Legislation Progressing

This week, I had the opportunity to testify in front of the Joint Committee on Finance in support of Assembly Bill 777 which waives tuition for foster youth at all UW System and Technical Colleges. Testifying alongside me are Representative Pat Snyder of Wausau and Representative Steve Doyle of Onalaska, co-chairs of the Speaker's Task Force on Foster Care. The bill received a unanimous vote in the committee and is headed to the floor of the Assembly next week.

A hearing was held this week for Assembly Bill 836 which raises the population threshold for a populous county. I authored this legislation at the request of Dane County which expects their population to grow to over 500,000 residents at the time of the 2020 federal census. When this occurs, Dane County will be forced to adhere to statues that were intended solely for Milwaukee County with a population just under one million. By raising this threshold to 750,000 residents, these statutes will continue to only apply to the county for which they were intended. I took over as author of this legislation at the request of Representative Keith Ripp who stepped down to fill the position of Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

Josh Goebel of Darlington Visits

Josh Goebel, rural medical volunteer and resident of Darlington, visited Madison on Tuesday to testify before the Committee on Agriculture in support of Assembly Bill 827. This bill provides grants to farmers to install a rollover protective structure on their tractor. Statistics show that each year nearly 100 farmers die from tractor overturns. As a member of the Committee on Agriculture, I look forward to supporting this legislation if it comes before me for a vote. Thanks for visiting, Josh!

Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin

Paige Fingerson of Cobb, Jenny Altfillisch of Shullsburg, and Lauren Finley of Minneapolis visited my office on Thursday representing the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. We sat down to discuss improving the transparency of prescription drug programs and removing a restriction that only allows pharmacists to vaccinate children over the age of six. This change will increase access to these immunizations as pharmacies are often open later, on weekends, and do not require appointments. Thank you for visiting!

Wisconsin Exports Impress

Wisconsin's exports increased by more than 6 percent in 2017. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Wisconsin exported $22.3 billion in goods and services last year to 202 countries including Canada, Mexico, and China. We continue to lead the nation in a variety of exported products including sweet corn and cranberries. In all, Wisconsin exports more than $35 billion in agricultural products.