Last week, Governor Evers vetoed the Truth in Spending Act, which would have given the Legislature oversight of $3.2 billion in federal aid and thereby given you a voice in the decision making process for how to spend this money. Since the Legislature lacks oversight of these federal dollars, Republicans have released a slate of bills that would direct the Governor to appropriately spend these federal funds.
The Governor should not have sole discretion in how to allocate federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act. This week, the Assembly Committee on State Affairs held a public hearing on four bills that are a part of this federal aid package that is being recommended to the Governor.
The first bill, Assembly Bill 232, is aimed at providing assistance to households and property owners. Under this bill, the Department of Revenue in conjunction with counties and municipalities would provide payments to every property taxpayer in the state. This bill would provide much needed relief for property and home owners at a time they need it most.
The next bill, Assembly Bill 240, would allocate federal dollars to create a statewide interoperable communication system, emergency services IP network contracts, a geographic information systems database, and psychiatric treatment beds. AB240 would be a huge boost to Wisconsin’s emergency services by increasing the efficiency of its communication systems and providing beds to psychiatric patients.
The third bill, Assembly Bill 241, is related to retiring public debt and transportation revenue bonds. Under this bill, the governor would be required to allocate $250 million in federal funds to retire public debt from transportation revenue bonds in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. AB241 would be a huge win for Wisconsin infrastructure and incentivize much needed transportation projects across the state.
The last bill we heard was Assembly Bill 243, which would allocate federal funds for certain environmental purposes and grant rule-making authority. This bill would allocate $40 million in federal funds to municipalities and private users of public water systems to cover up to 50% of the cost of lead service line replacements. AB243 would ensure that even more communities around Wisconsin have clean and safe drinking water.
As always, thank you to all the speakers for providing their testimonies.
Assembly Bill 233 Testimony
On Tuesday, Rep. Clint Moses and I testified in front of the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy on a bill that we co-authored: Assembly Bill 233. This bill is a part of the federal aid package that is being sent to the Governor.
AB233 would allocate $200 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to create a small business grant program. Eligible businesses must have suffered financial losses due to COVID-19 and earned less than $7 million in total sales. As many businesses throughout the state are on their last leg, these grants could be the difference between staying open and closing.
DHS Update
As of Monday, everyone aged 16 years and older is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
For an interactive map showing locations of vaccine providers across the state, please click here.
Ascension Healthcare:
In addition, Ascension is now administering COVID-19 vaccinations for any eligible person regardless of health system affiliation.
Appointments must be scheduled in advance and no walk-ins are available at this time. To schedule an appointment, individuals may use this link.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines through Ascension Wisconsin, please visit their website.
Budget Listening Sessions
PC: Katie Thoresen/ WXPR
Reminder that the state's budget-writing committee will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday, April 21 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Hodag Dome in Rhinelander.
Additionally, the Joint Finance Committee will be holding several other public hearings during the month of April. The public hearing schedule is:
Friday, April 9, 2021, at UW-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI
Thursday, April 22, 2021, UW-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Wednesday, April 28, 2021, Virtual
If you would like to submit a comment to the Joint Finance Committee, you can do so by clicking this link or by emailing Budget.Comments@legis.wisconsin.gov.
Tax Day Update
The filing deadline for both Federal and Wisconsin taxes has been extended until May 17, 2021.
ATV/UTV Trails Are Beginning to Open!
All trails in Forest County are now open. Trails in Florence, Oneida, and Vilas Counties are expected to open in the next couple weeks.
Hope you can enjoy the beautiful weather on your ATV!
Barry Alvarez Retirement
Last year, I had the opportunity to meet Barry Alvarez after touring the famous Camp Randall Stadium. While it's sad to see his time at UW-Madison come to an end, I'd like to wish Coach Alvarez a happy retirement.
Thank you for all you've done for the UW-Madison community and the entire state of Wisconsin -- you will be missed. On Wisconsin!
Get Ready for Spring Turkey Season!
Spring turkey season is just around the corner!
The 2021 Youth Turkey Hunt will be on April 17-18 and Period A begins the following Wednesday, April 21.
For more information about spring turkey season, visit the DNR website.
Community Events
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
Last week, Governor Evers vetoed the 
As of Monday, everyone aged 16 years and older is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
PC: Katie Thoresen/ WXPR
The filing deadline for both Federal and Wisconsin taxes has been extended until May 17, 2021.
All trails in Forest County are now open. Trails in Florence, Oneida, and Vilas Counties are expected to open in the next couple weeks. 
Spring turkey season is just around the corner!