Dear Friends and Neighbors,
 

This week at the Capitol, budget negotiations remain stalled as Republican leadership in the Assembly and the Senate continues to argue amongst themselves on key issues such as transportation and education funding. We are now nearing three weeks past due with no clear end in sight to the gridlock.

In this week’s newsletter, you will find details of the latest debate on net neutrality, this week’s budget update, and information about proposed environmental legislation.

If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Lisa Subeck
State Representative
78th Assembly District

Taking Action on Net Neutrality
This week, my Democratic colleagues and I sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in support of maintaining current rules governing net neutrality. Net neutrality requires that internet service providers (ISPs) treat all content equally and do not give preference to specific digital content providers. This means that you can load websites, apps, videos, etc., without interference, regardless of where the content is hosted. For example, an ISP cannot charge more for sites that stream movies or promote a specific agenda. This is also referred to as the open internet.

Unfortunately, the Federal government has posed new threats to net neutrality. In May, FCC Chair Ajit Pai suggested removing the classification for ISPs as a public utility, which would overturn the net neutrality rules put in place under the Obama administration. This could allow your Internet Service Provider to charge you more to access certain websites.

The Internet is first and foremost an information service, and I support the current FCC rules that require Internet service providers to treat all web content equally. Internet access is crucial to students, businesses, families, and nearly anyone in Wisconsin to access and exchange information. It has become part of our daily lives, and it is unconscionable to consider limiting or obstructing its access just so a few big corporations can profit at the expense of everyone else.

Budget: Three Weeks Past Due
This week, Senate Republicans held a press conference to discuss their position on the proposed budget. In addition to changes already made by the Joint Finance Committee, Senate Republicans propose a number of items authored by individual Senators. These ideas have been developed behind closed doors, outside of the traditional budget process. Meanwhile, Senate and Assembly Republicans continue to fight amongst themselves, leaving the state budget 3 weeks past due.
Under the typical budget process, agencies formulate their budget requests and submit them to a Governor; the Governor provides the legislature with a budget proposal; and then the Joint Finance Committee holds public hearings. Next, the Finance Committee meets in a series of Executive Sessions to consider and vote on the budget one piece at a time. When that work is complete, the budget is considered by both houses before returning to the Governor for his signature and vetoes. Instead, Republicans are negotiating behind closed doors – out of the view of the public and without public input – leaving the state without a budget as the Joint Finance Committee’s work sits stalled.

Wisconsin deserves better than the current dysfunction at the hands of the majority party. While Wisconsin government does not shut down because of the budget delay, our schools are left without critical funding increases and road repairs face delays. School districts and local government are unable to plan their own budgets for the upcoming year without knowing state funding levels, and crumbling infrastructure projects may stall. It is time the Republican leadership in the Legislature stop playing politics and start getting serious about the business of running our state.

Fighting Climate Change
I am pleased to co-author legislation which would require our state to comply with greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the Paris climate agreement.

Since President Trump chose to withdraw from that agreement, a growing coalition of states and territories have made commitments to honoring the Paris climate agreement. I believe Wisconsin should joint California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington by honoring the Paris agreement as well.

In Wisconsin, the impact of climate change is plainly evident. We are seeing more extreme weather events and crop losses due to temperature changes. Some regions of our state are dealing with the aftermath of flooding for the second time in 10 years due to rainfall totals we used to expect to see once every 100 years.

President Trump has apparently accepted the misguided notion that honoring the agreement and taking steps to protect our environment will harm our economy. History says otherwise. In 1910, Wisconsinites made a commitment to the environment by approving a constitutional amendment promoting forest and water conservation. In the century that followed, Wisconsin became a leader in manufacturing and developed one of the strongest, most vibrant middle classes in the nation. As our commitment to the environment and conservation grew stronger, so did our economy and so did our middle class.

Honoring the Paris agreement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is right for our environment and right for our economy. Rather than sending billions of dollars out of state each year to pay for fossil fuels, we can invest in renewable energy and support Wisconsin companies that produce solar panel components and wind turbines and install geothermal systems. Honoring the Paris agreement is a win for Wisconsin.

New Computer Science Standards
Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) recently adopted standards for computer science, making us one of only nine states to have established academic standards for this increasingly important subject area.

DPI’s standards define Computer Science as "an academic discipline that encompasses the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their applications, networks, and their impact on society."

DPI outlined the following four goals of the new standards

• Introduce the fundamental concepts of Computer Science to all students, beginning at the elementary school level.

• Present CS at the secondary school level in a way that will be both accessible and worthy of a CS credit, or as a graduation credit.

• Offer additional secondary-level CS standards that will allow interested students to study facets of CS in depth and prepare them for entry into a career or college.

• Increase the knowledge of CS for all students, especially those from under-represented groups in this field.

Click here to view a copy of the new Computer Science Standards.

In Wisconsin, all state standards serve as a model. Authority to adopt academic standards is up to locally elected school boards. The Wisconsin Standards for Computer Science were the first set of academic standards developed through Wisconsin’s standards review process adopted in 2016.

Public Input Sought on Academic Standards
As part of the ongoing standards review and revision process, public comment is now open on updated standards in music, science, and information and technology literacy, as well.

While there are no more public hearings scheduled, comments on the three sets of standards are still being collected through the Department of Public Instruction’s academic standards website. Click here to view the standards and submit comment.

During the public comment period, the standards will also be reviewed by both the Assembly and Senate Education committees. The standards will then be submitted to the state superintendent for approval and publication through the Department of Public Instruction.

Facing Flood Damage? Don't be Left High and Dry by Storm Chasers
Last week's torrential rains brought devastating flooding to Wisconsin, specifically in the Southeast. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) reminds affected property owners of storm damage to seek trusted local contractors for repairs and to be on the lookout for transient contractors (or "storm chasers").

Always use caution in your interactions with storm chasers, never let them into your home, and do not give in to their high-pressure pitches. Start your search for help with a storm repair project by researching trusted local contractors. Seek references from friends, family members, local home builder associations and co-workers, and contact DATCP's Consumer Protection Hotline (800-422-7128) to find out about complaints against particular businesses.

Consider these additional tips if you are seeking help with a home repair following a major storm:
 

• Ask contractors if they are subcontracting your job. If they are, find out who the subcontractor will be and check them out as well.

• Get lien waivers from anyone you pay for home repairs. Lien waivers protect you if the person collecting the money does not pay the suppliers or workers.

• Get a written contract with a start and completion date and warranty information. Also, make certain that the contract states exactly what work is to be done and what materials are to be used. Never rely on a verbal commitment.

• Have someone watch the work being done. Check with your local building inspector to see if the work requires a permit. Make sure an inspector visits the job site before you make a final payment.

• Request a copy of the contractor's certificate of liability insurance.

Local door-to-door solicitation rules vary by municipality, and there are legitimate businesses that may knock on your door with a sales pitch. A good practice to follow is to request a business representative's permit to operate if your municipality has a door-to-door sales ordinance.

For additional information or to file a complaint, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at www.datcp.wisconsin.gov, send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov or call the Consumer Protection Hotline toll-free at 1-800-422-7128.
 

Fun Wisconsin Fact
John Bardeen was an American physicist and electrical engineer who was born and raised in Madison. Bardeen attended UW-Madison for both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, and he later attended Princeton University to earn his doctorate in mathematical physics.

Bardeen is the only person to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice. He was first awarded the Nobel Prize in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon N Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for a fundamental theory of conventional superconductivity known as the BCS theory.