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Did you know that several Sheboygan
County high schools host exchange students from nations all over the
world? I got to give a group of these international student
visitors a tour of our State Capitol this week and tell them all about
the history that has happened right here. When they return home,
these young leaders are going to have great news to share about
Wisconsin and our United States of America with their families, their
friends, their future business partners, their own governments and
everyone whom they encounter. Thank you for sharing your time in
Wisconsin with me; it was my honor to meet you!
In
last week's newsletter, I encouraged you to participate in the
statewide Drug Take-Back Day that was held this past Saturday, October
28th. In that newsletter, I shared the statistic that Sheboygan
County residents had safely disposed of about 600 pounds worth of
unused/leftover medications during the most recent drug take-back day
held during spring 2017. But guess what? We blew that
previous record out of the water this past weekend: the ten collection
points across Sheboygan County gathered almost 1,200 pounds
of leftover medications on Saturday. That's more than half a ton
of drugs that are being disposed of safely and which will never be used
irresponsibly.
As always, I encourage you to follow
my updates on
social media or contact
my office directly with your questions. Best wishes on your
weekend!
Cracking Down on a Few Bad Actors
For about 18 months, the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel has been investigating a troubling pattern that is already a
big problem in Milwaukee and could become a bigger problem in other
communities.
Landlord Games is a series of reports digging into properties,
owners and tenants who are tangled in crisis. Basically, a handful of
bad actors have figured out how to turn a profit by buying up cheap rental
properties more rapidly than the government can enforce payment of back
taxes, building code violations, etc. They're gaming the system, and
our neighborhoods and our people are paying the price.
With bipartisan colleagues Rep. Evan Goyke
(D-Milwaukee), Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) and Sen. LaTonya Johnson
(D-Milwaukee), I released two new ideas this week that we've been working on
for many months that we think may help break this cycle. One bill
would require bidders at sheriff sale auctions of foreclosed properties (a
venue where the bad actors like to buy up the cheap properties to sustain
their business model) to affirm that they are not already delinquent on
property taxes or court judgments; if the court learns that a buyer is
acting in bad faith, the court would have some options for blocking the sale
or imposing new penalties. The other bill would help counties move
these auctions online, a move that we think will enable many more potential
homebuyers and investors to participate in the market and drive the bad
actors out of business.
It's not often that Milwaukee Mayor Tom
Barrett and I agree (click
here to read Wednesday's Journal Sentinel story on our new
ideas), but we legislators have worked hard to gain input and support for
some real solutions for our state that are not too burdensome for the vast
majority of good actors but will have a positive impact. These
proposals will be debated in legislative committees in the weeks ahead.
Let me know what you think!
Assistance Available for Winter Heating Costs
Regardless of whether you use natural gas,
electricity, fuel oil, propane or wood to heat your home, you may be
eligible to receive assistance with your energy bills during the winter.
The
Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) offers qualifying
households several types of financial assistance during the winter months
including heating and electric assistance, crisis assistance and even
furnace repair/replacement assistance in some emergency situations.
Eligibility is determined by a number of
factors, but if (for example) you're a family of four who earns less than
$51,000 per year, you may qualify for one or more types of aid. To
apply, you need to visit your local WHEAP agency office; in Sheboygan
County, that's the county Health and Human Services office located in the
county job center at 3620 Wilgus Ave, Sheboygan.
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