March 18, 2016

Volume 2 Issue 8

State Representative Janel Brandtjen

Thank You for the Honor of Serving:

It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the families of the 22nd Assembly District. It has been a humbling experience as a freshman legislator here in Madison but I have the distinct honor of representing you the taxpayer, the homeowner, the senior citizen on a fixed income and the young couple trying to purchase their first home. It is much easier to maneuver through rocky harbors of lobbyists, journalists with their own agendas and fellow  legislators knowing that I represent people who aren't fooled by 10 second sound bites and misleading newspaper headlines.

The people who live in the 22nd Assembly district want less government,  less taxes, less spending and more freedom. They want an honest, open and responsive government that treats every hard earned tax dollar as if they earned it themselves. Protecting the values that we all share is responsibility that I cherish.

Major legislation passed by the assembly includes, Right to Work, the repeal of the prevailing wage law, reforming and eliminating the Government Accountability Board (GAB) and elimination of the 48 hour waiting period for handguns. Republicans added $200 million to K-12 education and froze tuition for our college students for four years. We took significant steps to restore common sense to property rights while our natural resources remain protected. We reduced the amount of money Planned Parenthood receives by millions of dollars and outlawed abortion after 20 weeks.

The budget passed at the beginning of the session provided a basis for fiscal solvency for years to come.  Bonding is at a 20 year low, property taxes are lower now than when Governor Walker took office and Wisconsin’s retirement system is one of only two in the country that is fully funded. Wisconsin’s unemployment is approaching full employment and even with modest economic growth we should be able to put together a group of tax cuts that will help make Wisconsin a great place to open a business, raise a family and spend your retirement years.

I wanted to take some time to point out that although we did not achieve everything we wanted this session we did take some strides towards building a better Wisconsin. 

A Few Things Remain on the "To-Do" List:

The biggest disappointment was not getting AB 305 passed.  The bill would have ended the practice of selling aborted baby parts to college research centers. All of the medical advancements involving stem cells have come from adult cells. I've listed some other missed opportunities below. The list is not a complete list.

• Repealing the minimum mark-up law.

• Extending Conceal and Carry to school property, allowing parents  who carry to pick their kids up.

• Extending Conceal and Carry to college campuses.  The students remain at risk.

• Adjusting the road funding formula to avoid costly federal mandates.

• A meaningful Sanctuary Cities bill that would protect law abiding citizens from violent criminals.

These issues will serve as a nice starting point for next session. Once again it has been a pleasure to serve as your representative here in Madison.

God Bless Wisconsin!

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