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Click here to view my speech on school safety

Assembly session wraps up

After a confusing game of "chicken" by legislators in the majority and very little meaningful debate, the Assembly has passed a bill with most of the Governor's requests on school safety:

  • Creates a $100 million grant program for school safety improvements, including the option of armed officers
  • Creates the Office of School Safety in the Department of Justice
  • Requires mandatory reporting of school violence

By the end of the day, this bill also contained a narrow, relatively weak background check measure. It will now go to the Governor's desk for his signature. We also passed bills to require schools to notify parents of a bullying incident involving their child within 48 hours of when the incident is reported, and to let schools share security camera footage with law enforcement when necessary.

I voted for these bills in the end because I want our schools to be safe. But as I said in my speech on the floor, I am concerned that a grant program rather than consistent regular funding puts our small rural schools at a disadvantage. These bills also do not contain any of the measures our students have been asking for. In addition to these school safety measures, we need basic gun safety policies like universal federal and state background checks for all types of guns, a reasonable waiting period, and increased mental health services.

The Assembly also unanimously agreed on the Senate's version of the Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake legislation. This bill extends the timeline for closing the prison by 6 months and authorizes $80 million in state bonding for facility construction and expansion. Finally, the Assembly approved the Governor's $100-per-child tax credit and sales tax holiday.

Opportunity Zones announced

I joined Senator Erpenbach in nominating every qualifying census tract in the 81st Assembly District for this newly created federal economic development program. From our nominations, Governor Walker chose Baraboo and Portage to participate in the program. The Zones will allow private companies to avoid paying gains taxes by investing in economically challenged communities. More information is available here: https://www.wheda.com/Opportunity-Zones/

WI Conservation Congress meetings: April 9th

On Monday, April 9th, each Wisconsin county will host their annual Conservation Congress meeting. These meetings provide people interested in natural resources management an opportunity to give input on natural resources advisory questions that may lead to future rule changes. I encourage you to get involved in your local WCC meeting if you are interested in DNR policy.

Emerald ash borer quarantine

The entire state of Wisconsin will be placed under quarantine for emerald ash borer, effective Friday, March 30. Now that EAB is in 48 of the state’s 72 counties, officials have decided a statewide quarantine is warranted. However, they still discourage moving firewood within the state. Quarantines require businesses handling ash wood, untreated ash products and hardwood firewood to sign agreements specifying how they will reduce the risk of moving EAB into non-quarantined areas, and prohibit moving firewood from quarantined areas to non-quarantined areas. Firewood restrictions will remain on state and federal lands. County-by-county quarantines for gypsy moth still exist.