly or developmentally disabled individuals “in appropriate, least restrictive cases.”
The county attorney’s office oversees the child support agency. According to the report, four teams of office staff handled  an average of 900 cases while there was an average of 382 paternity cases per team.  Nass later noted that each involves establishing or enforcing child support orders.
According to the report, the Child Support Agency increased the monthly amount of money collected for nine out of 10 months this year.