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In This Edition...


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Rep.Edming@legis.wi.gov
Website: www.repedming.com

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A Note from Rep. Edming

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Thank you for taking the time to read this week's e-update. After many months of hard work, the legislature completed its work on the state budget this week and it is now on Governor Evers' desk for his consideration. I look forward to telling you more about "The Wisconsin Budget" that the legislature passed below.

As always, if you ever have any thoughts or concerns on state issues, please feel free to contact my office. I always enjoy listening to the people of the 87th Assembly District. 

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A Strong Budget for the 87th District

Over the past several months, the 2019-2021 State Budget proposal has been working through the legislative process. Since the budget was introduced back in February, my colleagues and I have been gathering input from the people of Wisconsin about their priorities for the budget. Personally, I held seven in-district budget listening sessions, received over 900 survey responses, and reviewed many other contacts to my office to learn more about the 87th District's top priorities for our state's new two-year spending plan. I advocated for these priorities and did everything I could to get as many of them addressed in the final budget proposal as possible.

Included with many of the survey responses my colleagues and I received were some great comments from the people of Wisconsin.  Click here to watch a short video of my colleagues and I sharing a few of the comments we received.

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Click on the photo to listen to my colleagues and I read comments from our budget surveys

Taking all the feedback that we received from around the state, the legislature's Joint Finance Committee worked hard over the past couple of months crafting "The Wisconsin Budget" that came before the full Assembly for consideration on Tuesday. After more than 10 hours on the Assembly floor, my Republican colleagues and I passed this proposal and sent it to the Senate who approved it the next day. It is now on Governor Evers' desk for his consideration. With a piece of legislation that is the size of the state budget, there are certainly some parts of it that I do not agree with. However, this budget addresses a number of the 87th District's priorities in a fiscally responsible manner, which is why it earned my support.

During the budget process, one of the top priorities that was communicated to me by the folks around the 87th District was middle class tax relief. I am proud that this budget addresses this priority by reducing income taxes for middle class taxpayers by over $300 million over the course of the two-year budget without increasing taxes on farmers and manufacturers. Allowing Wisconsin's middle class taxpayers to keep more of their hard earned money will help grow our economy and make a difference for hard-working folks around the 87th District.

Throughout my time in office, one of the top priorities for the people in my district has been improving access to reliable high-speed broadband internet.  I am pleased that "The Wisconsin Budget" invests a total of $46.2 million in the state's broadband expansion grant program.  This is the most funding ever for this program and more funding than all previous years combined.

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Another big budget priority for the people of the 87th District was K-12 education. From my contacts with constituents, many of you wanted to see a continued increase in our investment in K-12 education. I am pleased that this budget builds upon the $630 million in increased funding from last session's budget and increases funding for K-12 education by an additional $500 million.  Over the course of the two-year budget, schools will see an additional $604 per student. If you would like to see what type of impact this budget will have on your local school district, check out the graphic below.  Also, if you are interested in more information about what was included in "The Wisconsin Budget", I encourage you to visit www.WIBudget.com.

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 A New Flag for the Hayward Library

With the weather here in Wisconsin, flags can often become tattered and torn after a while.  Recently, I heard from the folks at the Sherman and Ruth Weiss Community Library in Hayward that their flag was in rough shape so last Saturday, when I was in the area, I stopped by and delivered a new flag for them to fly.  I was glad to fill this need for the library and to give them a new flag to fly just before Independence Day.  If you know of other community groups or organizations that need a new flag please contact my office to let me know.

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Around the 87th

Black River Industries Golf Outing

As Chairman of the Labor and Integrated Employment Committee, I know how important it is to support organizations that employ people with disabilities. Last Friday, I attended a golf outing fundraiser hosted by Black River Industries in Medford. I had a blast and enjoyed relaxing with a round of golf while supporting a great cause.

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Sawyer County Dairy Breakfast

June Dairy Month is coming to a close, but I still managed to make it to another dairy breakfast up in Hayward this past weekend. I always enjoy hanging out with folks from the district at these breakfasts and eating some great food featuring Wisconsin dairy.

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Hayward Musky Fest

On Sunday, I spent part of my day at Hayward's 70th Annual Musky Fest. While I was there, I enjoyed the best steak sandwich I have ever had in my life prepared by the American Legion.  I also got a chance to stop by and talk with the hardworking staff at the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce.

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No E-Update Next Week

Thank you once again for taking the time to read my e-updates. Next week, my staff and I will be out of the office towards the end of the week due to 4th of July celebrations, so we will be taking a week off from the e-update. Please don't hesitate to contact the office if you have questions or comments about state affairs, and my staff or I will get back to you as soon as we can. Happy 4th of July!

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Stay Up to Date

One of the best ways to stay up to date with what is going on in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking service. This service allows you to follow legislative activity in Madison. Once you create a free account you can sign up to receive notifications about specific bills or committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject area (i.e. agriculture, veterans). You can sign up for this service at notify.legis.wisconsin.gov.