RECAP OF EFFORTS REGARDING 2020 WISCONSIN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
"You haven't done a THING about the elections since 2020!" Sadly, this is a complaint Rep. Dittrich has been responded to with phone calls by the dozens over the past year. Despite assuring constituents that she HAS BEEN working on election integrity (actually since she first heard about "voting in the park," the illegal ballot harvesting operation in Madison), people still don't want to believe it.
She wants to thank her colleague, Representative Rob Brooks and his staff for putting together this irrefutable timeline of what the legislators, have been doing since the November 2020 presidential election. As always, feel free to reach out to Rep. Dittrich's office with questions.
While a week ago, the Racine County DA announced that she did not have the jurisdictional authority to charge members of WEC, who violated election law, Racine County Sheriff Schmaling is forwarding recommendations to Elections commissioners’ home counties.
Rep. Dittrich is not in favor of keeping Dean Knudson on the Wisconsin Elections Commission but holds a minority position on that matter.
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON STATE AFFAIRS
Next week Monday, the Assembly Committee on State Affairs will be holding a public hearing on a variety of election bills, including AB 1005, authored by Senator Bernier and Representative Dittrich.
After the Assembly’s floor session on Thursday, February 17th, the Assembly Rules Committee convened to approve the floor calendar for Tuesday, February 22nd. At that time, Rep. Ramthun’s AJR120, to decertify the 2020 election was unanimously voted down as it is neither lawful nor constitutional.
Rep. Dittrich realizes that there are many constituents who remain passionate about this topic, and she continues to listen. She remains of the belief that there were problems with the law being followed during the 2020 election, but decertifying the election is not the way to remedy those problems. Rep. Dittrich took an oath to uphold both the Wisconsin and US Constitutions, and will remain faithful to that oath.
Rep. Dittrich wants to remind constituents that lawsuits, constitutional amendments, and legislation all continue to be underway to deal with the issues of clean voter rolls, ballot harvesting, drop boxes, the claim of being indefinitely confined, and the failure to use special voting deputies. She has not and will not stop working on these concerns.
Note: Speaker Vos has stated that he reassigned one of Rep. Ramthun’s two staff members because that staffer was electioneering on the job, an illegal activity for legislators. He stated in an interview on the Jay Weber show that the staffer was offered a position in another legislative office but decided to quit instead.
Both Senator Testin and Representative Dittrich have heard constituent complaints regarding the out-of-control, unbridled edicts of local health officers during the COVID-19 outbreak. That is why this week Rep. Dittrich joined him in introducing legislation to restore accountability to these offices, with the elected officials who oversee them.
It's way past time that PHMDC let this mandate expire. That is why Rep. Dittrich was quick to sign on as a co-author of LRB 5573/1 regarding: actions by local health officers, introduced by Rep. Penterman and Sen. Jagler. Letting these public health mandates go on indefinitely was one of our biggest missteps of the pandemic. We do need to balance emergency action with Constitutional liberty. Rep. Dittrich looks forward to making improvements so that it doesn't happen again.
UW DROPPING MASK MANDATES BY SPRING BREAK
The UW System will remove mandatory mask requirements by spring break, officials announced Wednesday. System President Tommy Thompson will work with chancellors, with the goal of removing on-campus mask mandates as soon as March 1. Every UW System school has some form of mask mandate in place, however, those mandates differ from campus to campus.
Thursday, the State Assembly honored the long service of former Governor Tommy Thompson, especially in his willingness to server as the UW System’s interim president.
The Assembly Parlor was renamed “The Tommy Thompson Assembly Parlor” in his honor.
UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE
Wisconsin had low unemployment prior to the pandemic.
With enhanced unemployment benefits brought on through the COVID shutdowns arrived, the labor participation rate has declined.
It is time to remove the incentives for able-bodied individuals to stay on the sidelines. Thursday, the Assembly passed a variety of workforce legislation, helping Wisconsin to continue moving forward, so that we can get back to pre-pandemic working life.
SUPERMARKET EMPLOYEE DAY
February 22nd was declared “Supermarket Employee Day” in a Joint Resolution by Rep. Dittrich and Senator Cowles, passed in the Assembly on Thursday. After the relentless hard work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, these workers are being lauded for keeping the rest of us fed.
Remember when the DPI's website crashed on the first two days of the opening of private school choice enrollment at the beginning of this month? It's not the first time this has happened, but it needs to be the last.
Rep. Dittrich has joined forces with Wisconsin State Senator Mary Felzkowski, legislating the proper administration of this enrollment for students.
TAX AND TAKE
You will recall that Sen. Kooyenga and Rep. Dittrich, both on their respective committees handling tax policy, met with Milwaukee pastors regarding the terrible practice of "tax-and-take" that only the City of Milwaukee engages in. After she spoke with Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca, who then contacted Mayor Barrett, the practice came to a halt.
Today, Sen. Kooyenga and Rep. Dittrich introduced LRB 5772/1, to assure that this practice never happens again. Churches should not be victimized by the government in such a hostile practice.
THANK YOU to our Western Lakes firefighters and the incredible community that has wasted no time in supporting the family who suffered the loss of their home in the Sunday night blaze while many were enjoying the Superbowl. In response to an outpouring of requests to help the Thorson family, a fund has been established through Bank Five Nine. You may support the Peter and Ginette Thorson Benefit Fund (account ending in 4592) at any Bank Five Nine branch. Mrs. Thorson has been a faithful educator in the Oconomowoc Area School District for thirty years, and she and her husband have raised their five children in the community as well.
OCONOMOWOC POLAR PLUNGE
Join us as we jump back into Plunge season, Wisconsin’s premier winter event! We look forward to seeing you February 19th, 2022 at City Beach in Oconomowoc!
If you have any comments regarding the subject of this E-Update, please feel free to contact me.
Representative Barbara Dittrich State Capitol, 17 West PO Box 9582 Madison, WI 53708 Toll-Free (888) 534-0038 or (608) 266-8551 Rep.Dittrich@legis.wi.gov| Read Online |
