December 2014

Working for you!

Merry December!

I wish you health and happiness during this season and in the coming year. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Committee Chairs for the 2015-16 Legislative Session

Last session, I was the vice-chair of Colleges and Universities. Wisconsin's higher education institutions play a key role in spurring economic activity, producing cutting-edge research, and training a skilled workforce. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the legislature and college and university leaders across the state on higher education matters.

The Joint Survey Committee meets when the needs of the system require legislative action. I'm interested to learn more about our retirement system. We have a high performing system, and I want to ensure it remains one of the best in the country.

In addition to chairing the above committees, I will also be a member of the following Assembly committees: Education (K-12), Financial Institutions, Housing and Real Estate, and Workforce Development.

Upcoming Budget

Last week, Representative-Elect Mike Rohrkaste (Neenah) and I had a productive budget discussion with Governor Walker. When I talk with those of you in my district, I understand that you feel strongly that the property tax burden is too high. We worked hard on this last session, and as a result many Wisconsinites recently received decreased property tax bills. I want to continue that trend into next session. We also talked about workforce development to address the skills gap. We need to create reliable pathways, like Dual Enrollment, from K-12 to our technical colleges and universities so students can earn credits at a reduced cost and graduate sooner. We also need to look at all facets of job creation and retention, including funding transportation projects like Highway 41.

The state agencies have submitted their requests to the Governor. Once Governor Walker announces his proposed budget in January, the legislature will begin processing the all areas of the budget requests. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the budget, as we will work on it for several months.

Eagle Scout John David Arteman

I had the privilege of attending the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for John David Arteman of Greenville in December. Achieving this rank is a truly impressive feat. Thank you for all you do for our community, and best wishes for continued success in your future endeavors!

Honor Flight

Congratulations to the 8th grade girls who achieved Girl Scout Silver awards! Thank you for inviting me to learn about your wonderful accomplishments. We got together at Lord of the Lakes in Winneconne, and I saw how hard working and dedicated these scouts have been throughout their scouting careers. Well done, ladies!

Big congratulations to Baylee Watson, Hayley Morgan, Gwendolyn Hanke, Samantha Lasee, Isabella Hanke, Roree Taff, Britney Adolf, Rae Shaw and Lilianna Fox! Keep up the great work!