It's always a great day at the office when real folks who have real issues on their minds stop in for a visit!  Constituents from Sheboygan County and nearby counties dropped by the Capitol this week to participate in the Cooperative Network's advocacy day.  We discussed the ongoing expansion of broadband Internet service to rural parts of the state; the recent creation of the Dairy Innovation Hub at the University of Wisconsin, a project that is going to pay future dividends for our agricultural economy; and much more.  Assembly Republicans have some more big ideas that we've been developing with farmers' input in recent weeks; these are going to deliver real relief in the short term for the farmers who need help now, and they're going to pay off in the future also.  More details will be coming in the next few days.

The Assembly will convene next week Tuesday to debate and vote on solutions to challenges you asked us to tackle.  We'll take up a measure that I coauthored that increases your banks' and credit unions' ability to prevent fraud perpetrated against vulnerable adults.  We'll take up another measure that I coauthored that increases enforcement of the firearms laws already on the books.  Specifically: when violent felons, who are prohibited under current law from possessing firearms, are charged again with possessing firearms illegally, AB 808 ensures that prosecutors will follow through with enforcement.  (A Fox6 investigation found that 3 out of every 4 felons arrested in Milwaukee County for illegal gun possession served zero prison time for the offense.)  We'll take up another measure that I coauthored that gives a new tool to law enforcement to crack down on "porch pirates," the thieves who steal mail-order packages right off of folks' front steps.  Our families deserve to live in safe communities; these are a few achievable ideas that make our neighborhoods more secure.

As always, I encourage you to follow my updates on social media or contact my office directly with your questions.  Have a great weekend!

Odds 'n' Ends

• If you haven't recently perused the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's website lately, you're missing out.  Just this week, the department published the 2020 Spring/Summer Event Guide and the 2020 Arts and Crafts Fair Directory; these and a dozen other great resources (Wineries of Wisconsin, anyone?) are accessible free of charge here.

• When you do leave home for some fun, law enforcement officials are urging folks to be smart about your use of social media.  I'm certainly guilty sometimes of posting pictures of a travel experience while I'm still away from home... but I've been reminded that telling the whole world that I'm away could leave me vulnerable to theft.  Consider waiting to post pictures of your vacation until after you have returned home.

• I just learned that there is one week left to nominate a deserving sportsman to receive the 2019 Wisconsin Hunter Ethics Award.  Since 1997, the DNR has recognized one hunter each year who has gone above and beyond to be particularly courteous or responsible while afield.  Previous years' award recipients have, for example, returned lost gear to fellow outdoorsmen; helped someone retrieve lost game; or assisted others overcome a challenge.  Got somebody in mind who deserves to be recognized?  Learn more here, but act quickly: the deadline to submit a nomination is February 14th.

• By now, you've probably heard plenty of headlines about the outbreak, originating in China, of a new form of the coronavirus.  Although one case has been reported in Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services (DHS) reports that the immediate health risk to the public is very low.  (So far, coronavirus has presented a far smaller threat than the seasonal flu, which has caused at least 26 deaths in Wisconsin since October and between 10,000 and 25,000 deaths nationwide.)  The steps you can take to help prevent the spread of this virus are the same steps you should already be taking to help prevent the spread of common colds and the flu: wash your hands often; stay home when you're sick; and cover your coughs and sneezes.  For more information and resources, visit the department's Outbreaks and Investigations website.

Office of Representative Terry Katsma
State Capitol, Room 306 East
P.O. Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708
(608) 266-0656
Rep.Katsma@legis.wisconsin.gov|  |