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(608)266-5780 | State Capitol, Room 307 West, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708 | rep.billings@legis.wi.gov
COMMUNITY EVENTS:
La Crosse Summer School
Theatre's "The Wizard of Oz"
Friday, July 31, 7:00 p.m.
Logan Middle School
Pump House Season
Premiere
Thursday, August 6, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
This debut event offers guests the opportunity to preview the 2015-16
Pump House season, socialize, and redecorate with art purchased at the
Doubletake Art Sale.
Moon Tunes at Riverside
Park
Thursday, August 6, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Featuring "Fayme Rochelle & The Waxwings"
IrishFest
Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9.
601-615 2nd St N, La Crosse, WI 54603
***Rep. Billings speaking at
Opening Ceremony at 3:00 p.m. on Friday
CONTACT ME:
State Capitol
Room 307 West
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
Phone:
(608) 266-5780
Toll Free:
(888) 534-0095
rep.billings@legis.wi.gov
Friends and Neighbors,
This week, the legislature took up its final bill before adjourning
July's extraordinary session. We will reconvene for regular session in
September.
While on "vacation" these newsletters will contain more information about proposed legislation in Madison, community events and fun La Crosse-based activities you can take part in during the summer months!
I greatly appreciate hearing from my constituents, and will continue to
take your thoughts into account on pending legislation and community
topics.
As always, if you have concerns about state or community issues, I
encourage you to contact me by phone or e-mail (information listed to
the left). I would love to hear from you!
Best Wishes,
Jill Billings
State Representative
95th Assembly District
BUCKS ARENA DEAL PASSES ASSEMBLY
On Tuesday, the Assembly met to debate the proposed public financing deal for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena. The proposal involved a public investment in a $500 million project to construct a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks. The investment would be split in half, with $250 million expected to come from the Bucks' owners, and $250 million from the taxpayers. With added interest, the taxpayers' investment could be expected to come out to approximately $400 million.
Two weeks ago, the Senate debated and passed the bill, by a vote of
21-10. The Senate added amendments to the existing bill, including an
amendment to add a $2 ticket surcharge to sales, which would go directly
to county and state revenue. The amendment also removed a provision
which would allow the state to collect Milwaukee County's debt.
At a time when our budget had slashed $250 million in funding from our
public universities -- inarguably one of the largest revenue streams in
the state -- it puzzled me that we were willing to use state taxpayer
dollars to fund a sports arena. In the past, new sporting arenas were
funded through county-wide or regional taxes. For example, Miller Park
was funded by an increase in sales tax of a five-county area in
southeast Wisconsin and Lambeau Field renovations were funded by a tax
increase in Brown County.
Ultimately, my vote on the bill came down whether or not it was a sound
investment for my district. After talking with constituents and
reviewing the overall plan, I felt this arena deal did not provide
enough economic stimulus and return on taxpayer dollars to push me to a
yes vote.
CAMPING PRICES GO UP AROUND THE STATE
Due to budget cuts to parks, campsites around the state are already seeing price increases. This Tuesday, nightly fees at state parks, forest and trails went up from $3/night to $6 for in-state visitors, and from $6/night to $9 for out-of-state campers.
In addition to general camping fees, prices for annual park and trail
admissions and camping electrical services will also increase.
For more information visit
http://dnr.wi.gov/news/releases/article/?id=3664
COULEE REGION TRANSPORTATION STUDY UPDATE
Many people contact my office with concerns about the Coulee Region Transportation Study. The WisDOT's website has recently been updated to include a link to a map and to a listing of all of the comments to date regarding locations of concern and specific strategy ideas.
If you are interested, check out the updated website here:
www.couleeregionstudy.dot.wi.gov
And as always, feel free to contact my office with any comments you want
to share with me.
JULY 2015 NCCAPM
Did you know that July is National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month (NCCAPM)?
Cleft and craniofacial conditions affect thousands of infants, children,
teens and adults in the United States each year. Some are born with
congenital anomalies like cleft lip and palate, others with more
complex, life-threatening craniofacial conditions. Some are burned;
others are injured in accidents and animal attacks, or diagnosed with
various oral/head/neck and skin diseases.
To learn more about these conditions and prevention methods, visit
http://www.nccapm.org/ or
http://www.cleftline.org
