February 6, 2017

Update on Rural Broadband Efforts

As I travel the district, one of the issues that I hear the most about from constituents is the need for reliable high-speed internet access in our area.  This issue impacts people from all over the 87th Assembly District and around the State of Wisconsin.  The lack of high-speed internet access hurts economic growth, limits educational opportunities, and diminishes the quality of life.

Last year, the Study Committee on Rural Broadband was formed to review the Wisconsin Broadband Expansion Grant Program and recommend options to improve broadband access in the state.  The final report of this committee was recently released and you can read it by clicking here.  I am reviewing this report and am looking forward to working with my colleagues this session to continue to support rural broadband expansion efforts in our state.

Also, I was pleased to hear Governor Walker propose an additional $35.5 million for the Broadband Expansion Grant program in his State of the State Address last month.  I support the Governor's proposal and hope that we can even increase this investment in the upcoming state budget.

Judicial Ride-Along

Last week, I had the opportunity to join Taylor County Circuit Court Judge Ann Knox-Bauer on the bench for a judicial ride-along.  It was a great to see the judicial system in action and to observe the important work legal professionals do in our community.

Rep. Edming with Judge Ann Knox-Bauer

Take Your Legislator to Work

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Tina Clark at her job at Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream in Medford as a part of the Take Your Legislator to Work campaign. Tina is a dedicated, hard-working individual that loves her job. I was honored to meet her and to see her passion for her work. Happy Joe's is owned by former State Representative Mary Williams and her husband Al. Thank you to Mary, Al, and their staff for hosting me.

Rep. Edming with Tina Clark and owners Mary and Al Williams

Teens Talk Politics

Towards the end of January, I was pleased to meet with Richard Colwell, Carter Ray, and Mikayla Kelz from Medford High School in my Capitol office. They were in Madison as a part of their "Teens Talk Politics" project. Thank you for stopping by!

Rep. Edming with Richard Colwell, Carter Ray, and Mikayla Kelz from Medford High School
 

Governor's Budget Address

On Wednesday, Governor Walker will be giving his 2017 State Budget Address at 4:00 PM.  I am looking forward to hearing Governor Walker's proposal for the 2017-19 State Budget and his ideas to strengthen our economy here in Wisconsin.  You will be able to watch the governor's address live on his website, www.walker.wi.gov.

Stay Up to Date

One of the best ways to stay up to date with what is going on in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking service.  This service allows you to follow legislative activity here in Madison.  Once you create a free account you can sign up to receive notifications about specific bills or committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject area (i.e. agriculture, veterans).  You can sign up for this service at notify.legis.wisconsin.gov.

You can also follow me on Facebook to see what I have been doing in Madison and around the 87th Assembly District.