GREAT NEWS FOR DISTRICT

OCONOMOWOC BIKE TUNNEL APPROVED

Constituents may recall that both Waukesha County officials and Rep. Dittrich began meeting with Oconomowoc's mayor back in 2020 regarding issues with the completion of the bike trail tunnel at Hwy 67 and Oconomowoc Parkway. It has been a hard-fought process to complete what was started all the way back in 2014. But this week, Rep. Dittrich was pleased to announce that the following message has been sent to Waukesha County and the City of Oconomowoc...

"Congratulations—the Waukesha County Lake Country Trail Underpass at State Highway 67 project has been recommended for funding and approved by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary’s Office. This letter confirms funding for the Waukesha County Lake Country Trail Underpass at State Highway 67 project from the 2022-2026 Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) program.

"CMAQ is a reimbursement program administered by WisDOT that assists local agencies with projects that improve air quality and reduce congestion through bicycle and pedestrian, traffic1 flow, diesel retrofit, and public transit projects in Wisconsin’s non-attainment and maintenance areas by paying a percentage of eligible project costs, with the balance matched by the sponsoring agency.

"Your project has been awarded $2,281,032.80 in federal funding. It is among fourteen projects and approximately $24.4 million of approved federal CMAQ funding this cycle. Please note that this total reflects FAST Act funding levels, which are anticipated to change with the recent passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). CMAQ projects are competitively awarded and any expenditures beyond this award are the responsibility of the sponsoring agency."

We look now to the project to be completed in a timely manner for the enjoyment and safety of all.

LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF CARES/ARPA FUNDS

ASSEMBLY ADOPTS SJR 84

You may recall that on February 23, 2022, the Assembly adopted SJR 84 requiring the Legislatures input on funds received from the federal government such as CARES and ARPA dollars.

While some constituents may side with the Governor’s unilateral distribution of such funds, “the power of the purse” constitutionally lies with the legislative branch. Politifact revealed this week one glaring example of why this has been problematic for Wisconsin.

Senate Republicans Mostly Right On Amount Of ARPA, CARES Money Evers Has Gotten Out The Door

ELECTION UPDATE

GABLEMAN REPORT

While there were many good things in the Gableman Report that exposed serious problems with Wisconsin’s elections, there are misquotes and distortions being made of five pages in the report.

At the very end of his Appendix II, Gableman states the following on the issue of decertification, “However, this action would not, on its own, have any other legal consequence under state or federal law. It would not, for example, change who the current President is.”

Therefore, Rep. Dittrich stands by her initial statement in her full response to the Gableman Report.

EDUCATION

FUND STUDENTS, NOT SYSTEMS

As Rep. Dittrich looks forward to meeting two newly hired school superintendents in the 38th Assembly District, she has continued to have productive conversations with school board members and parents. We need to find a way to get our students situated in a learning environment that best suits them. One size does not fit all.

STATE OF THE UNION

STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSE

For those who missed the State of the Union speech this week, Governor Kim Reynolds gave a far more realistic picture of what our nation has looked like over the past year in her rebuttal.

INVASION OF UKRAINE AND WIDER IMPLICATIONS

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

Last week, Rep. Dittrich made a statement on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and its wider implications for Wisconsinites. As the evil horrors Vladimir Putin has inflicted upon these innocents increase, and our federal leadership refuses to project strength in the midst of this crisis, Rep. Dittrich reminds constituents that our nation was energy independent under our previous administration.

Rep. Dittrich continues to hold the position that rejecting Russian oil imports and increasing domestic production to restore our energy independence is good policy that would help Ukraine as well as Wisconsinites.

WISCONSIN DNR

ONLINE HUNTER EDUCATION FOR MINORS

Heads up, parents of future hunters! The Wisconsin DNR will be returning to more traditional hunter education for those under age 18.

DNR Ending All-Online Hunter Education Option For Minors

CONGRATULATIONS

BADGERS MEN'S BASKETBALL

CONGRATULATIONS to our Big Ten Champion Wisconsin Men's Basketball

CONSTITUENT CORNER

JELLI'S MARKET

How about some GOOD NEWS for a change? Congratulations to the 38th's own Lindsay Baneck of Jelli's Market for being awarded as Compeer Financial's 2022 GroundBreaker of the Year!

If you haven't been met Lindsay or been out to Jelli's, you're missing a real Wisconsin treasure.