Rep. Bies Recognized as Legislator of the Year by American Heart Association
Madison… State Representative Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay) was recognized as the Legislator of the Year by the American Heart Association during their annual volunteer appreciation event held in Madison last week. A Senior Vice President with the American Heart Association (AHA) presented the award to Representative Bies in front of nearly 75 volunteers from across the state.
The American Heart Association recognized Representative Bies for his leadership on important legislation he authored and was signed into law this session. The Open Gym Act provides Wisconsin school boards and charter schools immunity from liability should they open their facilities for recreational use by the public. For many communities across the state, the local public school is the only place individuals can go to exercise.
“I enjoyed working with the American Heart Association to get important pieces of legislation passed this session,” said Bies. “The changes we made to current law will go a long way to improve the overall health and safety of all Wisconsin citizens.”
Representative Bies also introduced legislation to close a loophole in Wisconsin law as it pertains to providing tobacco products to minors. Under prior law, it was a crime to purchase cigarettes and provide those cigarettes to minors. The new law simply extends this prohibition to cover other tobacco products. Bies introduced the bill after the discrepancy was brought to his attention by an assistant district attorney from his district.
The AHA also recognized Representative Bies for requesting a legislative study to review the 911 public safety communications in Wisconsin. The committee conducting the study is comprised of state and local elected officials, emergency preparedness coordinators, and representatives from health organizations and the communications industry. The committee will meet over the next several months and develop legislation to strengthen and improve the 911 system.