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Contents

April 4, 2019

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I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read through my newsletter. Each week, I'll include information to keep you up-to-date with what's happening in Madison.

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Door Kewaunee Legislative Days

It was a tremendous honor this week to welcome and help accommodate more than 100 citizen delegates from our area who traveled to Madison for two days as part of Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days.

I'm proud to say that the 1st Assembly District has a reputation around the Capitol building as having one of the most politically engaged constituencies in Wisconsin, and this event has certainly reinforced that notion.

Our local group of dedicated elected officials, students and business leaders comes to the state Capitol biannually to advocate for the priorities that are most important to our region.  The Legislative Days Committee held an open invitation for topics over a recent month-long period, and then a steering committee selected the issues they felt needed the most attention at the state level.

I am grateful to be authoring several legislative proposals this session that our citizen delegates were pushing for as they visited the offices of numerous lawmakers. This comes as no surprise though, as these bills were created from the feedback I have been receiving from you all, both from listening sessions and from discussions I have had with folks around the district.

Because of that feedback, I circulated a bill for co-sponsorship this week that will implement specific guidelines to ensure that municipalities have the tools they need to be able to collect the accurate amount of room taxes they are entitled to from lodging marketplaces – like Airbnb – and owners of short-term rentals.

Another piece of legislation I have authored that aligns with the Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days’ agenda is Assembly Bill 66, which establishes a creative economy development initiative grant program. This would provide a great benefit to our district seeing as our local economy heavily depends on the arts and tourism to thrive.

Door and Kewaunee representatives are also asking the Legislature to invest in local land and water resources, an effort I’ve passionately supported since I took office in 2015.

Other items on the Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days’ priority list includes a premier resort area tax for the City of Sturgeon Bay, an increase in state broadband expansion grant funding and opposing the repeal of statewide standards for school start dates.

After speaking with members of Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days at their lunch on Wednesday, I had a chance to sit down with Gov. Tony Evers to advocate on their behalf.

Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the values and unique challenges of our counties, and I am so thankful for the all the hard work and effort our devoted neighbors are putting in to promote our area. All of you really do make a difference.

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Testimony Video Image.PNGYou can watch a video of my testimony on my official YouTube page by clicking on the image above!
Education Committee Hearing

I was excited to testify today in front of the Assembly Committee on Education on AB 67, my bill that would require the state Department of Public Instruction to include the percentage of students participating in music, dance, drama and visual arts on the annual school and school district accountability report cards.

Numerous studies have proven that schools that offer more extensive opportunities in the arts have experienced better pupil attendance and achievements in other subjects.

Although the arts data would only be included on the report cards for informational purposes, I believe further transparency on student engagement measures will help encourage local communities to better understand and support what their schools are providing in terms of educational courses.

If you are interested in watching a video of my full testimony on AB 67, please click here.


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Meeting With Gov. Evers

I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Gov. Tony Evers this week to talk about my legislative goals for this session and the issues facing our district.

It was a productive discussion that primarily focused on how we can best work together to tackle our state’s most pressing needs, including educating our children and protecting our environment.

The governor thanked me for my work as co-chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding and said he appreciated the recommendations the commission made to help improve educational outcomes for our students.

We also talked about early childhood development and how critical it is to reach impoverished children at a younger age in order to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty. This is a topic we both agree that the state cannot afford to ignore.

On the environment side, the governor was very interested in my work group that is utilizing science-based research to reduce the amount of nitrates in our water. Although we are still in the early stages, Gov. Evers seemed impressed that we are partnering with some of the top scientists in the state to find solutions to this problem. He also asked to be kept up-to-date on our findings.

I also took the opportunity to ask the governor to consider supporting a budget motion that would authorize a premier resort area tax for the City of Sturgeon Bay, which is one of the main priorities of local officials behind Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days. About 70 percent of voters in Sturgeon Bay also supported the tax in a referendum in 2018.

The budget item would implement a .5 percent sales tax on tourist-type expenditures. The revenue from the tax would help share the cost burden of street maintenance and reconstruction with visitors and tourists who use local streets.

I wrapped up the meeting by inviting Gov. Evers to come tour Peninsula Pride Farms and other locations in the 1st Assembly District and he seemed very receptive to the idea.

I look forward to working with the governor to find areas where we can compromise so we can come up with solutions that benefit our region and the state as a whole.

Upcoming District Events!

What: Algoma Bird Celebration
Where: Algoma Youth Club, 620 Lake Street, Algoma, WI
When: Saturday, April 6 , from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Details: "Programs, information displays, items for sale, food, book authors, door prizes.  Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day."

What: Game Day
Where: Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion, 7845 Church Street, Egg Harbor, WI
When: Saturday, April 6, at 10:00 am
Details: 
"Raid the library game stash or bring your own. Snacks provided. Appropriate for all ages."

What: LEGO Kids Club
Where: Sturgeon Bay Library, 107 South 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI
When: Saturday, April 6, 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm
Details: "Kids (K-4th grade) are welcome to build creations with thousands of LEGOs. Many of the creations will be on display all month in the children's area of the library. Free."