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2015-16 Blue Books
2015-16 Blue Books are a useful summary of information
about our state. These books are printed every session and are
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The College Affordability Legislative Package
In Wisconsin, we value the importance of a good education.
The higher education system in Wisconsin is a shining example of the
investment that our state makes in education. The rising cost of higher
education, the growing levels of student debt, and the ability to connect
education with gainful employment are important issues that impact many
Wisconsin families.
Managing student debt while finding and keeping gainful employment has become
a major issue for many Wisconsinites and their families. Too many college
students take on too much debt without fully understanding how much they will
be obligated to pay and whether or not their future occupation will support
their debt after graduation.
UW Platteville, the UW Colleges and technical colleges in the 17th Senate
District have incredibly strong returns on investment and do a great job of
making college affordable. However, we still hear that students throughout
Wisconsin are drowning in debt and we have been challenged to solve the
problem. Rather than focusing on the symptoms of debt, we need to find ways
to prevent the causes.
I recently spoke with a Consumer Credit Counseling provider who told me about
a woman who had achieved three masters degrees and was facing $150,000 in
student loan debt without any major job prospects. She had been a student for
a long time, but had not sought any work experiences or employment during her
time in school. She had virtually no real-world
experience beyond the classroom.
Upon graduation, she was shocked to learn that her student loan payments would
eclipse any sort of starting wage income she could find. This should not have
been a mystery – or a surprise.
The bottom-line is that the best way to reduce student loan interest is to
reduce student loans; and the best way to reduce student loans is to avoid
borrowing more than necessary to finance education.
In order to help future and current students, as well as graduates, manage
these issues, I have been working with several of my colleagues to introduce
a set of bills we are calling The College Affordability Legislative Package.
Representative Dave Murphy (R-Greenville) and I led a group of my colleagues
in the release of the College Affordability Legislative Package, which
includes five common sense changes to alleviate the financial burden on
Wisconsin students. These bills are common sense reforms that address a range
of issues facing students in higher education. We want students to be more
informed regarding their investment in education and create resources for
success when they graduate.
The provisions in these bills will provide students with: additional
information about their student loans so they can make smart financial
decisions; emergency assistance so they can stay in school; tax breaks when
paying back their student loans; and internship opportunities to connect
students with Wisconsin employers to help students get better jobs and reduce
the brain-drain.
Financial Literacy Letters: Often times, many students are unaware of
the payments and burden when they take on student loan debts for school. This
bill requires that all higher education institutions send their students a
letter with information about their loans, monthly payments, and loan
interest rates so that they can be better informed when making financial
decisions as they progress through school.
Micro-grant Program: A micro-grant is a small emergency grant to cover
an unplanned expense for a college student to prevent them from dropping out
of school. Unfortunately, these financial emergencies can cause a student to drop
out of school, especially when they are a non-traditional student who works
while they attend school. Small grants of under $500 would be awarded to Tech
College and two-year college students with an unplanned financial emergency,
using an application-based system. A similar grant program was implemented
for the Technical College System and they reported a 28% increase in
retention among students receiving the grants.
Deducting All Student Loan Interest: According to the Institute for
College Access & Success, student loan debt averages $28,810 per student
in Wisconsin. This bill eliminates the cap on the tax deduction for student
loan interest. This would save student loan debt payers $5.2 million annually
statewide. This change is estimated to benefit roughly 32,000 married and
single tax filers. The average benefit per filer is approximately $165.
Wisconsin would be the only state in the Midwest to allow all interest
deductible for student loans.
Internship Coordinators for the UW Schools: After students graduate,
we should encourage a smooth transition from their studies to gainful
employment. Often times, I hear that employers have openings but students are
ill-trained or do not apply for the jobs. This is why I have authored a bill
that would provide funding for the UW System schools to create internship
opportunities by connecting employers with potential employees.
Internship Coordinators for the Department of Workforce Development (DWD):
At the state level, we should be utilizing resources to develop our workforce
and keep Wisconsin students in Wisconsin. This bill would create two
internship coordinator positions at the Department of Workforce Development
(DWD) to connect employers with the universities and colleges and create
internship opportunities.
These bills now await a public hearing and executive session in both houses
of the legislature before reaching the floor for votes. I am confident that
these bills will be passed in a bipartisan fashion that will set students up
for success and bring financial relief to students across Wisconsin.
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Frank Lloyd Wright State Trail Legislation
On Wednesday, January 13, 2016, I joined Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) to
testify in favor of Assembly
Bill (AB) 512 and Senate Bill (SB)
384 - which would designate and mark a specified highway route in the
counties of Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Dane, Iowa,
Sauk, and Richland as the Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Trail.
Subscribe to the legislature's Bill
Notification System to keep track of this bill and other legislation
moving through the legislative process. By subscribing, you will receive
nightly email notifications based on legislative activity.
Sen.
Howard Marklein, Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) and
Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) testify in favor of the bill to establish the
Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Trail before the Assembly Committee on Tourism.
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In The 17th Senate District
Judicial Ride-Alongs in
Grant and Juneau Counties
Last week, I spent some
time in Grant and Juneau counties to "ride-along" with Judge Robert
VanDeHey (Grant, Branch I), Judge Craig Day (Grant,
Branch II), Judge John Roemer (Juneau, Branch I), and Judge Paul Curran
(Juneau, Branch II). A "ride-along" is a great way for me to
observe and learn about the main issues and challenges faced by our local
judicial system.
Meeting with the Judges was also extremely
helpful for me, as a legislator, because it helps me to understand how the
decisions we are making in the state legislature will impact the judicial
system and those who move through it.
The Judges are among the people
who have to implement and apply the rules that we create. I look
forward to tapping their vast knowledge and resources as we work together to
make the best decisions on behalf of the people we both serve.
Senator Howard Marklein
visits with Grant County Judges Day and VanDeHey.
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Useful
Information
Free Fishing Weekend - January 16 & 17, 2016
The Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced that this weekend - January 16-17,
2016 - is a free fishing weekend! No license is required to fish on
Wisconsin's lakes and streams. Several state parks and organizations
have organized Free Fishing Weekend events and the DNR is offering limited
ice fishing equipment for loan.
To learn more about the Free
Fishing Weekend and to locate events and equipment, click
here to visit the DNR's website.
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Veterans Hired by State Agencies
The Wisconsin Office of State
Employment Relations (OSER) compiles data related to hiring at all state
agencies. The following table is derived from data from the annual OSER
Veterans Employment Report for Wisconsin State Government.
Total
Hiring, Veteran Hiring and Disabled Veteran Hiring by State Agencies
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Year
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Total State Agency Hires
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Veteran Hires
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Vets % of Hires
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Disabled Vets Hires
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Disabled Vets % of New
Hires
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Disabled Vets 30% or more
New Hires
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% of Disabled Vets 30% or
more
New Hires
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2015
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3,246
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278
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8.6%
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29
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0.9%
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24
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0.7%
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2014
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3,705
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299
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8.1%
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20
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0.5%
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11
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0.3%
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2013
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2,923
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290
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9.9%
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32
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1.1%
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17
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0.5%
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2012
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3,463
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300
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8.7%
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26
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0.8%
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13
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0.4%
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2011
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1,768
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186
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10.5%
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30
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1.7%
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21
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1.2%
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2010
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1,499
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141
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9.4%
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41
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2.7%
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24
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1.6%
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2009
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1,830
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118
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6.4%
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18
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1.0%
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13
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0.7%
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2008
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2,262
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150
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6.6%
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8
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0.4%
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5
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0.2%
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2007
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2,513
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167
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6.6%
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7
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0.3%
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3
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0.1%
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2006
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1,947
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144
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7.4%
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6
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0.3%
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4
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0.2%
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*Source: Data compiled
from Office of State Employment Relations
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Senator Howard Marklein
is pleased to provide this legislative E-Update for the constituents of the
17th State Senate District. Please feel free to share this update with other
interested citizens and taxpayers. You are receiving this update because you
have either subscribed or contacted Senator Marklein
directly.
Please Note: If you have contacted the Senator with specific input or
questions, a personal response is forthcoming, if need be.
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State Capitol - Room 8 South -
Post Office Box 7882 - Madison, Wisconsin 53707 - Phone: (608) 266-0703
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