First Responder of the Year Ceremony
Thank you to all who submitted nominations for the First Responder of the Year Award for the 2nd Assembly District. Last Tuesday, I was proud to present Captain Jason Maus from the Lawrence Fire Department with this award before session. Jason was nominated for this award due to his longstanding commitment to our community. Not only does he work tirelessly to perform his own duties, but he also goes above and beyond to help his coworkers with theirs. Thank you, Jason, for your outstanding bravery and dedication to serving others. It is an honor to represent you!
Brewers Legislation – Session 10/17
After the First Responder of the Year Ceremony ended, the Assembly met for session. I voted in favor of all legislation except for legislation that would fund the Brewers.
AB 438 and AB 439 provide funding for the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club in order to create improvements to the stadium.
I voted against utilizing taxpayer dollars to fund repairs and upgrades at American Family Field (Miller Park). Fundamentally, I do not believe state taxpayer dollars should be used to subsidize stadiums without going to the people for approval via referendum.
States must get together to agree on not getting blackmailed by billionaire sports’ team owners who threaten to leave a state unless the taxpayers cough up money. I give credit to the authors of this legislation for their work to improve the bill and lower the burden on taxpayers. I understand their belief that their backs are against the wall on this tricky issue. Nonetheless, I still could not support this legislation based on principle and because of its unpopularity among my constituents, 97% of whom responded to my spring survey that I should not support this deal.
Moving forward, my office will be looking into options for states to work together to end this cycle of taxpayer subsidies.
The following bills were also voted on in session on the 17th.
AB 33 requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to inquire with an applicant for an operator’s license (driver’s license) if they would like to provide the department with an emergency contact.
AB 66 waives the current $157 title transfer fee and $7.50 supplemental title fee when a vehicle is transferred upon a person’s death to an immediate family member.
AB 105 allows the public utility exemption to take place and allows electric cooperatives to operate ATVs and UTVs on public roadways for the purposes of line maintenance, construction, or restoration of power.
AB 120 clarifies the existing state statute regarding public safety employee healthcare, rendering a ruling made by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commissioner (WERC) immaterial. The original ruling stated that a “City [has] discretion to determine whether it will even have a health insurance plan for public safety employees.”
AB 122 completes the Department of Transportation’s transition from the issuance of paper temporary plates to issuing temporary plates electronically.
AB 123 allows active military members in Wisconsin to have the full range of training programs available to them by allowing the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue “regular” driver’s licenses to individuals enlisted in the armed forces.
AB 178 requires the Adjutant General and the Department of Military Affairs to compile and submit certain reports annually.
AB 179 requires the National Guard to establish and maintain a case management system that enables the Guard to manage and track all case-related information for cases of misconduct within the National Guard.
AB 231 removes seven inactive groups from the Council on Veterans Programs and adds two members in their place: veterans service coordinators employed by the WTCS and UW System.
AB 294 would establish accountability requirements for third-party delivery services, such as Uber Eats, Doordash, and Instacart.
AB 303 makes certain statutory reforms to the Wisconsin broadband expansion grant program, administered by the Public Service Commission, in order to modernize it and make it more efficient and effective at expanding broadband access across the state.
AB 364 ensures that the state definition of a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) matches the federal definition so that Wisconsinites can continue to receive their HSA deduction when filing their state returns starting in tax year 2022 and in future tax years.
AB 394 creates a driver’s education grant program for Wisconsin.
AB 406 would update references to the IRC under the individual income and corporate income/franchise tax to include most federal tax provisions included in the nine related federal laws enacted in 2021 and 2022, retroactively and for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2022.
Committee on Corrections
Last Wednesday, I was given the opportunity to testify before the Corrections Committee on one of my bills. AB 462 creates a transitional work opportunity program administered by the Department of Corrections for eligible inmates in Wisconsin’s low and moderate security-risk prisons. Inmates would have the opportunity to be housed in county prisons or stay at their state prison to be closer to work sites.
Creating better work opportunities for the incarcerated plays a role in reducing the recidivism rate, meaning fewer cases to file in district attorney and public defender offices. It would also further expand the pool of workers for businesses facing current workforce shortages.
In-District Events
Saturday, October 28th, will be the Craft and Vendor Show at the Wrightstown American Legion from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, October 29th, there will be Booyah and Chili at the Morrison Fire Department. This event will be drive-through and will start serving at 10 a.m.
Friday, November 3rd, there will be a Fall Fish Fry from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mishicot VFW Park and Hall (317 West Main St, Mishicot).
Saturday, November 11th, will be the Holiday Craft Extravaganza at Camp Tapawingo (915 W Tapawingo Road, Mishicot) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, November 11th, will be Holiday Photos with the Alpacas at the LondonDairy Alpaca Ranch (6827 State Hwy 147, Two Rivers) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, November 12th, will be Holiday Photos with the Alpacas at the LondonDairy Alpaca Ranch (6827 State Hwy 147, Two Rivers) from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
