Serving the Greater Northwoods  

 Oneida - Vilas - Florence - Forest

District Dialogue

April 14, 2016

Governor Walker Signing Senate Bill 596

On Tuesday, April 5, I attended a bill signing at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire for a worker training bill, Senate Bill 596 (2015 Wisconsin Act 348). Senate Bill 596, authored by Representative Kathy Bernier and Senator Chris Kapenga, consolidates funding for Youth Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship workforce training programs into a single appropriation. This bill will increase flexibility for these important programs without requesting additional funding.

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has the ability to place funds where the greatest demand is and respond in a timely manner, rather than having to wait until the next budget cycle. I was happy to join my colleagues in the legislature voting in support of this bill, which had unanimous support.

After the Governor signed Senate Bill 596, our group was treated to a tour of the Energy Education Center at the Chippewa Valley Technical College.

As a 2016 recipient of the Focus on Energy "Energy Efficiency Excellence Award", the Energy Education Center is providing our youth in the Chippewa Valley the skills needed to work in an evolving energy industry.  The Energy Education Center offers programs in agri-science, electrical power distribution, environmental refrigeration, farm business, and many more.  I was very impressed with the wide variety of highly technical course areas being offered.  Technical colleges in Wisconsin, similar to Chippewa Valley Technical College, are providing the next generation with real life experience for the careers of tomorrow.

Thank you for the interesting tour!

Wisconsin legislators along with Georgia Maxwell (Department of Workforce Development) touring the Energy Education Center.

Dr. Tim Ginnett taking measurements on an adult female black bear.

Dr. Tim Ginnett of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point has been studying black bear populations in northern Wisconsin since 2001. The project is centered in Ashland, Sawyer, and Bayfield counties and was originated by the late Dr. Ray Anderson of UW-Stevens Point in the 1980's. Each year between 8 and 15 female black bears are fitted with radio-collars to allow tracking of locations. During the winter, bear dens are visited to allow assessment of reproductive rates and cub survival, as well as the physical condition of the bears.

Rhinelander resident Jim Sarkauskas holding a bear cub during Dr. Ginnett's study.

At den visits the adults and any yearlings are tranquilized to allow safe handling and data collection. Dr. Ginnett is currently preparing an analysis of 25 years of bear reproduction data which will provide data on trends as well as more accurate data on survival and reproduction which could help Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) monitoring efforts. Over the years the project has been funded primarily through private donations as well as by graduate assistantships from UW-Stevens Point. The project is conducted under an approved Scientific Collectors permit from the WDNR.

I would like to thank Dr. Tim Ginnett for providing my office with information about his studies on the Wisconsin black bear population in northern Wisconsin. 
 

Pictured above is Bruce Prentice, a long-term project volunteer, fitting a new radio-collar to a yearling female.

WISCONSIN DELLS – Wisconsin’s K-12 public school libraries will receive $37.7 million, thanks to record earnings from Common School Fund investments, the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) announced today. Board Chair Brad D. Schimel, Attorney General, and Commissioner Doug La Follette, Secretary of State, presented Kurt Kiefer, Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction, with a ceremonial check at the Wisconsin Educational & Media Technology Association’s (WEMTA) annual conference at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. Commissioner Matt Adamczyk, State Treasurer, was unable to attend.

To see funding for your school district, click here or visit http://bcpl.wisconsin.gov/docview.asp?docid=27361&locid=145 

The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands was established in 1848 by Article X of the Wisconsin Constitution to manage assets of the Common School Fund. This permanent endowment was created in the Constitution to benefit public education.

Attorney General Brad D. Schimel (left) and Secretary of State Doug La Follette (center) present $37.7 million in Common School Fund earnings to Assistant State Superintendent Kurt Kiefer (right), Department of Public Instruction.

The BCPL generates earnings for the Common School Fund by investing in state and municipal bonds and State Trust Funds that finance community projects across the state. Trust Fund earnings are distributed annually to public schools and are the sole source of state funding for public school libraries. For many school districts, this is the only money available for library materials including books, newspapers and periodicals, web-based resources, and computer hardware and software. The funds distributed today are enough to put nearly two books in the hand of every child in Wisconsin.

Board Chair Schimel said, "BCPL investments provide support for community projects throughout Wisconsin including economic development, public infrastructure, school building and improvements, and the purchase of capital equipment and vehicles. Many of these expenditures provide law enforcement personnel and first responders with the equipment needed to keep their communities safe. Earnings from these investments continue to benefit public schools for many generations after the founding fathers of Wisconsin created this program. The BCPL is pleased to distribute record Common School Trust Fund earnings in 2016.”

This 2016 library aid distribution is the largest in the long history of the BCPL. In an era of historically low interest rates, BCPL commissioners are proud to have maintained strong earnings distributions.

For more information on the Board, visit: http://bcpl.wisconsin.gov

On Thursday, April 14, Senate Bill 434, a bill authored by Representative Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz) and Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) which makes a number of changes to existing Managed Forest Law (MFL) was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker in Rhinelander at Ponsse North America.  A majority of the provisions included in this bill were recommendations from the Wisconsin Council on Forestry.  

Governor Walker signs the Managed Forest Law Program Bill

One of the most significant and beneficial aspects to Assembly Bill 561 is financial benefits to local municipalities.  This bill distributes closed acreage fees to municipalities in which the closed MFL land is located. Currently these fees are deposited into the Conservation Fund.  Below are a number of additional provisions included in Senate Bill 434.

• Provides greater clarity to private property owners who sign a contract with the DNR and allows them to leave the program if changes are made they do not support

• Increases the cap of 160 acres of closed MFL to 320 acres in a single town for non-industrial owners

• Restores a landowners ability to lease MFL closed land to another person for the purpose of allowing them to engage in a recreational activity

• Requires MFL open land to be accessible to the public by foot by public road or from other land open to public access

• Increases minimum acreage requirement for enrollment to 20 acres, but allows a one-time opportunity for currently enrolled parcels to renew their enrollment in the program without satisfying the 20-acre requirement 

• Allows any owner to designate an additional parcel of land as MFL if it is at least 3 acres in size and is contiguous to any MFL land

• Allows a landowner to remove between 1 and 5 acres to build a residence

• Allows a landowner to withdraw land to meet productivity requirements in the case of a natural disaster

• Changes the calculation for assessing withdrawal tax

• Allows a person who meets certain educational and/or professional work experience to write required cutting notices

Senate Bill 434 cleans up inconsistencies in the current MFL program and addresses conflicts to reflect current economic conditions.  Returning closed acreage fees to local municipalities will be a boost to local budgets.

Senate Bill 434 is supported by the Wisconsin Towns Association, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, Wisconsin County Forests Association, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin Counties Association, along with MFL enrollees and loggers.  I was proud to vote in favor of this legislation to keep the logging industry in northern Wisconsin vibrant. 

Thank you Ponsse North America for hosting Governor Walker

On Wednesday, April 13, I had the opportunity to attend an awards ceremony for Todd Olson, a nurse with Ministry Home Care Hospice in Rhinelander. Todd was nominated and presented with the Daisy Award, which is given to individuals for being the “best of the best.”

Recipients of this award are selected quarterly and qualifications are based on their clinical expertise and demonstration of extraordinary compassionate care. Todd, who has been working at Ministry Home Care for one year, received several nominations from his co-workers, who stated that Todd has a high degree of professionalism, is an effective communicator, and is always anticipating the needs of his clients. Congratulations, Todd, on receiving the Daisy Award. It was nice meeting you!

This current session has been an extremely humbling experience in Madison.  I am proud of all the work I have done for the Northwoods during my second term as your representative.  As of April 15, state legislators are prohibited from sending out E-Updates and state publications due to the elections board regulations and state statute 11.33. 

I hope you found the District Dialogue both educational and entertaining while providing a snap shot of how the legislature works in Madison.  Have a great summer!

Pictured from Left to Right: Matt Wimmer (Legislative Aide), Rep. Swearingen, Dan Perchinsky (Research Assistant)

Upcoming Community Events

Please click the following links for upcoming community events!

Minocqua Winter Farmers Market: April 15 & 22, Minocqua

TL/Phelps Football Pig Roast: April 16, Three Lakes

North Stars Garden Conference: April 16, Florence

National Citizen Science Day Hike: April 16, Manitowish Waters

Minocqua Home, Lifestyle & Recreation Show: April 16, Minocqua

TL/Phelps Football Pig Roast: April 16, Three Lakes

Lion's Club Spring Dinner: April 18, Three Lakes

Sustainable Forestry Conference: April 21, Florence

Men's Pool Tourney: April 22-24, Three Lakes

Six Annual Sustainability Fair: April 22, Newbold

St Albert Church Fish Fry: April 22, Land O' Lakes

Get Your K's On: April 23, Minocqua

Hodag Hops & Vines Microbrew & Wine Tasting: April 23, Rhinelander

Hodag Hops & Vines: April 23, Rhinelander

The King of Keyes Spring Singles Disc Golf Tournament: April 23, Florence

St. Germain Fire Department - 38th Annual Fish Fry: April 24, St. Germain

Information Technology & Business Job Fair: April 26, Rhinelander

6th Annual Poetry Contest/Poetry Open Mic: April 27, Rhinelander

9th Annual Taste of the North: April 28, Minocqua

9th Annual Community Chicken Dinner: April 30, St. Germain

Lions and Lioness Kayak Raffle Drawing: April 30, Presque Isle

Live Lobster/Prime Rib Dinner: April 30, Presque Isle

Please contact me at Rep.Swearingen@legis.wi.gov if you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE from my E-Updates

Office of Representative Rob Swearingen

Room 123 West

PO Box 8953, Madison WI 53708

Office: 608-266-7141

Toll Free: 888-534-0034