Budget Surplus

I am proud to be putting my support behind the Wisconsin State Assembly’s proposal to use a portion of the state’s projected budget surplus to pay down debt and cut taxes.

Shortly after the surplus was announced, I asked my followers on social media for their input on what we should do with the money, and, as you could imagine, there was no shortage of ideas. As a state Legislature, we believe the most responsible thing to do is reduce our debt and return the surplus back to taxpayers who were charged more than what our state actually needed.

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, tax collections for this biennium are currently exceeding expectations by $818 million. By law, the state is required to transfer 50 percent of any surplus into the Budget Stabilization Fund. With the addition of these dollars, our “rainy day account” would sit at nearly $950 million, by far the largest amount in state history. Back in 2010, we only had $1.7 million set aside for fiscal emergencies.

When taking into account the rainy day fund payment and other additional revenue, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the state will have an estimated general fund balance of $620 million at the end of the current two-year budget cycle.

The plan being proposed by the state Assembly would put $250 million toward the reduction of middle-class income taxes by changing the standard deduction tables. Roughly $45 million would go to decrease personal property taxes and $100 million would be used to pay off debt. The tax cuts would start in the 2020 tax year and the average income tax filer would see a $105 tax reduction.

Thanks in part to fiscally-responsible budgeting and increases in corporate revenue, the state Legislature has returned a surplus back to taxpayers three times since 2013. According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, our tax burden is at its lowest level in almost 50 years.

When you are being forced to overpay with your taxes, the only fair thing to do is pay you back. After all, it is your money.

Stopping Caller ID Scammers

I am pleased the Wisconsin State Assembly passed my bill this week that seeks to protect our citizens from unwanted and fraudulent phone calls.

The bipartisan legislation will help us go after scam artists who have discovered a way to conceal or misrepresent their identity by using a dishonest practice known as “caller ID spoofing."

AB 147 incorporates into state statutes the federal law that prohibits false information from being intentionally transmitted to a caller ID display if it is done with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value.

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

I found it important to be the lead co-author of this legislation because of the amount of complaints my office receives regarding unwelcome phone calls from telemarketers. This has obviously become a huge problem for many of you, and it has always been my goal to find solutions to the issues that are having the greatest impact in our community.

It appears we are not alone, either. For 17 years in a row, telemarketing has been the top consumer complaint made to the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The exact number of telemarketing complaints submitted in 2019 was 4,244, or 39 percent of the entire total.

To help further shield yourself from these calls, I also recommend signing up for the Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222 or clicking on this link. Wisconsin residents who sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry are protected by both the federal and state do not call laws.

Water Quality Bills

I am honored the Wisconsin State Assembly will be meeting next week to consider more than 10 bills – two of which I authored – that are based on the final recommendations of the Speaker's Task Force on Water Quality.

 The first bill, AB 796, establishes a nitrogen optimization pilot program where the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection would award grants to farmers or producer-led watershed groups in targeted areas for the purpose of implementing projects that limit nitrogen loading, thereby reducing nitrates in our drinking water.

 DATCP and University of Wisconsin agencies would study the results and cost-effectiveness of these practices and provide a report to the state Legislature detailing recommendations on how to improve current policies, as well as the feasibility of a permanent nitrogen optimization program.

The Nitrate Work Group I formed in early 2019 was instrumental in drafting this legislation and I look forward to continuing our work so we can help with the process of determining which areas to target and the best practices we should use.

The second bill, AB 797, prohibits the sale and use of coal tar-based sealant products and sealants that contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Research has shown that PAHs can contain carcinogens and are especially harmful to human health and aquatic wildlife.

The dangerous particles from these sealants can be easily transported by rain, wind, tires and shoes to other environmental settings.

We have heard from many sealant applicators from across the county and the vast majority agree there are safer, cost-competitive alternatives to PAH tar-based sealants that are currently available. Modern asphalt-based pavement sealants contain up to 1,000 times lower PAH levels while also having similar life expectancies.

The Environmental Protection Agency believes that choosing to ban coal tar sealants may be the most cost-effective way for communities to deal with the pollution impacts of these products.

The Speaker's Task Force on Water Quality has also released 11 other recommendations that have been turned into bills. The two I believe that are the most important would increase funding for county conservation staff and producer-led watershed protection grants, which have proven to give us the most bang for our buck. 

If you would like to learn more about all of the task force's bills, please click here. 

Although it's not directly tied to the Speaker's Task Force on Water Quality, the state Assembly will also be voting on my legislation that aims to reduce the amount of contaminants in our state's waterways by creating a system for buying and selling pollution credits through a third-party central clearinghouse.

Because this bill is overly complicated and very difficult to explain, I will devote more space in a future e-update to thoroughly describe how it works.

Upcoming District Events

What: Door County Short Film Festival
Where: Sister Bay Village Hall, 10693 Hwy 42, Sister Bay
When: Saturday, Feb. 15, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Details: "Doors open at 12:30pm. Films are as short as 2 minutes and as long as 20 minutes and are all produced by amateur and professional movie-makers. There will be intermission for talk-backs with attending filmmakers. $15/all-access weekend pass, includes a Valentine's dessert from DC Chocolates and coffee from Skip Stone Coffee."

What: Sturgeon Bay Fire and Ice Festival
Where: Throughout Sturgeon Bay
When: Saturday, Feb. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Details: "Witness novice, intermediate, advanced and professional carvers transform blocks of snow and ice into works of art (9am-2pm). There will also be free trolley rides from 10:30am - 2:30pm with various stops around downtown Sturgeon Bay. Brochures with ice and snow block locations will be available at local businesses and the Destination Sturgeon Bay Welcome Center."

What: Winter Park Night Skiing
Where: Winter Park, N3787 Ransom Moore Lane, Kewaunee
When: Saturday, Feb. 15, from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
Details: "Winter Park in Kewaunee County is bringing back night skiing. Hit the slopes at night on February 1, February 8, February 15, February 22 & February 29. The hours are from 4:30PM-8PM. Ski Pass: $10 Equipment Rentals: $10"