January 15, 2016
Assembly Activity
The Assembly met
Tuesday, January 12, to vote on legislation that has been in the works
since last November's floor period.
Among the bills we passed were
Assembly
Bills 364,
365,
366, and
367, a
package of legislation that continues the Heroin, Opiate Prevention, and
Education (HOPE) agenda the Assembly embarked on last session under the
leadership of
Rep.
John Nygren. Heroin and opiate addiction is a growing problem in
Wisconsin, and the bills passed Tuesday will make Wisconsin's
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
an even more useful tool, require the registration of pain management
clinics, and allow the state to more effectively track methadone treatments.
All four bills passed on bipartisan voice votes.
Another bill the Assembly took up was
Assembly Bill
384, which will allow the Public Service Commission to consider requests
for certificates to build nuclear power plants using the same criteria the
commission uses to evaluate applications to build non-nuclear facilities.
AB 384 also adds nuclear energy the list of resources the state must
consider when determining how best to meet energy demands. This list
is ranked by priority, and the bill puts nuclear after 1) energy
conservation and efficiency, 2) noncombustible renewable energy resources,
and 3) combustible renewable energy resources; nuclear would be ahead of
nonrenewable combustible energy resources. In any case, options would
continue to be evaluated for cost-effectiveness, technical feasibility, and
environmental soundness. AB 384 does not necessarily mean nuclear
plants will be built in Wisconsin, but it does add them to
Wisconsin's energy toolbox. The Assembly Committee on Energy and
Utilities, of which I am a member, voted 13-0 to recommend AB 384, and the
Assembly passed it on a voice vote.
I am also happy to say that
Assembly Bill
98, a bill I introduced with Sen. Terry Moulton that will require the
Department of Transportation to include the
Wisconsin Veterans Tribute and Citizen Soldier Monument in Cadott on the
list of veteran-related sites featured on state highway maps. The
Assembly passed AB 98 last April, so the bill will now go to Governor
Walker for his signature.
The Assembly will reconvene Tuesday, January
19.
Rural Wisconsin Initiative
On Wednesday, I joined with several other
representatives from rural Wisconsin to announce the
Rural Wisconsin Initiative, a package of bills that are intended to
improve educational and economic outcomes around the state. These
bills will increase funding for certain state
apprenticeship
programs;
provide incentives for
college graduates, including
physicians and
teachers, to serve rural areas; provide grants to
rural school districts for improving their
science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) programs; and increase funding for
broadband grants to underserved areas.
Rep. Ed Brooks (R-Reedsburg) announcing the
Rural Wisconsin Initiative, joined by other rural representatives,
including Rep. Tom Larson
UW-Stout 125th Anniversary
Last week, I was fortunate to attend
a ceremony to celebrate
UW-Stout's 125th anniversary. Stout has a
unique history
among the UW campuses. It was founded by State Sen. James H. Stout in
1891 as the privately owned Stout Manual Training School, which evolved into
the Stout Institute in 1908. When Senator Stout died, the Institute
was transferred to the state and went through several more name changes
before becoming the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1971.
Governor Walker presented UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer with a
proclamation declaring
January 5, 2016, "UW-Stout Day"
Martin Luther King Day
In observance of the Martin Luther King state
holiday, my Capitol office will be closed Monday, January 18. It will
reopen Tuesday, January 19.
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