Thank you for reading my e-newsletter.  First, my thoughts go out to my constituents that were hit hard by the storms over the weekend.  I've been visiting families in the district and surveying the damage.  Please contact my office if you need help.

The state is turning its attention to the 2011-2013 Wisconsin budget. Nobody knows the impact of the budget better than you, the taxpayer.  That is why I’m asking for your help.  Now that the budget has been introduced, it will go through months of revision.  I would like my constituents to send in suggestions for changes they would like to see in the budget.  This includes suggested cuts as well as areas you would like to receive more attention.

I’ve signed on as a co-sponsor to Representative Jim Ott’s bill regarding making a public directory of Department of Natural Resources Stewardship lands. The DNR uses taxpayer money to buy land for conservation and public use. Some of this land has signs posted so the public knows it is for their use. However, the land purchased before October 2007 is not marked. Under this bill, the DNR will create maps that are available online of what lands are available for public use, so that people know where they can legally hunt, fish, camp, and hike.
 

 The Natural Resources Committee is taking on another unnecessary regulation. Last year, the DNR promulgated a rule requiring all municipalities to continuously disinfect their water supplies, regardless of whether there were problems with the water. Not only does this rule put more chemicals into our water for no reason, it is incredibly expensive. One community cited a price tag of $2.9 million for complying with this mandate, which is several times larger than the community’s annual budget.

The continuous disinfection rule would hit our area, as well. Tomahawk has estimated that it will cost more than $250,000 to comply with the rule, despite the fact that Tomahawk has had no problems with its drinking water. There is also no evidence that continuous disinfection would provide any sort of benefit to the public. I look forward to passing this bill out of committee so the legislature can vote on it.

 

Other committees are also looking for ways to cut back wasteful spending. One area under scrutiny is the Department of Veterans Affairs. A report released in February 2011 by the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau highlights that, “[a]mbiguity in certain DVA policies and inadequate oversight have led to significant financial and program management issues at the veterans homes, including spending that has exceeded revenues in four of the past five fiscal years.”

Representative Kevin Petersen has introduced a bill that will give veterans more input on the appointment of the DVA secretary. The governor would have to personally consult with the presiding officers of at least six Wisconsin veterans’ organizations. Further, the bill specifies that the secretary appointment must go through senate approval, giving the veterans another opportunity for input via their senators.
 

Wisconsin is one of the two remaining states in the country that has no form of concealed carry of a weapon, including firearms. This legislature intends to change that. In light of recent court decisions, it has become clear that a complete ban on concealed carry is unconstitutional because it violates the second and fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution. We expect to pass a bill this year. I hope it is sooner rather than later.