A Focus on Education

On Tuesday, the State Assembly met for a session focused on education. The bill I was the most excited to vote in favor of was Assembly Bill 563.  This bill creates a civics requirement for high school graduation and requires schools to teach about our shared rights and responsibilities as United States citizens, how to engage in local, state, and federal government, and the history and content of our Founding Documents, the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

Unfortunately, too many people in today's society, both students and adults, do not have a basic understanding of how government operates. In their State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History in 2021 report, the Fordham Institute gave Wisconsin's state standards in both Civics and US History an "F". The changes made by AB 563 will improve these state standards which will help ensure that Wisconsin students are receiving a better civics education.

In addition, the Assembly also approved proposals that promote transparency of district finances and curriculum and prohibit divisive concepts on racism and sexism from being taught in the classroom.

• Senate Bill 373 - requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to make detailed information related to financial data that DPI collects from school districts and county children with disabilities education boards available on a single web page
• Senate Bill 463 - requires school boards to make information about learning materials and educational activities used for pupil instruction available to the public.
• Assembly Bill 411 - prohibits school districts and independent charter schools from allowing teachers to teach divisive anti-racism and anti-sexism concepts commonly referred to as Critical Race Theory (CRT).

Nominate Someone for First Responder of the Year

As I shared in last week's e-update, my office is accepting nominations for the 2021 First Responder of the Year Award. Back in 2019, I was privileged to recognize Marty Huhn from Rusk County as the 87th Assembly District’s First Responder of the Year. I am excited to once again recognize a deserving individual from the 87th Assembly District for the work they do as a first responder.

Nominees can be police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, or EMS personnel that you believe exemplify community service, selflessness, and dedication. One deserving individual from each of the state’s 99 Assembly Districts will be selected and invited to the State Capitol later this month to be formally recognized on the Assembly floor as a part of First Responders Appreciation Month.

You can click here to fill out the online nomination form or here to print the paper nomination form and mail it to my office at the address below. 

Rep. James Edming
PO Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708-8952

Nominations must be received by Friday, October 8th, 2021.

Under the Dome

On Wednesday, the Assembly Committee on Labor and Integrated Employment, which I have the honor to chair, held a public hearing on two legislative proposals, Assembly Bills (AB) 324 and 361.

• AB 324 would extend the hours that 14 and 15-year-old employees are able to work with certain small businesses.
• AB 361 would allow employees for cooperative educational service agencies (CESAs) to request that their pay be spread out over the course of 12 months for the work performed during the school year like school district employees are already allowed to do.

Around the 87th

Honor the Fallen Ride

It was an honor to participate in the Honor the Fallen Ride in Ladysmith this past Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came out to support veterans in Rusk County.

Photo courtesy of The Ladysmith News

Kwik Trip Grand Opening

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to say a few words at the grand opening of the new Kwik Trip store in Hayward. I appreciate a great Wisconsin company like Kwik Trip continuing to invest in communities in the 87th District.

Meeting with the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office

Thank you to Sheriff Doug Mrotek and other members of the leadership team at the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office for taking the time to meet with me on Thursday. I appreciate getting their perspective on some of the proposals under consideration in Madison. Among the items we discussed is Assembly Bill 415 which makes changes to the regulation of scrap dealer purchases of catalytic converters. This bill is currently before me in the Consumer Protection Committee and it is always great to hear what people in the 87th Assembly District think about legislation that I am considering.

Upcoming Events Around the 87th

One of my favorite parts about serving as your state representative is getting out and interacting with constituents at many of the wonderful community events across the 87th District. Check out some of the upcoming events around the district below. Also, if you know of any other events, please contact my office and let me know, so I can include them in a future e-update and try to attend myself.

Check out some of the events coming up around the district:

• Bruce Fire Department's 5th Annual Charcoal Chicken Dinner
  • Saturday, October 2nd - Bruce
• 43rd Annual Stone Lake Cranberry Festival
  • Saturday, October 2nd - Stone Lake
• Medford Harvest Days
  • October 29th - 31st - Medford

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.