State Capitol Report

October 21, 2016
 

Contact Me

State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708

PH: (608) 266-0455
TF: (888) 534-0065
FAX: (608) 282-3665

Email: Rep.Ohnstad@legis.wi.gov
On the Web: ohnstad.assembly.wi.gov

 

District Events

Kemper Center Haunted House

When: Friday & Saturday evenings from now through October 29th

Where: Kemper Center,

For more information: Tickets sold at the door. Call ahead for dates, times, and prices.

7th Annual Kindred Kitties "It's In The Bag" fundraiser

When: Sunday, October 23rd from 1-6pm

Where: The Moose Lodge, 3003 30th Avenue

Contact: 262-605-0533

**All net proceeds will help fund Kindred Kitties, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.

Kenosha BooFest

When: Saturday, October 29th from 1-4pm

Where: Kenosha Public Museum

What: Show off your costume as you rock and stroll through the exhibit, "Center Stage: A Century of Guitars", trick or treat throughout the Museums and participate in some groovy games, crafts and experiments.

Cost: FREE

Kenosha NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner

When: Saturday, November 5th @5:30pm

Where: Parkway Chateau, 12304 75th Avenue, Kenosha

Tickets: $65/person

Contact: kenoshanaacp@yahoo.com

13th Annual Bowls 'N Bakers event

When: Wednesday, November 9th from 11am-1:30pm

Where: Parkway Chateau, 12304 75th Avenue, Kenosha

What: Enjoy delicious soup samplings from local restaurants. Vote for your favorite soup and purchase delicious baked goods to eat there or take home. Event benefits KAFASI.

Tickets: $25 per ticket; $20 per ticket for age 60 and over

Contact: (262) 658-0237 for more information

38th Annual Mayor's Turkey Day Run

When: Thursday, November 24th

Where: Kenosha Public Museum on Kenosha's lakefront

Registration: Pre-registration is REQUIRED. Click HERE for more details.
Packet Pickup: Packet Pickup will be at the Kenosha Museum, 5500 1st Avenue, on Wednesday, November 23rd, from 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and on race day beginning at 7:30 a.m. and closing at 8:45 a.m., 15 minutes prior to the start of the race.

Established in 1976, Women and Children's Horizons (WCH) advocates for victims of sexual and domestic violence/abuse. WCH provides assistance relating to sexual assault and domestic abuse, has an emergency safety shelter, offers legal advocacy which can provide support and important legal assistance, and offers children's services as well.

Unfortunately, the reality is 25% of women and 17% of men are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. And domestic abuse is far too common. If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence/abuse or sexual assault, it is important to know Women and Children's Horizons is a resource here in Kenosha.

You can find WCH online at www.wchkenosha.org, on Facebook, or by calling 262-656-3500. Anyone needing immediate help can call WCH's 24-hour crisis line at 800-853-3503 (toll-free) or 262-652-9900 (local).
 

Kenosha News has launched a new initiative called: Curious Kenosha where members of the general public can submit questions to Kenosha News and if their questions are chosen, the people who submitted the question will be able to participate in the investigation.

Please see the following video for details: Curious Kenosha Video
 

From the Kenosha News: The Kenosha Dream Playground repairs are well on their way to being completed. The city is currently waiting for the repaired rubberized flooring to cure, after which it will undergo testing.

The city is hopeful the Kenosha Dream Playground can be re-opened in mid-November. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks.
 

From the Kenosha News: Repairs to Kenosha's Washington Park Velodrome are underway! The target finish date is November 15th. Stay tuned for updates as work continues.

From the Kenosha News: "Local officials announced a compromise Tuesday outlining land from Paris being transferred to Kenosha and Somers. They expect this to end most, if not all, of the litigation making its way through the courts.

"The specifics are still be hammered out, and Antaramian said affected municipalities have 55 days to come up with their respective resolutions. He said new boundary agreements would be worked out within a year."

"Under the agreement, Paris land on the west side of Interstate 94 from Highway KR to Highway 142 will be annexed into Somers, while Paris land south of that swath could annex into Kenosha."

Click HERE to read the Kenosha News' editorial following the announcement.

Friends and Neighbors,,

This fall, I have been fortunate to spend time with the fourth graders of Vernon Elementary School, who are learning about our different levels of government. Getting to talk with these students and answer their questions about our state government and my job as State Representative was a real joy. The students were incredibly thoughtful and focused during our chat. They reminded me how much hope there is for our future. I was pleased they got to visit the State Capitol a few weeks later as well.

Tod Ohnstad
State Representative
65th Assembly District
 

Thank you note from Vernon Elementary 4th Grade Student

Rep. Ohnstad Joins Letter to US DOJ regarding Wisconsin DMV Giving Voters False Information on Voter ID

Earlier this month, you probably heard about the horrifying report of some Wisconsin DMV centers giving false and inconsistent information to voters seeking state-issued identification cards prior to the upcoming November 8th election. (You can read more about this here or here, as well as from many other news outlets.) I was outraged to hear this news, because Wisconsin’s voter ID law requires the state to give people free IDs for voting.

To ensure all Wisconsin state law is followed, I joined many Assembly colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to request federal oversight to ensure all Wisconsin voters are able to obtain the necessary ID required to vote. 

In recent days, a federal judge ordered the state to make the free ID and identification card petition process more clear. This helpful document, which summarizes what you need and where to go to get a free ID for voting, is a result of that order. You can also always visit the Bring It To The Ballot website for more information.

Thank you note from Vernon Elementary 4th Grade Student

Rep. Ohnstad Signs On To Letter to CFPB

Re: Federal Payday Loan Rules

At the end of September, I was pleased to join Rep. Gordon Hintz of Oshkosh and several other Assembly colleagues in submitting detailed comments to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding payday loans, auto title loans, and other high-cost installment loans. CFPB is working to finalize proposed rules on Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans. The proposed rules include several good policy proposals that aim to protect consumers while preserving access to credit, but there remain some loopholes that need to be addressed.

I signed on because I think it is so important consumers not be taken advantage of by the predatory lending practices which are the foundation of the payday lending industry.  I am hopeful the CFPB will strengthen the rules before finalizing them. Even if the final rules remain the same though, the increased federal protection for consumers is a step in the right direction.

Thank you note from Vernon Elementary 4th Grade Student

Last Day for Early Voting Is November 4th

Don't forget you can vote early up through November 4th. for more information about where and how to vote in the city of Kenosha, you can visit the Kenosha City Clerk website, email elections@kenosha.org, call 262-653-4200, or visit Room 105 at City Hall, 625 52nd Street.

Thanks to the Kenosha News for this great "Our View" column encouraging everyone to take advantage of the early voting opportunity. As the Kenosha News put it, "Early voting makes participating in the election process more convenient. It’s something many voters should consider."

Thank you note from Vernon Elementary 4th Grade Student

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