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Welcome to this week's edition of my e-update. With the 2022 floor period in full swing, it was a busy week serving the hardworking people of the 87th Assembly District. I hope you find this update from the State Capitol informative.

This week I provide an update regarding Thursday's floor session and share some information about other things happening under the Capitol dome this week. You can read more about all of this below.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any thoughts on issues before the legislature or if you need assistance with a state agency
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Floor Session Wrap-up
On Thursday, the State Assembly was in session and considered a number of legislative proposals on a variety of topics. Among the bills approved by the Assembly were parts of the Sporting Freedom Package including Senate Bill 609 that I authored. This bill would increase pheasant hunting opportunities in our state by requiring the Department of Natural Resources to produce more pheasants each year and require them to create a schedule for stocking pheasants around the state. To learn more about this proposal click here to read my committee testimony. If you would like to read a little more about the entire package of bills you can click here to check out the Sporting Freedom Package website.

Another important bill that was approved by the Assembly was Assembly Bill (AB) 717. This proposal ensures that the state’s hard-hit restaurant industry won't face state taxes on any funds they received from the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund that they received to help them survive. As the federal government has already adopted these changes AB 717 is simply conforming Wisconsin law to federal tax law. Click here to watch a short video to see what some Wisconsin restaurant owners have to say about this exemption.
At the end of the floor session, I was proud to support a resolution I authored recognizing the 87th District's own American Birkebeiner.  Assembly Joint Resolution 108, which proclaims February 21-27 as American Birkebeiner Week in Wisconsin, was adopted by the Assembly. I am incredibly proud to have this premier sporting event in the 87th District and to help recognize its importance to the state of Wisconsin.
Under the Dome
Family Law Committee
As part of my week in Madison, I took part in a Family Law Committee Hearing on Wednesday. We heard testimony on one bill Assembly Bill (AB) 105 which amends Department of Children and Families (DCF) regulations to exclude variable housing costs for purposes of calculating child support.

Currently, military service members receive allowances to help them with housing costs. In locations, with a higher cost of living a variable component can be added to help cover the increased housing costs. These variable payments are currently included by DCF when they calculate child support payments. When the service member is transferred to a state with a lower cost of living, their variable housing allowance would be reduced. However, when this occurs their child support payments are not automatically altered to reflect their reduction in income, and the only way to seek a modification of the payments is to return to court.

The committee also voted to recommend the passage of six other bills. You can click on each bill number below to learn more information about each of them.
  • Assembly Bill 313 - Relating to legal custody and physical placement factors for a child of a service member.
  • Assembly Bill 633 - Relating to the required annual exchange of financial information in an order for family support, child support, or maintenance.
  • Assembly Bill 634 - Relating to allowing a court commissioner to address stipulated final legal separation hearings.
  • Assembly Bill 651 - Relating to allowing a parent to change a minor child's name when the other parent is convicted of certain homicide or sex offenses.
  • Assembly Bill 722 - Relating to stipulated orders before judgment in actions for divorce, annulment, or legal separation.
  • Assembly Bill 723 - Relating to procedures for de novo review in actions affecting the family.
Meeting with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
On Tuesday I had the opportunity to meet with Andrew Gille from Midwest Communications to discuss issues important to broadcasters in our state.
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:
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.
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