Last week, I spoke on the floor of the Assembly on Special Session Assembly Bill 6. This proposal passed the Assembly and is waiting for a vote in the Senate. Read more on this proposal below.
Finally: Action on Agriculture
As ranking member on the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, I have been advocating for action on agriculture for years. I believe we need to support our producers. Unfortunately, action has been slow on this issue this session. In response to this, in his State of the State Address on January 22nd, Governor Tony Evers called for a Special Session on Agriculture.
After this, the committee thankfully took swift action on 18 bills in just 28 days. After sending these bills to the Assembly floor, the Assembly passed several bills which will help support our farmers and rural communities.
I spoke on two important bills on the floor prior to passage: Special Session Assembly Bills (SS AB) 6 and 7. SS AB 6 requires two state agencies to work together to find foreign markets for agricultural and agribusiness products. It also allows these agencies to ask for funding for this program in the next biennial budget. I wish we had accepted Governor Evers' original plan, which would have funded the program sooner. However, SS AB 6 still makes meaningful reform to our crop, dairy, and meat industries by finding markets for Wisconsin products.
SS AB 7 increases the funds in the dairy processor grant program. The dairy processor grant program currently allows processors to utilize grants to innovate, build markets, and become more efficient. Unfortunately, between 2014 and 2019, grant requests exceeded awards by an average of approximately $365,000. SS AB 7 makes needed investments in our dairy industry so that our processors may continue to become more innovative and efficient.
These bills provide support for our producers, but we can and should do more. We need to provide mental health resources for our producers who are under incredible stress because of commodity prices and trade relations. Special Session Assembly Bill 2 would provide regional support for stress and mental illness. I will continue to urge my colleagues to read and support this bill. I will continue to advocate for more resources for our small and medium sized farms, which are the backbone of our communities.
Assembly Adjourns
Last week, the Wisconsin State Assembly adjourned for the 2019-2020 Legislative Session. I am proud of the work we've done this session. My colleagues and I have found dozens of issues to work on together including protecting our water, supporting our rural communities, investing in education, and funding our roads. This is why I am disappointed that we're adjourning early.
We adjourned last week with so much left to do. Our schools have behavioral issues, our communities lack mental health support, and our farmers' needs aren't being met. The legislative session is planned to continue until mid-May, but Assembly Leadership self-imposed this early deadline. We should have continued our good bipartisan work. We didn't need to cut this session short.
I plan to continue working on these issues, among others, in coming months. I was elected to do a job. I'm willing to put in the time and effort. I hope my colleagues agree with me and demand we meet in extraordinary session to continue this work.
I encourage you to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns. It is important to me to hear from you on issues at the state level. Thank you to everyone who has already contacted my office this year.
You should have received a Newsletter in the mail recently. In it, I included a survey that you may complete and return to my office. You may also fill out the survey here instead.
Request Materials
Below are materials I am happy to provide to my constituents at no cost:
2019-2020 Wisconsin Blue Book
Wisconsin Road Map, laminated
2019-2020 Wisconsin Road Maps, folded for travel
How a Bill Becomes a Law, a workbook guide to law-making in Wisconsin
