Assembly Floor Session

It was a productive week for me legislatively as the Wisconsin State Assembly passed two of my bills and a joint resolution.

The first, AB 243, directs the governor to earmark $61 million from our share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act to pay for several environment-related projects in our state, including the replacement of lead service lines and expanding the existing Well Compensation Grant Program.

Wisconsin is receiving $3.2 billion through the ARPA and, as a co-equal branch of government, we do not believe the governor should have complete control over the funds. The Legislature deserves the right to also provide input on how these dollars are spent.

The second bill, AB 61, gives the state more opportunities to take advantage of revenue generated from the sale of public lands.

Under current state law, the proceeds from the sale of state-owned property controlled by the Department of Natural Resources must be used to purchase other parcels that will be designated as public hunting and fishing grounds, wildlife and fish refuges or additions to state parks.

AB 61 allows this revenue to also go toward property development or the purchase of easements so our existing public lands can be better utilized by visitors.

Lastly, the state Assembly passed my joint resolution that honors April 22, 2021, as the 51st anniversary of Earth Day.

Sen. Robert Cowles and I decided to write this resolution because we wanted to encourage all Wisconsin residents to participate in the annual celebration and learn more about enjoying and protecting our natural resources.

Environment Committee

Earlier this week, the Assembly Environment Committee that I chair hosted its first public hearing of the new legislative session.

We heard testimony from a wide variety of experts on four bills that are expected to improve environmental protection efforts in Wisconsin:

• AB 85: relating to a general permit for hydrologic restoration projects and creating a hydrologic restoration and management advisory council
  
  
• AB 129: relating to the environmental compliance audit program
  
  
• AB 140: relating to expanding the clean sweep program to include collection of certain firefighting foams and making an appropriation
  
  
• AB 209: relating to biomanipulations to improve the water quality of lakes and impoundments and making an appropriation

I believe many of these bills will help us with protecting and preserving our natural resources and I anticipate that they will be passed out of committee in the very near future.

If you are interested in watching the hearing, please click on this link to access coverage provided by WisconsinEye.

Door County Tourism Zone Administrator Kim Roberts (pictured) and Sturgeon Bay City Administrator Josh Van Lieshout traveled to Madison to testify in support of AB 189.

Lodging Marketplace Bill 

I had the pleasure this week of testifying on my legislative proposal that helps to ensure municipalities are receiving the correct amount of room taxes from lodging marketplace companies, such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

In a previous session, we passed legislation that required lodging marketplace businesses to begin collecting the room tax on behalf of their short-term rental clients. That change made it vastly easier to collect taxes on short-term rentals, but it also created an unintended problem which we must fix. 

Under current law, lodging marketplaces must remit taxes based on zip codes. In our rural areas, including our district, several municipalities share the same zip code, so distributing these taxes to the proper municipality is impossible.

My legislation requires lodging marketplace companies to remit room taxes at least quarterly to local municipalities, along with a form prepared by the state Department of Revenue. That form will provide identifying information that helps guarantee the tax revenues are going to the right municipalities. 

If a municipality has probable cause to believe that an incorrect amount of room tax has been assessed or the room tax return is inaccurate, that municipality may audit the records of the lodging marketplace provider. If a company refuses, they can face financial penalties.

If you would like to read my testimony in full, please click on this link.

Temporary Replacement

It is with pride that I inform all of you that Joe, my current legislative aide, will soon be deploying overseas with the U.S. Army Reserve.

I hope that you keep him and his unit in your thoughts and prayers as they embark on their upcoming mission. Our service members sacrifice so much for our country and I support Joe 100 percent. I am certain he will serve with dignity and honor and I look forward to his safe return.

Because of his deployment, I am seeking a temporary one-year replacement to fill the legislative aide position in my office here in Madison. Should you or anyone you know be interested in this opportunity to work at the state Capitol, I encourage you to contact my office.