Potawatomi Tower Funding

The Evers administration is claiming that one of the obstacles that is holding them up from making a decision on the future of the historic observation tower at Potawatomi State Park is concerns over funding.

However, I have always said from the very beginning that finding money to repair the tower is not an issue. The funds are there – we just need Gov. Evers and his Department of Natural Resources to sign off on rehabilitating the beloved structure. 

According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, there was a little more than $200 million set aside in the 2021-23 state budget for facility repairs and renovations. Restoring the tower is expected to cost around $250,000, or .125 percent of the budget allocation.

If the state Building Commission were to approve the project, we could use the funding in the facility repairs and renovations account to make the tower usable for visitors once again. Regrettably, Gov. Evers' office and the DNR have denied previous attempts to have the Building Commission take action on the proposal.

Sen. André Jacque and other members of the Building Commission have told me they are confident they could get the funding request passed if the Evers administration allowed it to be placed on the agenda.

If you would like to contact the governor's office or the DNR to voice your support for giving the Building Commission the opportunity to consider the repair project, please click here or here.

Bills Advance

I am proud that four of my bills were passed out of committee this week and can now be taken up by the full Assembly.

The first two – Assembly Bills 727 and 728 – take a multi-pronged approach to protecting our state’s water from excessive nitrates and other contaminants.

The legislative package includes the following provisions: 

• Create a Commercial Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program where farmers can receive grants for implementing new and innovative practices that optimize the application of commercial nitrogen
• Provide cover crop insurance premium rebates to help offset the costs of planting cover crops
• Establish a three-year hydrogeologist position within the UW System to develop localized groundwater resource data and to work with local stakeholders on interpreting and using that information
• Update the existing Well Compensation Grant Program so that it can be better utilized by lower income residents
• Allow recipients of Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants to also participate in the competitive Surface Water Grant Program
• Authorize the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to take into account factors with the weather when considering the allocation of County Conservation Department Grants

Ensuring our state has clean water has always been one of my top priorities and I believe these measures will be instrumental in helping us make significant progress toward that goal.

The other two of my bills that were passed out of committee were:

• AB 914, which allows the Town of Gibraltar to create a tax incremental district to pave the way for more than 100 new workforce housing units 
• AB 693, which provides up to $5.6 million in authorized but unobligated Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funds to complete critical health- and safety-related water infrastructure projects at Wisconsin’s high-demand state parks

Smishing Scam

The Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles is asking residents to be on the lookout for a new smishing scam that is being reported across the state.

Smishing is the fraudulent practice of sending text messages purporting to be from a reputable organization in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.

According to state officials, if you click on the link in these smishing text messages, you will be directed to a spoofed DMV website where you will be prompted to enter your identifying information or documents. 

I want to make sure that all of you are aware of this scam and I encourage you to refrain from clicking on any links if you question the validity of any text messages you may receive.

For more information on what to look for to avoid being scammed, please click here to read a press release from the DMV.