Bill Signing

On Wednesday, Governor Walker signed a number of bills I authored into to law.  It is always rewarding to witness a bill signing with the legislators and groups who worked hard to pass these bills.

Another one of my bills signed by the governor was Assembly Bill 664 (AB 664).  AB 664 makes it easier for student patients to receive mental health care from licensed providers in school.  Up to 20 percent of our students deal with some sort of mental health issue during their school years.  Evidence clearly shows that early treatment substantially increases the likelihood that they will go on to lead productive lives.  Studies also show that students with access to mental health care in schools are far more likely to receive treatment.  This bill will help our students receive the mental health care they need.

Ahnapee River

Last night, Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) and I addressed a standing-room-only meeting sponsored by the Friends of Crescent Beach in Algoma.  Rep. Krug has been involved in the effort to clean up the Wisconsin River for over five years.  It was valuable for the group to hear Rep. Krug's experiences, because they are interested in charting a similar course for the Ahnapee River, which empties into Lake Michigan just north of the the beach.  Not so long ago, the Ahnapee was a Class I trout stream, but it is now on the impaired waterways list.

The process begins with a Total Maximum Daily Load study for phosphorous to identify the sources of phosphorous within the river watershed. It is a long process and requires extensive testing.  We envision a public/private partnership involving the DNR and local groups, as was done for the Wisconsin River.  Local groups would supply manpower and assistance in the testing along with a portion of the funding.

I believe the attendees came out of the meeting with an informed and realistic idea of what it will take to achieve this worthy goal.  I hope to begin strategizing with these groups and the DNR to begin some preliminary testing in the coming weeks.

Peninsula Pride Farms

I want to applaud the group of Southern Door and Kewaunee County farmers who have organized under the name of Peninsula Pride Farms (PPF).  These farmers accept their role in the groundwater contamination problems we face, and they are committed to being leaders to solve the problem.  They will set management practice standards for themselves that exceed those currently required, and they will seek innovative new solutions to the problem.  The 35 farmer members of PPF account for 32,000 cows and farm 48,000 acres.  PPF also includes agri-business members and is supported by the Nature Conservancy.  I believe this is a great step in the right direction.

To read more, visit the link below:

Wisconsin Elderly

The graphic above clearly indicates a challenge that we will face in the coming years on the local, state and national levels as the baby boomer generation ages.  Door County is already among the oldest counties in the state and it is extremely difficult for our tourism businesses to find workers.  This will only worsen.  We need to address the shortage of care providers for the elderly as well.  On the state level, budgets will be more difficult as more people draw benefits from the government and less people pay in.  Meeting these challenges will require courage on the part of our leaders as they will be forced to make some unpopular decisions.  I believe it is important that we all understand the challenge we will face and support responsible measures for assisting our elderly.

Blue Books Available

If you would like a complimentary copy of the 2015-2016 Wisconsin State Blue Book, please follow the proved link:

          http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/01/kitchens/constituent-services/ 

The 2015-2016 Blue Book is also available online:

          http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/publications/wisconsin-blue-book/

In Closing...

Thank you for taking the time to read over my E-update.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact my office.

Representative Joel Kitchens