      
Committee Action
Ways and Means
Executive Session 4/21/15
AB 31-setoffs
against tax refunds for debts related to providing ambulance
services. Passed committee 10 to 2.
AB 123: limited authorization
for the town of Rome in Adams Co. to make cash grants or loan
subsidies to owners, lessees, or developers of land located in a
TID created by the town. Passed committee 12 to 0.
Public Hearing 5/26/15
AB 236:
Tax-exempt accounts for qualified expenses incurred by
individuals with disabilities and granting rule-making
authority.
AB 219: Income and sales and
use tax audits and statistical sampling.
AB 226: audits and interest
rates on past due amounts.
Urban and Local Affairs
Executive Session 5/5/15
AB 93: bonding, spending, taxation
authority and auditing of local professional baseball park
districts. Passed committee 7 to 1.
AB 156: coverage for new participating
employers under the Wisconsin Retirement System. Passed
committee 8 to 0.
AB 161: limitations on town expenditures
for certain highway purposes. Passed committee 8 to 0.
|
|
Capitol Highlights
Assembly Floor Session
This
month the Assembly took up and passed a number
of bills of interest, including three public
benefit reform bills.
Assembly Bill 177
will require FoodShare (food stamp)
recipients to make healthier choices with their
taxpayer-funded benefits. This bill states that
two-thirds of FoodShare benefits must be spent
on foods that are a part of the federal
supplemental nutrition program for women,
infants, and children (WIC). Other qualifying
items include beef, pork, poultry, fish,
potatoes, fresh produce, dairy and cranberry
products. This legislation restores the intent
of the FoodShare program by ensuring that
individuals are getting the nutritious foods
they need. Assembly Bills
191 and
192 allow for
drug screening of recipients of government job
training programs within FoodShare and
Transitional Jobs or those who are receiving
unemployment benefits. If reasonable suspicion
of drug use is found, individuals are drug
tested. If a positive test result is returned,
individuals will be provided with substance
abuse treatment. This measure will help those
battling addiction to receive the treatment they
need so that they may become a successful part
of our growing workforce. All three public
benefit reform bills now move to the Senate for
consideration.
2015-2017
Budget
The
Joint Finance Committee is continuing its work
with reviewing and shaping our state's budget
bill, which the Legislature is set to vote on
next month. Here are a few highlights of the
work that has already been done on some of the
top issue areas of concern:
-
K-12 Education: $200 million increase
in funding for schools over the biennium,
and a $100 increase in per pupil funding in
the second year.
-
Long Term Care Services: Removed
Governor Walker's proposal. JFC's motion
requires DHS to review programs, seek public
and stakeholder input, maintain
self-directed care, include a regional model
and independent study, and maintain ADRC
services.
-
SeniorCare: Maintained funding,
eliminated the Governor's proposal to
require participants to purchase Medicare
Part D, and froze enrollment fees/co-pays at
current level.
-
Public TV and Radio: Restored over
$1.6 million to the Educational
Communications Board to fund infrastructure,
WI Media Lab, and 8.6 FTE positions.
-
DATCP: Funded County Conservation
staff grants at $675,000 each year of the
biennium. Staff handles land and water
conservation activities and implements
conservation practices to prevent soil
erosion and limit water pollution.
|
Council of the Blind and Visually
Impaired Roundtable
I recently had the
opportunity to speak to the Wisconsin
Council of the Blind and Visually
Impaired about my work in preventing
blindness and some of the issues that
are important to the organization, such
as pedestrian safety and public
transportation. I was honored to be
recognized as the Freshman of the Year
and am encouraged by the work this
organization does to advocate for the
blind and visually impaired.
 |
|
Here's What I've Been Working On:
Throughout the
budget drafting process, I have
advocated for and worked to craft
several motions that have successfully
passed through the Joint Finance
Committee. Here are some highlights:
-
Increased
funding to the Fraud Prevention and
Investigation Program (FPIP), this
program investigates cases of fraud
in the FoodShare and Medicaid
programs.
-
Additional
funding to the Boys and Girls Club's
Be Great, Graduate program.
-
A revenue
limit exemption for the Ashwaubenon
School District so that it may levy
the necessary funds to clean up the
contaminated football field.
-
Restored
funding for Justice Assistance
grants which focus on youth gang
diversion and tackling child abuse.
-
Modified the
method for determining fire
protection fees to reduce the burden
this fee places on multi-parcel
landowners, such as farmers.
Law and Order
Co-Sponsored:
AB 5:
Protecting witnesses from intimidation.
AB 8:
Creates a felony charge for taking
pictures or videos of another's private
areas without consent, "upskirting."
AB 10:
Empower victims of domestic abuse to
file restraining orders against
perpetrators who live in another state.
AB 147:
Creates a felony charge for a
intentionally causing bodily harm to a
judge, prosecutor or law enforcement
officer.
AB 220:
Establishing a mandatory minimum period
of confinement in prison for a person
who possesses a firearm or who uses a
firearm to commit certain crimes after
being convicted of committing certain
violent felonies. |
|
Protecting the Environment
Co-Sponsored:
AB 15:
Protect our Great Lakes through the
phasing out of harmful microbeads used
in manufacturing personal care and
cosmetic items. |
|
Supporting Our Businesses and Consumers
Co-Sponsored:
AB 11:
Eliminates an outdated mandate for
recycled content of newsprint in
newspapers.
AB 18:
Allowing liquor taste testing at certain
retailers, levels the playing field with
beer/wine tasting.
AB 143:
Regulating transportation network
companies, allowing expansion of
ride-share options.
|
Fighting Fraud
Co-Sponsored:
AB 212:
Makes repeat unemployment
insurance benefit fraudsters
ineligible for UI benefits for
seven years if they commit two
acts of UI fraud.
AB 200:
A waiver to limit the number of
FoodShare replacement cards.
AB 188:
Removing FoodShare benefits from
an inactive account and
expunging unused benefits after
one year. |
|
|
|
