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RIPP PASSES HIS FIRST BILL OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The Transportation Protection Fund Amendment passes in the Assembly
State Representative Keith Ripp (R-Lodi) passed his first piece of legislation of the 2013-14 legislative session off the Assembly floor Tuesday afternoon.
Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 2, a constitutional amendment to protect the Wisconsin Transportation Fund, passed with a bi-partisan vote of 82-13. The measure would constitutionally require that revenues directly related to transportation functions, such as registration fees and revenue from the gas tax, be deposited in the fund. It then requires those revenues in the fund only be spent for transportation services.
“I am pleased and honored to see this bill pass the Assembly with such strong bi-partisan support. Our state’s transportation system is vital to our economy and industries, and we need to do everything we can to maintain it,” Ripp said. “Sustaining the integrity of the fund is only the first step to ensuring that Wisconsin will have enough funds for projects twenty, thirty, and forty years down the road."
Ripp authored the bill in response to the substantial transportation fund shortfall facing the legislature this session. The Transportation Fund is the largest of Wisconsin’s segregated funds, and has been the most abused, in both volume and repetition. Over $1.3 billion have been raided from the fund since 2003.
“With support for this measure from 54 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, the public seems to be making one thing clear: when we levy taxes for a specific purpose, the money people pay in should fund exactly what we said it was going to fund,” Ripp said.
AJR 2 is co-authored by Senator Jerry Petrowski in the Senate. It has been passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee and is waiting to be heard on the Senate floor. If passed, the amendment will be placed on the November 2014 ballot.
Rep. Ripp Promoting the Transportation Fund Protection Amendment on the Assembly Floor
RIGHT THE RULES: TRANSPORTATION
In my last e-update, I mentioned our "Right the Rules project for this session. I wanted to keep you informed on what rules we will be discussing in my committee in the event that you have any concerns or suggestions about the chapters. During our next committee meeting, we will be discussing the following chapters of code (click on the link for the text):
Trans 131 Motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program (MVIP)
Trans 133 Telephone authorization for quarterly or consecutive monthly registration
Trans 138 Dealer facilities, records and licenses
Trans 140 Motor vehicle dealer financial eligibility and bond claim requirements
Trans 142 Recreational vehicle dealer trade practices, facilities and records
Trans 144 Licensing periods and fees for dealers, manufacturers and salespersons
Trans 156 Automated processing partnership system program
Trans 196 Counter service and special handling service for certificates of title and registration
Trans 205 County trunk highway standards
Trans 215 Local high-cost bridge projects
Trans 257 Pole and pipe transportation permits
Trans 303 Equipment standards for special vehicles
Trans 309 Ambulance inspection
Trans 312 Weigh station stopping requirements
If you have any thoughts, comments, or concerns about any of these chapters, please feel free to call or email us!
Remember, the main part of the Right the Rules launch was a website that includes information on how the project works, notices for public hearings, links on where to find the Administrative Code. Most importantly, the website is a place for public input. The website can be found at: http://righttherules.legis.wisconsin.gov or you can email your thoughts and concerns to righttherules@legis.wi.gov.
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS COMMISSION
I was just recently appointed to the Transportation Projects Commission, along with my colleagues Representatives Mike Endsley and John Spiros. The Commission was created in 1983 to review major highway project candidates and make recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor on which projects should be included in the next two-year state budget. The commission consists of five senators, five assembly members, and three citizen members. The Governor serves as the Commission chairman and the Transportation Secretary serves as a non-voting member.
I thank Speaker Robin Vos for appointing me, and I look forward to working with the commission.
SPEAKER VOS CREATES TASK FORCE ON MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS
Last week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos created the Task Force on Mental Health Illness. The task force has been charged with:
Eliminating barriers to treatment, and promoting early and voluntary intervention for juveniles and adults in need of mental health services.
Improving coordination of care among those who treat people with mental illness.
Increasing awareness and reducing the stigma that often accompanies mental health diagnoses.
Identifying and promoting best practices for addressing the link between mental illness and substance dependence and abuse Addressing mental illness in the prison population.
One of my colleagues, Representative Erik Severson, is an Emergency Room Doctor and will serve as chairman of the Task Force. Rep. Sandy Pasch, a mental health nurse, will serve as Vice-Chair. The first meeting for the Task Force will be Wednesday, Feb. 27th and legislative recommendations will be reported to the State Assembly by the end of May.
If you have any thoughts, ideas, or concerns about mental health illness you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact me.
CONTACT ME
Please continue to contact my office with ideas for this next legislative session and on individual pieces of legislation. Your ideas and opinions are vital to the legislative process. Please contact my office at 608-266-3404 or email me at Rep.Ripp@legis.wisconsin.gov, or stop by my Capitol office at 223 North. I look forward to hearing from you. As always, I will continue to work across the aisle to find common ground and move legislation forward.
Please share this update with your friends and neighbors within the 42nd Assembly District and if there is anyone you know who would like to be included, please respond to this email with their email address.