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State Capitol Report |
State Capitol
When: Saturday, June 4th at 6pm
Where: Boys & Girls Club of
Kenosha, 1330 52nd Street
Outta Sight Kite Flight
**Grand launch is Saturday at 12pm What: See flying demonstrations of gigantic show kites (100+ feet) and stunt kite demonstrations by professional flyers from the around the Midwest.
When: Saturday, June 11th from 10am-4pm and Sunday, June 12th from 11am-3pm Where: Kenosha Civil War Museum What: Celebrate some of the finest Civil War soldiers of the Midwest – the famous Iron Brigade. March, cook, and drill with these soldiers and find out what made them truly “giants in battle.”
Kenosha Juneteenth Celebration When: Saturday, June 25th from 12pm-6pm Where: Pennoyer Park Bandshell, 3601 7th Avenue What: Organized by the Urban League of Racine and Kenosha, this festival offers a variety of food vendors, youth activities with a jumpy house, local choirs and praise dancers and concludes with DJ’s and live entertainment. Music genre will be traditional Old School and R&B, featuring Motown classics. Cost: Free
Last November, I joined with fellow members of the Assembly Labor Committee Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) and Rep. Chris Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) to send letters to Wisconsin's federal elected officials, asking them to urge the U.S. Treasury to reject a proposal by the Central States Pension Fund (CSPF) to make drastic deep cuts to the pension of hundreds of thousands of retired and working Teamsters. (You can view the letter we sent to Senator Tammy Baldwin HERE.) Other members of the Democratic caucus joined us in sending letters.
Many of these Teamsters live in Wisconsin and we thought more time should be allowed for labor and business leaders can work together to find a solution which would work for all parties involved.
On Friday, May 6th, the U.S. Treasury rejected CSPF's extreme proposal. This is great news, as these cuts would have fallen squarely on the middle class and had far-reaching consequences for our state and our country. This will provide protection to Teamsters' pensions while labor and management continue to work to find a solution which maintains the promises made to these Teamsters in exchange for their hard work for so many years.
Founded in 1981, the Woman's Club of Kenosha recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. With ongoing projects ranging from a scholarship program to the Helen Mears art contest to the Quilt of Valor program, the Woman's Club of Kenosha truly lives out its mission of supporting the welfare of the community and home life, recognizing the needs of others, and enjoying a sisterhood in which lasting friendships and personal growth occur through volunteer service.
Congratulations to the Woman's Club of Kenosha!
Founded in late 2015. Kenosha galleries and art spaces have come together to form Art in Kenosha. The group is committed to spreading awareness of the artistic renaissance that's occurring in Kenosha.
Many of the Art in Kenosha galleries display artwork made by extraordinary local, as well as established, artists and craftspeople. Art is alive and well here in Kenosha, and Art in Kenosha is excited to let the world know all about it.
Mount Carmel Parish Festival
Where: Columbus Park, 2003 54th Street
Where: 2020 91st Street
Where: 7307 40th Ave
Where: 2224 30th Ave Where: 2224 45th Street
When: Saturday, September 10-Sunday, September 11
There are nearly 130,000 stroke deaths each year—that’s 1 in 20 deaths. Although you can’t control every risk factor, there are steps you can take today to reduce your chances of stroke.
It is also critically important to know the signs of stroke, and to act FAST if you see them.
You can find out more about how to better prevent a stroke by clicking HERE and visiting the National Stroke Association's online information.
Last month, the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) distributed earnings for the Common School Fund to school districts across Wisconsin. These distributions reduce local property taxes by providing an alternative source for funding to public schools. They are the sole source of state funding for public school libraries.
BCPL distributed $1,899,306 to KUSD. For many school districts, this is the only money available for library materials including books, newspapers and periodicals, web-based resources, and computer hardware and software.
Thanks to BCPL for its excellent stewardship and its distribution for public school libraries in the 65th Assembly District.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) recently launched additional improvements to JobCenterofWisconsin.com (JCW).
Phase III implements numerous changes to the highly popular MyLMI feature including:
Other enhancements include:
You can click
HERE to view a short video introduction
to the new JCW features.
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Throughout our state and nation this Memorial Day weekend, thousands of individuals and families will take time to enjoy a long weekend together. Whether you are traveling or staying at home, though, I hope you will join me in taking some time to remember and honor those who died while serving our country.
As always, if you would like something to be included in future e-newsletters or if you need help with any state related issue, just let me know at (608) 266-0455 or Rep.Ohnstad@legis.wi.gov.
Sincerely,
Tod Ohnstad
Representative Ohnstad with Rebecca Stevens (L) and Rose Perez (R) after being recognized as an Instrumental Volunteer at KAFASI's annual Recognition Breakfast
Right-to-Work Law
A Dane County judge struck down the state's
right-to-law effective immediately. In 2015, several labor unions sued
the state alleging that the law was unconstitutional because union
services were being given to non-union workers even though the non-union
workers were no longer required to paid dues as a condition of
employment.
Unfortunately, on May 24, 2016, the law was reinstated after a Wausau Court of Appeals judge held that the lower court overstepped its bounds in putting the law immediately on hold. Judge Stark noted that based on the record in the case the unions would not suffer substantial harm if the law was reinstated. The case will most likely go to the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by conservatives 5-2.
Wisconsin Redistricting Lawsuit
12 Democrats
filed suit in federal court against Republican lawmakers challenging how
the Republicans drew legislative districts in 2011. The Democrats claimed
that their voting rights were violated as a result of the lawmakers
drawing legislative districts so favorable to the Republicans. The hope
of the Democrats bringing the case is that a standard will be set by the
court which will then be used around the country to determine when
politicians—Republicans or Democrats—go too far when drawing legislative
maps.
Further information about
the lawsuit can be found
HERE
New Kenosha Artwork The beginning of May brought with it a changeover in the local artwork displayed in my office in our State Capitol building. Here are the new pieces which will be displayed for the next several months.
Artist Barbara Farrell, "Dunes Sunrise," Watercolor
Diana Becker, "Sunflowers II," Acrylic
Artist Peter Zielinski, "Boundary Waters," Acrylic
Thank you once more to Lemon Street Gallery for sharing this wonderful Kenosha artwork with all visitors to my State capitol office.
And thank you to all of our talented artists. Your contributions to our community do not go unnoticed.
Summer Music Events Kick Off We are fortunate in Kenosha to have a number of free public music performances throughout the summer months. Here is a quick reminder about the performances you can look forward to.
Workers Memorial Day Observed April 28th
On April 28th, I joined workers from around the state in Madison for the 2nd annual Construction Workers Memorial Day service. I felt it was important to remember and honor those construction workers who passed away on the job. I was reminded of how many changes have taken place at the state level which make life harder for all workers, and make them worry about their safety and security. It may be an uphill battle these days, but I will continue to do anything I can to lift workers up rather than tear them down.
Kenosha Farmers Markets Up and Running One of my favorite things to do in the summer months is stop by one of Kenosha's several Farmer's Markets, whether during the week or on a weekend. Here is a list of the times and days of the week for each location.
In addition to the rotating farmers market, there is also the HarborMarket on Saturdays, located at 56th Street & 2nd Avenue. HarborMarket runs each Saturday from 9am - 2pm.
Rep. Ohnstad Receives 100% Lifetime Voting Record from Wisconsin AFL-CIO At the conclusion of each legislative session, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO evaluates key votes taken by members of the state legislature. After analyzing the votes, each legislator is giving a rating, which indicates how much their votes supported Wisconsin's working people.
This session, just like last session, I was proud to have a 100% record and maintain my 100% lifetime voting record for workers.
On May 3rd, I was pleased to attend the kick-off event for the Kenosha Health Improvement Program (K-HIP). K-HIP is a new 15-month initiative to increase access to healthy food for families and individuals in Kenosha County, as well as improve opportunities for chronic disease prevention and reduction through community and clinical linkages. Right now, 12% of people living in Kenosha County are food insecure, which means they are skipping meals, cutting back on the quality and quantity of what they eat, or relying on emergency sources for food. This is obviously a disturbing statistic, and I am glad K-HIP is raising awareness and taking action to address this important issue.
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