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Contents

February 28, 2020

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I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to read through my newsletter. Each week, I'll include information to keep you up to date with what's happening in Madison and the 1st Assembly District.

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Coal Tar Sealants

In my most recent e-update, I mentioned that I would be spending the next several weeks going into further detail on my six bills that were passed by the state Assembly during our two previous floor sessions.

I thought it would be best to start with AB 797, which prohibits the sale and use of coal tar-based sealant products and sealants that contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This bipartisan legislation is based on the final recommendations of the Speaker's Task Force on Water Quality.

I found it important to be the lead author of AB 797 because we now know that coal tar-based sealants are a primary source of PAH pollution in Wisconsin. Research has shown that PAHs are especially harmful to human health and animals that live in our lakes and rivers. Over time, coal tar sealants get worn down by exposure to sunlight and vehicle traffic and, as the sealant wears away, it releases PAHs into the environment.

 A large portion of this pollution comes in the form of toxic dust or sediment and can be carried into homes from shoes and children’s toys. These pollutants can also settle into the soil of nearby lawns and playgrounds and wash off during rainstorms and travel into storm sewers and waterways. 

The American Medical Association, which supports a ban on coal tar-based sealants, says people exposed to these products on a regular basis have a 38 times greater chance of developing cancer. 

The EPA believes that a ban may be the most cost-effective way for communities to deal with the pollution impacts of coal tar sealants. Both the city and town of Sturgeon Bay have already prohibited the use of coal tar sealants and the city of Algoma has passed a resolution calling on the state Legislature to enact a statewide ban.

I strongly believe now is the right time to implement a ban because we finally have alternatives to PAH tar-based sealants that are safer, cost comparable and last just as long. Modern asphalt-based pavement sealants contain up to 1,000 times lower PAH levels while also having similar life expectancies.

To make AB 797 even stronger, Rep. Thiesfeldt and I amended the legislation to address lead in school drinking water by mandating testing and, if necessary, requiring that contaminated water sources be taken offline and replaced with clean water sources while incentivizing long-term remediation.

Lead exposure is obviously dangerous for people of all ages, but because their bodies and brains are still forming, children are especially susceptible to changes in their physical development, which can lead to numerous health impacts, including the stunting of their mental growth. That, in turn, can cause behavioral problems throughout their entire lives.

Although the state is trying to tackle many environmental concerns, I am confident that all of Wisconsin will benefit if we can limit our citizens' exposure to both PAHs and lead. While AB 797 might not fix all of our issues, it will help us make meaningful progress toward protecting our state and our people from unnecessary contaminants. But please know that our work in this area is not close to being done. It has only begun.   

AB 797 still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law.

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Riparian Rights

I was also proud to vote in favor of a bill last week that creates statutory protections for waterfront property owners to ensure that courts cannot take away their rights to install a pier. 

Back in 2018, a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling dealt a devastating blow to citizens who own land on one of our state's 240 flowages. The court ultimately ruled that the public trust doctrine does not authorize landowners to erect and maintain a pier if their deed does not explicitly allow access to the water bed of flowages.

In other words, unless a property owner’s deed specifically grants the right to the water bed beneath a flowage, they cannot legally install a pier.

However, AB 551 protects the presumed riparian rights that many Wisconsinites believe they are entitled to. More specifically, the bill confirms that a landowner whose property abuts a flowage or artificial waterway has the ability to exercise all riparian rights established under law, unless the deed clearly states otherwise. 

 I would like to point out that this legislation makes no changes to the environmental standards set in our state statutes. AB 551 also does not make it any easier to erect or maintain a pier, nor does it amend any siting, zoning or mitigation language related to Wisconsin’s shoreline zoning laws.

I received numerous emails from all of you over the past few months asking me to support this bill. I am glad I was able to vote in favor of AB 551 and protect the reparation rights of all of our citizens.

AB 551 still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law.

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Early Learning Pilot Program 

I was also pleased to join my Assembly colleagues in passing legislation that will ensure some of our youngest and most vulnerable children will be more prepared to learn when they start attending kindergarten.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recently released its updated standardized test scores for the entire state, and the results are rather disturbing. Maybe the most disheartening is the fact that more than 60 percent of our students are not proficient in reading or math. It's also no secret that Wisconsin's achievement gap between white and minority students is one of the worst in the nation.

We are looking to improve those numbers with AB 662, which establishes a three-year UPSTART pilot program that is funded at $500,000 a year. DPI will select three urban and three rural school districts to participate in the online program, and only children who qualify for free and reduced lunch will be eligible.

Since it was created in 2009, the UPSTART project – developed by the nonprofit Waterford Institute – has been a proven, home-based kindergarten readiness program that has helped more than 60,000 children in 15 states get life-changing early-learning opportunities.

Under the bill, each student’s family will be assigned a “coach.” That coach monitors the child’s usage of the program and checks in with the parent or caregiver on a weekly basis to see if benchmarks are being met and to help resolve any issues as needed.

Each year, a report is required to be submitted to DPI that includes assessment results, the participation rate of students and parental feedback. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the early years of a child's life are critical for development, mainly because of how fast the brain grows before birth and continuing into early childhood. That is why I believe this legislation is so vital. If we don’t reach these children at a younger age, we may miss the chance to help them succeed later on down the road.

AB 662 can now be sent to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

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What: Winter Park Night Skiing
Where: Winter Park, N3787 Ransom Moore Lane, Kewaunee
When: Saturday, Feb. 29, form 4:30 to 8 p.m.
Details: "Winter Park in Kewaunee County is bringing back night skiing. Hit the slopes at night on February 29. Ski pass is $10 and equipment rentals are $10."

What: Leap Day Hike 
Where: Newport State Park, 475 Cty Hwy NP, Ellison Bay 
When: Saturday, Feb. 29, at 1 p.m.
Details: "Join the park naturalist on this easy to moderate two-mile hike. After the hike, enjoy refreshments and make origami frogs. Meet at the park office, Lot 1. Free, but state park sticker required."

What: Matilda the Musical
WhereSevastopol Schools, 4550 Hwy 57, Sturgeon Bay
When: Saturday, Feb. 29, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 1, at 2 p.m.
Details: "Based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, Sevastopol Middle and High School students will tell the tale of the sharp-minded Matilda as she changes her own destiny. Held in the gymnatorium. $8/adults. $6/students. Free/children ages 5 and younger."