Investing in Priorities

Hello, I’m state Representative Jessie Rodriguez,

I hope you found our recaps informative and useful. Due to campaign law in Wisconsin, this will be my last video recap this session. But before I go, I wanted to share with you one last update highlighting a few of our accomplishments from this legislative session.

K12 education was our number one priority this session. We made the largest investment in state history by putting $636 million into K12 so that every child will have an opportunity to receive a great education.

The Assembly also approved a number of measures that reduce the tax burden in Wisconsin and even eliminated the state portion of the property tax bill. We devoted additional funding to workforce development programs to help more people find a job. We also passed another balanced budget that funded our priorities. And we even ended the biennium with a large surplus that will go back to taxpayers later this fall.

The last two years were filled with many legislative accomplishments and I want to thank you for following along.

In the coming months if you have any thoughts or concerns you would like to share, I encourage you to contact my office, I’m always available.

Thank you for watching and a have a great weekend.

NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS:

This will be the last e-update from my office until after the fall election. In accordance with state campaign laws, all legislative offices that are up for re-election are prohibited from sending mass communications from the office after April 15 of that year. However, you can follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page to see updates in the coming months.

Although I will no longer publish an e-update until after the fall election, my staff and I will still be responsive to any and all concerns related to state government. If you have questions, concerns or issues that require attention from my office, we are ready and willing to continue assisting you. I look forward to your continued communication with my office.

This week, several bills I worked on this legislative session were signed into law. Two new HOPE Agenda bills were approved that continue our effort to reduce the harmful impact of the opioid and heroin epidemic. Assembly Bill 906 provides funding for several initiatives aimed at preventing drug trafficking and expanding substance abuse prevention services including the Family Drug Treatment Court. The funding enables counties across the state to establish FDTCs. The program has had a significant impact in Milwaukee County.

In addition to the HOPE Agenda legislation, Gov. Walker approved a number of bills included in the Foster Forward Agenda, a package of bills my colleagues and I authored through the Foster Care Task Force. The task force traveled across the state to learn about the challenges facing the foster care system. The Foster Forward Agenda addresses several shortcomings in the child welfare system and aims to improve outcomes for children in foster care. To learn more about the work of the Foster Care Task Force visit: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/committees/assembly/fc/.