Joint
Finance Committee Announces Budget Public Hearings
The Joint Committee on Finance recently
announced their Budget Public Hearings schedule. Tasked with going
through the budget line by line, the Joint Committee on Finance travels
throughout the state to get input from the public before making
decisions. These public hearings are a great opportunity for the public
to have their say on the Governor's proposed budget. Oftentimes, many of
the changes we make in the legislature come directly from these
hearings. For example, in the last budget, Governor Walker removed the
SeniorCare program. Due to the overwhelming public support for this
program, witnessed both here in Madison and at the public hearings, we
saved and restored SeniorCare.
While there is not a public hearing in our district, I highly encourage
you to attend the one closest to us, in Marinette, if you are able. For
more information regarding the Joint Committee on Finance click
here, and for more information regarding the Governor's budget
proposal click
here.
1. Monday, April 3 - UW-Platteville,
Platteville (10am-5pm)
2. Wednesday, April 5 - State Fair Park, Milwaukee (10am-6pm)
3. Friday, April 7 - Berlin High School, Berlin (10am-5pm)
4. Tuesday, April 18 - Spooner High School, Spooner (10am-6pm)
5. Wednesday, April 19 - Ellsworth High School, Ellsworth (10am-5pm)
6. Friday, April 21 - Marinette High School, Marinette (10am-5pm)
Dentists from the District Visit Madison
Dentists and dental students from the
district came to visit my office in Madison earlier this week as a part
of their 'lobby day' for the Wisconsin Dental Association. We had a
great discussion on the state of dentistry in Wisconsin and things we
can do down here in Madison to help out. Wisconsin has around 3,500
licensed dentists and the Wisconsin Dental Association represents nearly
3,000 of them and works to advocate for dental professionals and the
pubic they serve.
I always enjoy hosting constituents in my office in Madison. Please feel
free to set up a time with my office to come down and visit. For more
information regarding the Wisconsin Dental Association, please click
here.
Making
Cheese the State Dairy Product of Wisconsin
This week in the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, we heard public testimony and
voted on
Assembly Bill 73, which will designate cheese as the official state dairy
product. Wisconsin produces nearly 3 billion pounds of cheese every
year, more than any other state in the nation.
Like many bills, this one came directly
from the people we represent. However, this time, it came from those who
can't even vote yet! Assembly Bill 73 came straight from the minds of
fourth graders at Mineral Point Elementary. The bill's authors, Senator
Howard Marklein and Representative Todd Novak, met with the students and
were given a presentation on their bill proposal. During her testimony,
one of the students shared with the Committee that Wisconsin not only
produces the most cheese out of all 50 states, but if it were its own
country, it would still come 4th in worldwide production, behind the US,
France, and Germany and ahead of Italy!
It is great to see the bright minds of
these students learn about government and how a bill becomes a law.
Unsurprisingly, this bill passed out of committee with unanimous
bipartisan support. It appears both parties can get behind cheese!
I look forward to voting on this bill in the full Assembly where I
expect it to pass without hassle and be signed into law by the Governor.
Please click the below picture to hear a
bright student testifying on the bill!
In Closing...
