Freshman lawmaker, veteran official focused on post-speech action
Charlie Mathews, HTR Media 9:34 p.m. CST January 14, 2015
MANITOWOC – The two GOP state senators representing Manitowoc County are poles apart in terms of experience in Madison politics.
But — as could be expected — they, and the two other Republicans serving in the Assembly who represent Lakeshore area constituents, liked what they heard from Gov. Scott Walker in Tuesday night's State of the State speech.
"The governor is committed to continuing to lower property taxes over the next four years ... that was the major takeaway," said Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, re-elected to his second four-year term in the Senate after seven two-year terms in the Assembly.
His 1st Senate District includes Door and Kewaunee counties and portions of southern Brown and northern Manitowoc counties, including the city of Two Rivers.
Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, is the capitol neophyte in his second week in the Senate capturing the seat vacated by three-term incumbent Joe Leibham, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for the 6th U.S. Congressional District.
"I was the Republican Senate escort walking in with the governor ... it was pretty exciting, I had never been to a speech like that in person," said the publisher-owner of a weekly newspaper in southern Sheboygan County whose 9th Senate District includes the city of Manitowoc and portions of southern Manitowoc County.
LeMahieu said Walker didn't offer a lot of specifics, "but I was excited about his talk of consolidating and combining departments, as we have done in Sheboygan with finance and information technology. It's good to hear about more efficient use of taxpayers' money at the state level."
He said he has not yet resigned from his post on the Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors. "I want to see the compensation study project through having been on the Personnel Committee" since first elected to that body eight years ago, LeMahieu said.
As the new chairman of the Assembly's Local Government Committee, LeMahieu said he will focus attention on the recent audit of Government Accountability Board activities. "I think we will have interesting challenges reforming the GAB and making sure they do the job they are supposed to do," he said.
The freshman also welcomes scrutiny of bills aimed at holding schools accountable, including taxpayer-subsidized charter schools.
Lasee, who represents the northern half of Manitowoc County, heard his 19th State of the State speech on Tuesday evening. Its brevity, 25 minutes, was notable compared to others he's heard from Walker's three predecessors during Lasee's time in Madison.
Lasee is the chairman of the Insurance, Housing & Trade Committee with trade affairs a new, added emphasis. "Northeast Wisconsin has become a larger exporter and we need to continue to foster it because it means jobs and economic health.
"It is amazing ... over the past 12 years we have increased our exports eight times over from northeast Wisconsin," Lasee said. "International trade is largely a federal (affair) but there are things the state is able to do, as well."
Even though Walker's budget won't come to the Senate and Assembly as a whole for several months — following Joint Finance Committee's review — Lasee said the Senate has been busy in the first couple weeks of the new session.
He is looking for Senate approval of a change in the state constitution enabling State Supreme justices to elect their own chief and not have the senior member automatically occupy the position. "Just because you have the most experience doesn't mean you're the best leader," Lasee said.
If the Legislature approves the proposed amendment again, for the second consecutive legislative session, it would potentially be decided in a statewide referendum on the April 7 Spring General Election ballot.
Work opportunities State Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, is in his third two-year term representing, among others, residents of Two Rivers and northern Manitowoc County.
He said the State of the State speech is typically not a sounding board for new policy ideas. "You can choose to highlight the direction you're going with new initiatives, but we also have a (Walker) budget address coming up soon intended to serve the same purpose," said Jacque, a former transit planning coordinator.
He plans to reintroduce his bill to update the state's Medical Assistance Purchase Plan with changes Jacque believes are necessary to ensure the program remains an important part of Wisconsin's work incentives for disabled individuals.
As currently constituted, Jacque said MAPP discourages pension programs, includes a marriage penalty, and "prevents people from taking on greater work opportunities.
"I've gotten strong buy-in from those on the board of developmental disabilities, those who actually have a stake in the program and want it to be sustainable," Jacque said. "It is supposed to be a hand up and not a handout."
State Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, said Walker delivered, "the right message at the right time ... we, the government, are reaching less into the pockets of taxpayers than we were four years ago."
The former Manitowoc City Council and Manitowoc County board member, and owner of the downtown Vacuum & Sewing Center, Tittl is in his second, two-year term after succeeding 10-term incumbent Bob Ziegelbauer.
He noted higher high school graduation rates, ACT scores and third-grade reading scores as evidence the state is going in the right direction in education.
"Everything has to do with good, quality committed teachers and making sure they are able to be kept on ... there is no more seniority," he said in the wake of state reforms in Walker's first term opposed by many public sector workers.
"I think this will be a great year ... we're meeting on my mental health reforms and it was an honor to have been chosen as chairman of our Mental Health Reform Committee," Tittl said.
Charlie Mathews: (920) 686-2969 or cmathews@htrnews.com