Merry Christmas from the Wisconsin Assembly Republican Caucus
Last week, the Wisconsin Assembly Republican Caucus came together for a Christmas photo in front of the Capitol’s 40’ Christmas tree. I am extremely proud of the work we have accomplished in the past year and look forward to the new year as we continue to strive to make Wisconsin a better place to live, work and raise a family for all of our citizens.
The Wisconsin Assembly Republican Caucus wishes you a very Merry Christmas!
Rep. Swearingen interviewed by Wisconsin Eye
This week I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Steven Walters from the Wisconsin Eye about a bill that I am a co-author of that would lower the legal drinking age in Wisconsin to 19. This bill requires the WI Department of Transportation to petition the federal Department of Transportation for a determination as to whether lowering the legal drinking age in this state to 19 years of age will result in this state's loss of federal highway aid or other federal highway safety funds. If no such loss of federal funds will result, the bill lowers the legal drinking age in this state to 19 years of age.
At 19 years old you have legally been an adult for one year, there are very few things that you cannot do. Common examples are owning a home, owning a car, receiving a loan, voting, and running for public office. Most importantly, and honorably, you can enlist in the United States military, travel thousands of miles away to fight for our country, but upon returning home are not able to enjoy a cold beer while shooting a game of pool with a friend in a tavern.
The reality is that many people engage in underage drinking, especially on our college campuses. Lowering the drinking age to 19 is intended to get young people out of unregulated, and unsupervised situations, and into regulated, licensed, and safer environments. I am aware that many people have strong opinions on both sides of this issue, and I look forward to receiving input from parents, young adults and the community as the conversation progresses.
To watch the full interview, please click the image below:
Governor Walker signs "Mining for America" Bill
I had the great honor to attend the "Mining For America" bill signing with Governor Walker in Rhinelander on Monday. The bill, authored by Representative Rob Hutton and Senator Tom Tiffany, passed both the Assembly and the Senate last month, and will lift a 20-year moratorium on the issuance of permits for the mining of sulfide ore in Wisconsin. The bill does not change Wisconsin's environmental standards and requires that the Department of Natural Resources makes sure that the technology that would be used at a potential mining site adheres to air, groundwater, surface water, and solid/hazardous waste management laws. I am confident that this bill will unleash northern Wisconsin’s full economic potential, produce good-paying, family supporting careers and preserve our high environmental protection standards to ensure that the natural beauty of Wisconsin remains pristine.
Governor Walker signing the "Mining for America" bill into law on Monday at the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport.
State Building Commission Update
The State Building Commission met this week to approve a number of statewide administrative and UW System building projects.
The Higher Education Subcommittee, which I chair, met Wednesday morning to prepare and design reports for the following projects: 1.) UW-Whitewater leasing space at Cambridge Apartments to help alleviate student housing overcrowding issues. 2.) UW-La Crosse Wittich Hall Renovation that will repair and upgrade the building. 3.) UW-Madison South Campus utility improvements. 4.) UW-Madison Lathrop Drive/Bascom Hill utilities improvements. 4.) UW-Stevens Point construction of an amphitheater at the Schmeeckle Reserve.
Additionally, the Higher Education Subcommittee approved various maintenance and repair projects for UW System facilities at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, UW-Stout UW-Manitowoc and UW-Marshfield/Wood County.
Rep. Swearingen during the Higher Education subcommittee meeting
In the afternoon, the full building commission met to approve projects from both the Administrative Affairs Subcommittee and Higher Education Subcommittee. The Building Commission is a bipartisan, eight-member body chaired by Governor Walker, along with six legislators and a citizen member. The group's mission is to plan, oversee, and approve building projects around the state. Besides the projects mentioned above, the committee approved several items from the Administrative Affairs Subcommittee including a $308,500 renovation of the Stack’s Bay Boat Landing in the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest in Oneida County. The project will reconstruct the failed boat landing ramp and parking lot pavement providing lake access. The proposed improvements are planned to mirror the existing boat landing/parking area footprint with minor expansion of an additional boat ramp to alleviate user delays. This project will increase the launch lanes from one to two and resurface the existing parking lot. Final completion of the project is slated for December 2018.
Rep. Swearingen during the full Building Commission meeting
Governor Walker Announces $15 Million Available in Grants for Rural School Districts to Upgrade Technology
MADISON – Governor Scott Walker today announced the availability of $15 million for Technology for Educational Achievement (TEACH) Information Technology Infrastructure grants. The Department of Administration (DOA) is now accepting applications from eligible school districts. The Information Technology Infrastructure grants assist districts in acquiring the equipment and services necessary to build a modern infrastructure system.
“Our 2017-19 state budget provided historic levels of K-12 education aid, including an increase in TEACH grant funding,” Governor Walker said. “Increasing aid to rural schools for technology is one way we can ensure that students have the tools they need to excel. These grants provide rural school districts with resources to increase and upgrade technology in the classroom.”
Fiscal year 2018 grants are available to rural school districts that have 16 or fewer students per square mile. Available funding is determined by the number of students within the district. A list of eligible school districts and the maximum funding available can be found on the TEACH website. Listed districts are eligible for grants between $30,000 and $60,000.
The 2017-19 biennial budget, 2017 Wisconsin Act 59, provided for $22.5 million in total for Information Technology Infrastructure grants which are a part of the greater TEACH initiative. The grants can be used for infrastructure equipment and services such as access points, antennas, maintenance of internal connections, cabling, caching equipment and services, LAN controllers, routers, switches, UPS/battery backup, and wireless controllers.
Eligible school districts can find application materials for the TEACH Information Technology Infrastructure grants online at the TEACH website. Grant applications must be submitted to DOA by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2018. Late applications will not be considered.
For more information about the grant requirements or application process, please visit the TEACH website.
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Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding
Republican leaders in both the Assembly and Senate have created a bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission aimed at analyzing the state’s school funding formula. This commission will mark the first review of the school funding formula in twenty years.
The panel will be co-chaired by Senator Luther Olsen of Ripon, and Representative Joel Kitchens of Sturgeon Bay. The rest of the panel is made up of seven other legislators as well as superintendents of the Green Bay and Grantsburg school districts, the government relations director for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, a University of Wisconsin-Madison education policy professor and the business operations director for Messmer Catholic Schools. The commission held its first meeting this week and will be scheduling several public hearings around the state. The panel will ultimately present its findings in a report to the legislature by the end of next year. I am extremely supportive of the creation of this task force and look forward to working with legislators on both sides of the aisle to ensure that our kids are receiving the best education possible here in Wisconsin.
Rep. Kitchens and other legislators at the Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding Press Conference held on Thursday.
Assembly Speaker's Task Force on Foster Care
The Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Foster Care has held six public hearings throughout the state since July for the purpose of hearing testimony and ideas on what can be done to improve the child welfare system. The bipartisan task force recently used this feedback to introduce a package of 13 bills collectively referred to as “Foster Forward.”
The task force has three key objectives:
Efforts to support families, to reduce contact with the child welfare system, and to prevent the removal of children from their homes.
Improvements to the child welfare system, broadly, including support for child welfare agencies, caseworkers, and foster parents.
Provision of services and resources to children who are placed in out-of-home care, both during placement and, for those children who age out of the system, after placement.
I applaud the work done by the task force and fully support these efforts to improve our child welfare system. If you would like to learn more and stay up to date with the Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Foster Care, please click here.
2017-2018 Blue Books Available
The 2017-2018 Wisconsin Blue Books are now available upon request. If you would like to request a copy of the 2017-18 Wisconsin Blue Book, please reply to this email with your name and full mailing address. Additional requests can be made by emailing Rep.Swearingen@legis.wi.gov or calling my office at 608-266-7141 or toll free at 888-534-0034. My office will be processing the requests over the next couple of weeks prior to shipping them across the 34th Assembly District.
You can view previous versions of the Wisconsin Blue Book online by clicking here.
Lights of the Northwoods: A Holiday Festival at Hodag Park
I encourage everyone to go out and see the Lights of the Northwoods at Hodag Park in Rhinelander this weekend. This is the inaugural year for the festival which will be held December 14 through December 17th. Bring the family and enjoy the lights and holiday festivities! For more information please click here.
Vilas County Snowmobile Trails Open Friday
Public snowmobile trails will open in Vilas county at 5:00 P.M. on Friday, December 15th with the exception of the Phelps trails. Trails are not yet in mid-season form and the early season conditions may mean some segments of the trails are rough or closed. It is advised to not cross lakes along the trails unless it is clearly marked. I wish everyone a safe and fun time!
DNR Outdoor Report
Published December 14, 2017 by the Central Office
Snow has finally stuck up north. With temperatures in the teens and low 20s it looks like it is here to stay. Several properties in the north are reporting between 6 and 10 inches, while the southern half of the state has seen primarily sporadic dustings up to a couple inches. While many ski trails still need additional snow and time to prepare, the Brule River, Northern Highland-American Legion and Point Beach state forests are grooming trails and making ready for the influx of skiers.
At this point only Iron County in far northern Wisconsin is reporting that snowmobile trails are open, on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Snow Conditions Report (exit DNR).
Ice conditions have not substantially improved. While there may be 10 inches of snow in Mercer, much of the ice on Iron County lakes varies between only1 and 4 inches. Those early ice anglers that are venturing out have reported solid catches for panfish and northern pike biting on Lake Poygan and those fishing Lake Chetac in Sawyer County are landing walleye, northern pike and panfish.
There are just a few weeks left to turkey hunt and now is a good time to see turkeys feeding in fields and wooded areas. Pheasant hunters should note that the state game farm will be releasing an additional 1,500 birds on five wildlife areas prior to the holidays for some late season hunting.
We aren't the only ones delighting in the recent white blanket. Tundra swans are blending into the background on their stopping points before over-wintering in the Chesapeake Bay. Least weasels and their larger cousins the long-tailed weasel and ermine have pretty well completed their annual autumn molt in which their pelage color changes from brown to all white. The white winter coat provides camouflage color to match the winter snowy surroundings usually encountered during this time of year. The diminutive, hotdog-sized least weasel is the world's smallest carnivore. Because of their small size and active lifestyle, these bundles of energy need to consume 40-60 percent of their own weight daily, which is equivalent to one or two mice per day.
Snowy owls are also still enjoying the camouflage and an estimated 173 have been tallied across 57 of Wisconsin's 72 counties. This represents the largest number by this date over at least the past eight years. The longest-running citizen science survey in the world, Audubon's 118th annual Christmas Bird Count takes place this year between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 and offers a great opportunity to observe owls, hawks and other birds.
Keep your eyes peeled for tracks in the snow, whether you're looking to hunt/trap small game, or just see some local critters, as ambitious wildlife keep raking in those late season meals before waiting out the cold.
If you have buckthorn, honeysuckle, or other woody invasives you would like to control; now is a great time to do cut stump treatments. Search the DNR website, keyword "Invasive" to learn more.
And while we're still waiting more snow, this winter's candlelight event listing at state properties is now available. Many events offer skiing, snowshoeing and hiking, while some offer only skiing or snowshoeing and hiking. If there is not enough snow for skiing or snowshoeing many events will be held as hikes. For details, search the DNR website for keyword "candlelight."
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - The forest finally looks like a winter wonderland. With up to 8 inches of new snow on Wednesday, skiers and sledders will be happy. The new fallen snow will insulate the swamps and thin ice on some area lakes, and may deceive outdoor enthusiasts, so caution needs to be used when heading out into the great white north! - Rosalie Richter, visitor services associate
The 2017-18 ski season has started. We had been out earlier this week after the first light snow doing some packing and clearing of trees after the strong winds. We will be out packing the snow we are receiving today over the next couple of days. I will send out new reports on ski trail grooming as it is reported to me. You may also check on skinnyski.com as our groomers will be making firsthand reports to the site. We also have a phone line, 715-385-3355 Ext.121, which will have a recorded ski report. All McNaughton Trail loops were packed with the roller Dec. 13. Escanaba, Madeline and Raven trails were packed and cleared of down trees Dec. 14. There are no bare spots but still some thin areas under the conifers and some small wet spots - Tony Martinez, parks and recreation specialist
Community Events
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
