This week, the Wisconsin Department of
Administration issued its annual fiscal report showing the state
ended fiscal year 2017 with a $579 million surplus, the second
largest closing balance since 2000.
It is evident from the aforementioned statistics
that our pro-growth, pro-taxpayer reforms are working. Wisconsin
has ended every fiscal year, since Republicans regained control
of the legislature, with a surplus. My colleagues and I will
continue to be good stewards of the hard-working taxpayers'
money and work tirelessly to provide an accountable government
for every Wisconsinite.
This surplus affords Wisconsin with the ability
to weather a potential downturn in the economy or to invest in
infrastructure over the next biennium.
Property Tax
Assessment Bills approved by Senate Committee
This week, the Senate Committee on Revenue, Financial
Institutions and Rural Issues, unanimously approved Senate Bills
291 and
292 that I coauthored with Senators Duey Stroebel
(R-Cedarburg) and Roger Roth (R-Appleton), respectively. In
addition to being approve unanimously, more than fifty percent
of legislators in both houses are cosponsors of these proposals.
The litigation and tax refund costs associated with with is
commonly referred to as the "Dark Store Theory," could devastate
local units of government. As such, innumerable municipalities
have contacted my asking that a workable solution is formulated.
Senate Bills 291 and 292, quite simply, clarify the best
practices as proscribed by the Wisconsin Property Tax
Assessment Manual. Moreover, they seek to provide clarity
and direction to the Board of Review and Court when determining
the value of a property. The intent of these proposals is to
prevent further potential tax shifts by ensuring assessments are
fair and equitable for all taxpayers.
Testifying with Senator Roger Roth (R-Appleton) before the
Senate Committee on Revenue, Financial Institutions, and Rural
Issues, on Senate Bills 291 and 292.
Wisconsin Tax Burden
Below National Average
According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Wisconsin's
tax burden is below the national average. The United States
Census Bureau recently released data for 2015, the most recent
year available, showing that Wisconsin's state-local tax burden
was 0.3 percent below the national average.
Additionally, Wisconsin's tax burden dropped to 21st in
the nation. Just last year, Wisconsin's tax burden was ranked
16th. This continues a trend that shows Wisconsin's strong
record of tax reform through property tax controls and income
tax rate cuts has lowered the overall burden on Badger State
taxpayers. In 1995, Wisconsin's state and local tax burden was
ranked 4th highest in the nation; in 2010, on the contrary,
it was ranked 9th. Adding to the good news is that this is
Wisconsin's best state-local tax burden ranking in more than
fifty years.
2017-2018 Wisconsin State
Blue Book now available
Everyone's favorite almanac of state government,
the Wisconsin State Blue Book, is now available.
Published biennially since 1853, the Wisconsin State Blue
Book is the oldest publication in Wisconsin. Initially, the
Wisconsin State Blue Book served as a manual for the
State Assembly, a pocket-size volume of less than 100
pages, and designed for legislators to have information about
state government at their fingertips.
According to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference
Bureau, the principal authors of the venerable publication,
"Over the decades, the Blue Book evolved in size, scope,
and purpose. The Blue Book's many iterations were caused
by the increased availability of information about state
government and the public. By 2015, the Blue Book
exceeded 1,000 pages and was laden with dense statistical
information that history buffs and political junkies would find
engrossing; everyday citizens, conversely, would find this
information uninteresting. The newly-revised State of
Wisconsin Blue Book is designed to provide everyday citizens
with enthralling content about Wisconsin history and government.
Recognizing that the Blue Book was
becoming too lengthy and dense, the Wisconsin Legislative
Reference Bureau undertook a Herculean effort: revamping this
esteemed repository of information about our state and its
history. The 2017-2018 Wisconsin State Blue Book is
intended to serve as an introduction to state and local
government, not the primary source for information regarding
these entities. More substantive and timely information about
state government can be accessed through the Internet than could
ever be accessed by a team of researchers tasked with penning a
book. Recognizing this, the 2017-2018 Blue Book
contains biographies of all legislators, descriptions of
executive and judicial agencies, and statistics on Wisconsin
government and elections. It does not, however, reproduce
information that is archaic, or can be more easily obtained and
accurately elsewhere.
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the
2017-2018 Wisconsin State Blue Book, please contact my
office with your name and address. My staff and I will make it a
priority to ensure that your copy arrives in a timely manner.
Updated 2016-2017 Wisconsin wildlife
reports are now available
Wisconsinites can find the latest results of the
wide-ranging wildlife surveys, conducted in 2016 and 2017,
pertaining to harvest results, and wildlife observations, to
name just a few, are now available on the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources' website.
The aforementioned reports include data
collected from small game, big game, furbearer and non-game
categories. The reports were made possible by Pittman-Robertson
funding.
You can find the following reports by searching
the DNR website, www.dnr.wi.gov,
for keyword reports:
Small Game:
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Small Game Harvest Survey
-
Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey
-
Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Survey
-
Rural Mail Carrier Pheasant Survey
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Spring Ring-Necked Pheasant Survey
-
Regional Bobwhite Quail and Bobtail Rabbit
Survey
Big Game:
-
Black Bear Population Analyses 2017
-
Wildlife Damage Abatement and Claims
Program, 2016
-
Agricultural Deer Damage Shooting Permits,
2016
-
Winter Severity Indices, 2016-17
Furbearers:
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Bobcat Harvest 2017
-
Fisher Harvest 2016
-
Otter Harvest 2016-2017
-
Bobcat Population Analyses, 2017
-
Fisher Population Analyses, 2017
-
Otter Population Analyses, 2017
-
Bobcat Hunter/Trapper Survey, 2016
-
Winter Track Counts, 1977-2017
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Fur Trapper Survey, 2016-17
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Wisconsin Fur Buyers Report, 2016-2017
Non-game:
-
Central Wisconsin Greater Prairie-Chicken
Survey, 2017
-
Frog and Toad Survey, 2016
-
American Marten Winter Track Surveys in
Northern Wisconsin, 2016-2017
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Moose Observations, 2016
-
Rare Carnivore Observations, 2016
Listening Sessions
On Friday, October 20, 2017, I will accompany United States
Representative Jim Sensenbrenner at his third round of office
hours for 2017, in the 60th Assembly District.
Representative Sensenbrenner will host one half-hour listening
session in the Sixtieth Assembly District to respond to constituent inquiries, questions, and
concerns affecting Wisconsin.
Representative Sensenbrenner and I will visit the following
locations on October 20, 2017:
9:00-9:30 a.m.: Newburg Village Hall--614 Main Street,
Newburg.
I am also available for one-on-one meetings in the district,
particularly on Mondays and Fridays. If you are interested in
scheduling a time to meet, do not hesitate to contact my office.
Participating in a town hall meeting with Congressman Jim
Sensenbrenner
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