Standing Up for Democracy

The people of Wisconsin want clean and open government, and fairness in the political process. I agree, and that is why I joined my Assembly Democratic colleagues this week to introduce a package of bills to restore open, transparent government and pro-democracy policies that put people first.

The bills are focused on four simple principles:

Redistricting Reform -Wisconsinites have a constitutional right to choose and be fairly represented by their elected officials, regardless of their political affiliation. We will introduce legislation for nonpartisan redistricting based on the Iowa model.

Preventing Power Grabs - The legislature should not be allowed to change the powers of another branch of government during a lame duck session. We will introduce a constitutional amendment to prohibit changing the powers of one branch of government during a lame duck session.

Open and Accessible Government - The democratic process requires democratic input. The voice of the people must have its chance to be heard.  We are introducing legislation to enshrine the open meetings law in the state constitution and eliminate special treatment for the legislature under the law.

Campaign Finance Reform - Powerful special interest groups and wealthy corporations continue to have a growing influence on elections across Wisconsin and nationwide. It’s time we make elections about everyday people, not billionaires and corporations, by repealing onerous provisions in state law put into place in 2015 and adopting changes advocated for by nonpartisan organizations.

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Protecting Wisconsinites with Pre-Existing Conditions

We must provide stability and protection for Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions should Republican efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act be successful. This week we heard a bill in the Health Committee, AB 1, which unfortunately does not go nearly far enough. Absent other key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, AB 1 could leave many Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions without access to the care they need. It is my hope that this is only a first step.

I strongly support Governor Evers’ efforts to work in a bipartisan fashion to strengthen this bill. I hope that Speaker Vos and Majority Leader Fitzgerald will put politics aside to make AB 1 better and protect Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions.

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Free Fishing This Weekend

If nature cooperates and the ice is safe, this weekend you can head out to our lakes and take part in the Free Fishing Weekend. With a few exceptions, all other inland waters and Wisconsin's side of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River are open for you to test your skills and try your luck.

Given the relatively mild winter to date, please exercise caution before heading out on the ice. The Department of Natural Resources is reminding anglers to be aware of the "honeycomb effect," which occurs after freeze-thaw-freeze conditions, that weakens ice. Stay safely on shore and cast into open water if ice conditions are questionable.

You can find additional details here.

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/anglereducation/freefishingweekend.html

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Tax Preparation Season Begins Soon

Employers will soon be providing copies of W-2 forms to employees.  Despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, the Internal Revenue Service has confirmed it will process tax returns beginning January 28, 2019 and provide refunds to taxpayers as scheduled. If you minimize errors by using professional, reputable tax preparer or prepare your own returns electronically, then you should receive a refund just as quickly as you have in past years.  Do not trust anyone who tries to provide you with an expensive Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) by claiming the federal government shutdown is going to delay your refund. 

As in past tax years, neither the Wisconsin Department Revenue nor the Internal Service will take any of these actions:

• Initiate a phone call or email to ask for personal information. Nor will they call or email to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.
• Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
• Demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

Criminals often alter caller ID numbers and emails to make it look like the Internal Revenue Service or another official agency is contacting a taxpayer and the IRS has reported an increase in email scams this year. Scammers may use employee titles, a person’s name, address and other personal information to sound official.

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Lame Duck Restrictions Fail First Court Test

This week U.S. District Judge James Peterson ruled the newly created restrictions on early voting and other voting-related measures passed by Republicans, and signed into law by former Governor Walker, were inconsistent with a federal court order issued in 2016. 

Judge Peterson is enforcing injunctions against time limits for in-person absentee voting, restrictions on the use of student identification cards for voting and time limits on the validity of temporary identification cards issued under a process called the ID Petition Process, all of which were provisions in the lame duck session.

As a public official, I want people to exercise their right to vote and strongly oppose barriers to voting. 

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2019 Keep Wildlife Wild Poster Contest

The inaugural Keep Wildlife Wild poster contest is now underway and students currently in fourth through sixth grades are encouraged to submit a poster to the Department of Natural Resources.

The contest runs through Feb. 22, 2019. First, second and third-place finalists will be selected for each grade level by a panel of judges, and finalists will be announced the week of April 7, 2019 during the second-annual "Keep Wildlife Wild Week." The poster must contain the words "Keep Wildlife Wild 2019" and follow the theme of the Keep Wildlife Wild tagline: "A young wild animal's best chance for survival is with its mother!"

Additional details about contest rules and submission procedures can be found here:

 "Keep Wildlife Wild 2019 poster contest."

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Fun Wisconsin Fact

Ole Evinrude grew up on a Lake Ripley farm near Cambridge, Wisconsin. Evinrude is known for the invention of the first outboard boat motor with practical commercial application. The motor was built of steel and brass, and had a crank on the flywheel to start the two-cycle engine. Evinrude’s invention was inspired after rowing a boat on Okauchee Lake, a small lake outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin on a hot day to get ice cream for his girlfriend, Bess (later his wife).

In 1907, he invented the first practical and reliable outboard motor and the Evinrude Motor Company was founded in Milwaukee that same year.

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