January 11, 2018

State Representative Janel Brandtjen

Legislative Session in Full Gear

It's that time of the legislative session that the Capitol here in Madison is buzzing with energy. Everyday brings an abundance of lengthy committee hearings and executive sessions where bills receive a committee vote in order to proceed to the floor. The Wisconsin Senate and Assembly are bustling with activity. The 2017 -2018 legislative session will be over in a few short months and things will move at a faster pace for the next few weeks. There are a few things I still hope to move forward before we begin to spend the summer in our respective districts listening to the concerns and wishes of the people we represent.

PANS and PANDAS

The "Pans and Pandas" bill establishes an advisory council to address these disorders (I wrote about them in an October Newsletter). Since then the bill, AB 638 has received a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Health and passed in executive session 11 - 1. The bill is scheduled for a vote on the assembly floor next Tuesday. We also have reason to be optimistic that AB 638 will be receiving a hearing in the senate very soon.

POLICE and FIRE COMMISSION

I think we can all agree that police officers and firefighters are frequently asked to put their lives on the line to protect our American way of life. Every officer, goes to work everyday, knowing that they may be called upon at any moment to intervene in any number of highly volatile and toxic situations. Police officers and firefighters in Milwaukee face these situations everyday. Milwaukee is frequently listed in lists of most dangerous cities. The Red Cross has considered limiting areas where they will send volunteers. Certainly changes are warranted. AB 606, which we refer to as the PFC (Police and Fire Commission) bill, in part, makes changes to the structure of police and fire commissions. These changes are aimed at providing more diversity of thought and oversight on the commission. The bill will be heard next week in The Assembly Committee on Local Government.

IN-PERSON ABSENTEE BALLOTS

AB 637 is a bill that will assist municipal clerks in their efforts to efficiently process in-person absentee ballots. Again, I discussed the bill in my October 20th newsletter. The bill was given a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections late in 2017.  I am in the process of making the final adjustments to the bill and I look forward to moving the bill to the assembly floor.

FOREVER REFERENDUM BILL

AB 268 which I call the "Forever Referendum" bill would limit operational referendums for school districts to seven years. Every seven years the voters would have to reauthorize the increase. As I have noted, right now an operational referendum increases property taxes forever, and again as I have noted, forever is a long long time. The bill has had a hearing in both the assembly and the senate. In fact, the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection passed the measure this week on a 3-2 vote. 

For more information on AB 268 please see these previous newsletters  March 31st,  June 23rd, and a press release issued on June 13th.

God Bless Wisconsin!

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THREE APPRENTICESHIP BILLS WERE PRESENTED IN THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: 

THE EMPHASIS ON SKILLED TRADES IS GAINING MOMENTUM