Legislative Update

I had the privilege this week of testifying in front of the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges on my bipartisan legislation that changes the residency requirements for Wisconsin's GI Bill program.

The goal of my bill is to address our state's current workforce shortage crisis and to pay back our military veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our country and way of life.

You can read my testimony by clicking here.

As I mentioned in last week's e-update, the Assembly version of the bill has already been unanimously recommended for passage by the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.

In other action, the governor recently signed into law a bill I co-authored that protects first responders from unnecessary and preventable danger on roadways by creating an emergency response area, similar to a work zone.

In these emergency response areas, fines are doubled for speeding, reckless driving and other traffic citations. The use of hand-held cell phones is also prohibited.

I found it important to co-author this legislation because I believe we should be doing all we can to protect those who protect us.

If you would like to watch my interview on the bill with WFRV-TV Local 5 in Green Bay, please click on this link. 

Education Committee

The Assembly Education Committee, of which I am the vice chairman, met for a public hearing on several legislative proposals.

The bills we heard testimony on were:

• AB 611: relating to the Foundations of Reading test licensure requirement
• AB 617: relating to early admission to kindergarten and first grade at a private school participating in a parental choice program
• AB 721: relating to the number of independent charter schools authorized by the College of Menominee Nation or the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College

I would like to thank all the people who took time out of their busy schedules to testify on these bills and provide us with their input.

If you are interested, you can watch the public hearing by clicking here.

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

I was honored to take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the new Kwik Trip in Luxemburg.

The location of the new gas station and convenience store is 113 N. Main St.

I am always excited to welcome a new business to our community. In addition to adding to our local tax base, new businesses also provide us with more options as consumers.

Based in La Crosse, Kwik Trip is a privately-owned company that operates close to 700 stores across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

For more details on the new Luxemburg location, please check out this news article.