Here's What I'm Working on For You!

AB 497: Relating to mitigation requirements applicable to wetland individual permits.

LRB 4214/1: relating to the tuition grant program for National Guard members administered by the Department of Military Affairs.

LRB 4182/1: relating to recognizing the first week of October 2017 as Mental Illness Awareness Week

LRB 4263/1 : Relating to enforcing Dwelling Code in Manufactured Housing Communities.

Find the full list of legislation I'm working on here!

Assembly Passes Biennial Budget

Click on the picture above for a video of Rep. Steffen discussing passage of the budget.

This week the Assembly moved forward on the much anticipated 2017-19 budget vote. After many hours of debate the Assembly voted to pass the budget by a vote of 57 in favor and 39 opposed. While it goes without saying, the budget process is an incredibly work intensive project. It requires countless hours of evaluation, significant discussion with constituents, and a healthy amount of compromise in order to put forward a spending plan that truly works to improve the lives of Wisconsin residents and keep our state moving forward. There is certainly more work to be done, but I am very proud of many of the accomplishments made in this budget. Here are a few of my favorite highlights:

Education and Workforce Development

This budget includes our largest investment in K-12 education, totaling an increase of $639 Million in state aid. In terms of what this means for each student, this will provide an additional $200 per pupil in FY18 and $204 per pupil in FY19. The education budget also rewards schools who have worked to keep their spending low by directing over $92 Million in state aid to low-spending districts over the next five years. Increasing the low-revenue ceiling and providing targeted aids to these schools will directly aid the prudently administered schools in our district. Additional dollars have also been directed to help failing schools make improvements, and to special education and mental health services.  For our teachers, a lifetime license was created for those who have completed six semesters of service so that they can continue to spend more time on what really matters, helping our students.

This budget also focused on improving access to higher education by continuing to freeze in-state undergraduate tuition for another two years, increasing financial aid by $15 Million, increases to worker training grants, and creating a School of Engineering at the University of Green Bay.

I am very proud that this budget makes clear that our students are a top priority in Wisconsin, both by investing in their education and their workforce skills.

Taxes

This budget continues the efforts to reduce taxes on Wisconsin residents. As the financial stewards of taxpayer dollars, it is our responsibility as legislators to ensure the most prudent use of these dollars and focus on ways to keep more money in your pocket. Under this budget, there are no increases to property, sales, or income taxes, and in fact property taxes will be lower moving forward than they are today. Beyond this, three taxes were eliminated entirely, the forestry mill tax, the alternative minimum tax, and the soda water beverages tax.

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Day

This week, the Assembly also took up a resolution I authored with Senator Cowles recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, Inc., and declaring October 21st Packers Hall of Fame Day in Wisconsin. The Packers Hall of Fame is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the Packers. The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame was the first hall of fame built to honor a single professional American football team. The Green Bay Packers are an integral piece of Wisconsin tradition and a source of much community and state pride, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to recognize and celebrate this milestone anniversary!

Side-Notes!

Equifax Data Breach

Equifax is one of the three largest credit reporting agencies in the country. Recently, Equifax reported a data breach that could impact as many as 143 Million Americans. Equifax did set up a website for users to learn if their information has been compromised. You can access that website here. You can also contact their call center at 866-447-7559 any day from 6AM-midnight. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection has also put together some tips on how to best protect your credit records. You can access that information here.

Building an Emergency Kit and Plan

As part of September Readiness month in Wisconsin, Ready Wisconsin has released some important tips on how to be better prepared for when disaster strikes. Some important tips include:

-Prepare an emergency kit based on your family's needs, this might include prescriptions, pet supplies, etc.

-Keep an emergency kit in your car, especially during the winter.

-Create an emergency savings account

-Review your insurance policies

-Save copies of important documents like birth certificates, social security cards etc., in a safe deposit box or digital storage.