Column: Representative Dallman’s 2023 Year in Review
I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to the people of the 41st District for their support of me throughout these last few years. It has been an absolute honor to represent you in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
As I reflect on my second term as your state representative and my work on the Joint Committee on Finance to craft a responsible budget, I cannot help but to feel proud of all our accomplishments. We eliminated the burdensome Personal Property Tax, invested in our workforce and correctional officers, and invested millions in tourism across the state. We demonstrated, once again, that it is possible to fund our most important priorities while delivering meaningful tax relief to all Wisconsinites.
Our two-year budget included providing pay increases for our law enforcement, District Attorneys, Assistant District Attorneys, and Public Defenders in order to address vacancies and backlogs across the state. We prioritized our Security and Correctional Officers with historic investments to help alleviate extreme workforce challenges that are affecting our prison system. We also made significant investments of over $1 billion to fix local roads and bridges, state highways and even created a new program to help our rural infrastructure by focusing on agricultural routes.
Throughout this session I have been fighting to bring much needed funding back into the 41st District to ensure that all of our communities, and the families that live here, are able to grow and prosper. First and foremost, I was able to secure an additional $5 million in the budget for Boys and Girls Clubs around our state. This investment will have a massive impact on the youth across Wisconsin and allow our future leaders a better opportunity to succeed. I have also been focused on making positive impacts for our next generation to have the skills necessary to achieve success. Act 60, a bill that I have been working on since I joined the legislature, was signed into law this year. Act 60 will require that every student who graduates high school in Wisconsin has basic financial literacy and understanding of money management. This course will provide invaluable knowledge for our students to make better and wiser decisions as they enter the workforce.
We were also successful at including a couple local projects in the budget. Mirror Lake in Lake Delton, WI is in need of major dredging to conserve and rehabilitate its recreational appeal and stunning landscape – we were able to provide them with $500,000 to help with project costs. In addition, after hearing from many constituents about the conditions of Buffalo Lake in Marquette County, we included $100,000 to help them with necessary biological and permitting study requirements.
This session has been about bringing more attention to the people of the 41st District and making sure that our rural communities are not forgotten. I will continue to battle the veto pen of Governor Evers in order to provide much needed tax relief to all Wisconsin citizens and provide meaningful and positive change to our state’s economy and regulatory framework.
Again, I want to thank the constituents of the 41st District for allowing me to represent them. It is truly an honor and I am looking forward to continuing to work for you in 2024! As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Rep.Dallman@legis.wisconsin.gov or (608) 237-9141. I wish you a happy holiday season and a very happy New Year!