On Wednesday the Assembly was in session and took up several bills to reform the administrative rulemaking process.  These reforms will provide more legislative oversight of the executive branch and make it easier to reduce and prevent government red tape.

The first reform passed by the Assembly is Senate Bill (SB) 15, also known at the REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act. This bill increases legislative oversight in the administrative rulemaking process by requiring all agency rules that have a fiscal impact of more than $10 million to be approved by the legislature before taking effect.  The second bill was Assembly Bill (AB) 317, which improves the process for reviewing administrative rules and for repealing rules that should no longer exist. Finally, Senate Bill (SB) 100 puts an end date on the scope statements used to draft administrative rules.  This will hopefully encourage state agencies to complete the rulemaking process faster.

I supported these reforms because the people of Wisconsin elect their legislators to make laws, not government bureaucrats.  Unfortunately, agencies go too far at times when creating rules to implement laws passed by the legislature and add an unnecessary layer government red tape.  These reforms will make state government more accountable to the people of Wisconsin through their elected representatives.

Both SB 15 and SB 100 have passed both houses and head to the governor's desk for his approval.  AB 317 heads to the State Senate for further consideration.

June is Dairy Month in the Dairy State and that means it is time for dairy breakfasts.  For almost half a century, Wisconsinites have enjoyed iconic farm breakfasts and there are many breakfasts to choose from around the 87th Assembly District.  So far in June I have had the opportunity to attend dairy breakfasts in Athens and Ladysmith and am looking forward to attending more over the next couple of weeks.  I highly encourage you and your families to go and enjoy the upcoming breakfasts around the district.

Upcoming Dairy Breakfasts Around the 87th District

Gilman - June 17th

Hayward - (Sawyer County) - June 24th

Medford Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet

Last week, I was privileged to attend the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet. This ceremony honored the numerous citizens and organizations in the area that have gone above and beyond this past year. This years event was particularly special for me as the Employment First Initiative, which I am proud to support, was recognized with a Community Project Award for their dedicated efforts to help citizens with disabilities find employment in the community. Outstanding citizen Ron Roth was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, for all of the work he has done for the Medford community over the years.

I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone who was honored, as well as all of the amazing people who made this evening such a success!

Children's Museum Comes to Medford

Last Thursday, I was happy to attend the grand opening of Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum in Medford. This attraction is a fantastic addition to the community, and is ready just in time for families to enjoy during summer vacation.

Hearing from Future Agriculture Leaders

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to meet with members of the Flambeau FFA and their advisors. Great to see so many young people interested in agriculture!

Congratulations to Athens Baseball!

Upcoming Floor Session

The State Assembly will be in session again this upcoming Wednesday. Here are some of the bills that will be considered that day.

• AB 111 - Relating to: threat to use a firearm on school property to injure or kill a person and providing a criminal penalty.

• AB 153 - Relating to: aggrieved parties petitioning for a recount and making an appropriation.

• AB 196/SB 133 - Relating to: possession of or use of a credit card scanner, providing civil immunity for sellers or distributors of fuel for scanners installed on pumps, and providing criminal penalties.

• AB 226 - Relating to: local assistance for remediating contaminated wells and failing wastewater treatment systems and award limits for contaminated well grants.

• AB 280 - Relating to: incorporating financial literacy into the curriculum of public schools.

• AB 323 - Relating to: requiring an open season for woodchucks.

• AB 325/SB 257 - Relating to: the cumulative preference system for issuing Class A bear hunting licenses.

You can watch the session live on Wisconsin Eye.

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 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.