The Governor's Budget Proposal

Last week, Gov. Tony Evers presented his budget proposal, which is the first step in the biennial budget process. The next step will be for it to go to the Joint Finance Committee, which reviews each item line by line and eventually returns their budget proposal to the Legislature for approval. If passed by both houses, it then goes back to the governor. The governor can then veto all or part of it. Once he signs the final version, it becomes law. Over the next several weeks, I will discuss a number of different areas of the budget, since this is our most important and most complex task.

The state government has frequently been criticized in the past for including non-budgetary policy items in the budget (those with no price tag). The perception has been that this was sometimes done to avoid public debate of controversial items. Last session, the bi-partisan Joint Finance Committee decided to strip all non-fiscal policy proposals from former Gov. Scott Walker’s state budget.

I completely agreed with that move and have always been a proponent of keeping all non-fiscal items out of the state’s spending plan. While it has been common practice for decades to try to slip these far-reaching proposals into the budget, I believe that this is the wrong way for government to operate.

I find it imperative that we properly vet all policy items that do not have a fiscal component by having them individually go through the legislative process. If we don’t do it that way, the Assembly and Senate are essentially obstructed from conducting comprehensive reviews of these policies, severely limiting the Legislature’s role of providing a system of “checks and balances” on the Executive Branch. It also largely shuts the public out of participating in public hearings.

I hope the Joint Finance Committee will keep the same mindset this year, since Gov. Evers’ $83.4 billion spending plan is packed full of non-fiscal proposals, some of which include making illegal immigrants eligible to receive driver cards, repealing the state’s right-to-work law that bans mandatory union membership at private businesses, eliminating the state’s rollback of prevailing wage, legalizing medical marijuana and drawing new legislative district maps. I believe these issues will be best addressed going through the full legislative process.

I am confident the Joint Finance Committee will continue to remove all non-fiscal items from the budget, just as they did with former Gov. Walker's previous budget, so we can ensure these proposals are properly evaluated. This is not to say that these items will not eventually be approved, only that they will go through the legislative process and receive public input. I know that is what my constituents want, and that is what they deserve.

Tackling Telemarketing

I am excited to announce that I have signed on as the lead co-author of a bill that protects Wisconsin residents from fraudulent telemarketing callers who are using a relatively new method to try to deceive you.

Authored by Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin) and Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield), the legislation incorporates into state statutes the federal law that prohibits false information from being intentionally transmitted to a caller ID display if it’s done with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value.

The bill also allows for telecommunications providers to block calls from reaching the called party if the originating number is not valid, is not allocated to a provider or is confirmed by the provider to be unused.

I found it important to become the lead co-author of LRB-1615 because, out of all the complaints my office receives, unwanted phone calls from telemarketers is consistently near the top of the list. Be that as it may, this is not a problem that only my district is facing. Nearly 40 percent of all complaints received by the Wisconsin Department of Trade, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in 2018 had to do with telemarketing, a 17 percent increase from the previous year.

Making matters worse, scam artists are getting smarter and more tech-savvy, too. These criminals are now able to conceal or misrepresent their identity by using a dishonest practice known as “caller ID spoofing,” which results in an inaccurate phone number showing up on your caller ID.

I am tired of my constituents being taken advantage of in these situations, and our bill will go a long way toward eliminating the large number of unsolicited calls being made to your phone. Those who violate this law would be subject to a civil forfeiture of $100 to $10,000.

To help protect yourself from scams while this bill makes its way through the legislative process, I recommend that you sign up for the Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222 or visiting this link. Wisconsin residents who sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry are protected by both federal and state do not call laws.

Upcoming District Events!

What: Ski for Free
Where: Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI
When: Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10, from 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Details: "Borrow, free of charge, an array of ski and snowshoe equipment. Get fitted at the maintenance building. When trail conditions permit."

What: Indoor Farmers Market
Where: 2392 Cty F, Baileys Harbor, WI
When: Saturday, March 9, at 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Details: "Buy local, meet friends old and new and beat cabin fever at our winter markets. Choose fresh scratch made bakery, canned and preserved foods, sustainable produce, meats & eggs. Find unique handcrafted clothing, house wears, home décor and art, personal care and more."

What: Pops Concert
Where: Sturgeon Bay High School, 1230 Michigan St, Sturgeon Bay, WI
When: Saturday, March 9, 4:00pm
Details: "50 Years of Favorites. Featuring the Sturgeon Bay School Band. A cabaret style concert with food and refreshments for sale. With a bucket raffle and silent auction. Held in the gym. $5/adult. $4/ages 6-18. Free/5 & under"