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The first of the Capitol's famous tulips
are beginning to bloom, officially signaling the changing of the season!
This picture is from a previous year, but I think we're only a few days
away from being able to take some beautiful new photos just like this
one.
I'm pleased to report that the
legislature has already made a lot of headway during this budget season.
In the handful of executive sessions that have occurred, the legislature
has already trimmed Governor Scott Walker's budget proposal (which
already includes the lowest total level of bonding in a decade) by a
further $19.5 million and eliminated 26 additional full-time equivalent
government positions. As revenue updates become available in early
May, watch for rapid developments on issues such as K-12 public
education funding, transportation and flexibilities for the University
of Wisconsin system.
In addition to tulip season and budget
season, it's also spring survey season! If you have not done so
already, please visit
www.repkatsma.com and click on "2015 Spring Survey" to participate
in my budget questionnaire. (You may receive a paper copy in the
mail as well.) Be sure to check my website often for updates; I
also encourage you to follow my updates on
social media.
Best wishes on another
gorgeous spring weekend!
Accepting Applications: Wisconsin Youth Leadership Forum
The Wisconsin
Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) is currently
accepting applications from high school students to attend the Youth
Leadership Forum.
The Youth
Leadership Forum is a week-long leadership training and career awareness
program for high school students with disabilities. It will occur July
26-31, 2015, at Edgewood College in Madison. Costs of the program are
covered by BPDD.
Application
materials and instructions are available online
here.
Act quickly: applications must be submitted by May 11, 2015
and require letters of recommendation.
Great
News for Wisconsin's Economy!
The unemployment rate declined to 4.6
percent in March, according to the latest report from the
U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. That is the lowest rate for our state since June 2008
and much lower than the national number of 5.5 percent. The
Department
of Workforce Development also reported that the state's labor force
participation rate
exceeds the national rate by 5.7 percentage points.
The Department of Financial Institutions
reported that over the first three months of 2015, the number of new businesses
in Wisconsin increased by 5.3 percent when compared to the same time period in 2014.
The housing market in Wisconsin is
looking good. The Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) reported
that existing home sales increased by 16.1 percent last month.
Home prices are also on the rise: the median sales price increased by
nearly 9
percent. WRA officials say that these increases have been driven
by low mortgage rates, an increase in family incomes and the prevalence
of
affordable housing in the state.
Job
Center of Wisconsin
More than 83,000 current job openings are posted
on the Job Center of
Wisconsin website! Of these, more than 40,000 openings have
been posted in the past month and nearly 11,000 in the past week.
Services are available at no cost to job seekers or employers and are
available 24 hours per day. The link to the Job Center of
Wisconsin website is always included at the bottom of this newsletter!
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