AB 385 Is Now Signed Into Law!
Great news, folks! AB 385 has now been signed into law!
AB 385, now known as Wisconsin Act 205, is a bill I wrote for the purposes of designation on a driver license that broadens the definition of “veteran” to include any person who was admitted to the United States under the Hmong Veterans’ Naturalization Act.
Previously, the veterans designation was only offered to specific individuals who had served in the United States Armed Forces and was presented on their Wisconsin drivers license with a red veterans identifier. This legislation expands that designation to be available to the Hmong-Lao Wisconsinites who fought alongside the United States military in Vietnam to stop the spread of communism.
I believe that the individuals who fought for freedom and our country, lost their homeland, and adopted a new one are American veterans and deserve the recognition this bill offers them.
It has been a pleasure to work on this legislation, and I am thrilled to see it cross the finish line!
Session 2/15/2024
In this week’s update, we’re going to go over a previous floor session we have not yet covered. In order to do so, we’re going to back it up to Thursday, February 15th, when the Assembly met for session. To better focus on the legislation, I am going to split these bills up into multiple e-updates. We will go over the remaining bills from this floor period in the future.
AB 460 is a piece of legislation I wrote that requires the Department of Administration (DOA) to maintain an index of discovery system that allows district attorneys and public defenders to manage and organize all discovery-related information for court cases.
According to the State Public Defender’s office, conflict with video evidence is the second-biggest reason why a court case is delayed. An index of discovery would give both sides of a case a more organized system to file and present evidence, which will ensure a fairer trial and higher efficiency in cases. Lastly, the Department of Justice already utilizes this software, so it should allow for limited administrative costs for DOA when implementing this database.
To hear me speak about this legislation, click here.
AB 27 replaces the Uniform Unsworn Foreign Declarations Act, which Wisconsin has adopted, with the Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act.
AB 37 would provide sensible updates to Wisconsin’s antiquated expungement law.
AB 118 would extend the nondisclosure exemption of confidential informant information to public officials and others affected by the public records law to ensure the protection of the informant.
AB 237 seeks to amend various aspects of current law concerning parole, victim rights, and public safety regarding releasing prisoners.
AB 315 makes it a Class D felony to create and possess AI-generated child-sex images.
AB 467 proposes the creation of Crisis Urgent Care and Observation Centers, designed to provide similar resources and care as Winnebago Mental Health Institute, but closer to home.
AB 470 provides incumbent transmission companies in Wisconsin with the right-of-first-refusal to build new regional transmission lines.
AB 536 would increase all penalties associated with individuals who are charged with fleeing an officer.
April Ballot Will See Constitutional Amendments
Early voting has already started for the April 2nd spring election. So get down to your local clerk’s office and let your voice be heard.
Let’s talk about what we can expect to see on the April ballot. In addition to the candidates for president, you will see county board, city council, and school board candidates and possibly local spending referendum questions (I know De Pere Unified has one), and you will see 2 questions for amendments to our state Constitution.
These two Constitutional Amendment questions are in direct response to issues that arose during the 2020 election. In Green Bay and other cities across Wisconsin, we saw out-of-state activists, funded by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, take over the running of our elections, pushing the Green Bay clerk to the side.
If you want our local election clerks and not Zuckerberg and his activists to run our elections ever again, then you would need to vote “yes” on both of these questions on the April 2nd spring ballot. Or you can vote “no” if you want Facebook running our elections.
I voted for the resolution to put these questions on your spring ballot. Now the choice falls to you.
The questions are as follows:
Question 1: “Use of private funds in election administration. Shall section 7 (1) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?”
This question would amend the Wisconsin Constitution to add a section to Article III to prohibit any level of government in the state from applying for or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for election administration.
Question 2: “Election officials. Shall section 7 (2) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?”
This question would add a new section to Article III of the state constitution that states that no one other than an election official authorized by law may help conduct any election in the state.
SJR 78, the resolution that proposed these constitutional amendments to the people passed both chambers this session. I voted in favor, as I believe these amendments will uphold the integrity of our election process while protecting the independence of local election clerks to administer elections.
In-District Events
Wednesday, March 27th, will be the annual soup fundraiser (SLURP) at the Kaukauna High School Commons from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, March 29th, will be the West Shore Clay Crushers Annual Fish Fry at 11267 Lakeshore Road in Two Rivers from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 29th, will be the City of Two Rivers Fish Boil at the Two Rivers Fire Department (2122 Monroe St.) from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 30th, will be the Easter Egg Hunt at the De Pere Community Center starting at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, April 7th, will be a Cornhole Tournament at the JE Hamilton Community House in Two Rivers from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sign up here: Snow Fest April 7th, 2024 Cornhole Tournament (google.com)
