Unclaimed Property Might be Yours

The State Treasurer's Office compiles a list of all unclaimed property due to taxpayers in our state. Sources of unclaimed property include lapsed bank accounts, stocks and dividends, mature life insurance policies, paychecks, etc. Currently, there is over $412 million yet to be claimed by the rightful owners of these funds. The Office of the State Treasurer provides a searchable database online that is quick and simple. Make sure to search for not only your own name, but those of deceased family members, maiden names, and business names. I encourage all of you to check the site to see if any of these funds belong to you!

Wildlife Refuge Proposed in Our Area

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed the possible establishment of a national wildlife refuge in our area. The Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, if approved, would straddle the Wisconsin and Illinois state line between Walworth County, WI and McHenry County, IL. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting citizens' input as they consider this issue by accepting written comments and hosting two open house events to discuss the details of the proposal. The first open house will be Tuesday, April 3rd in Ringwood, IL, and the second event will be Wednesday, April 4th from 5-8pm at Brookfield Middle School in Genoa City, WI. These open house meetings are a continuation of the discussion held at the first round of meetings in October of 2010. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Conservation Planning provides detailed information about this proposal on their website. I encourage you to learn more about the proposed wildlife refuge and share your views about it.

State Firefighters Convention

This past weekend, I was honored to be invited to speak at the opening event of the Wisconsin State Firefighters Convention held in Lake Geneva. Firefighters from across the state gathered in our area for their annual state convention. I'd like to thank everyone at the WI State Firefighters Association for their hospitality and for all they do every day to keep our Wisconsin communities safe. To learn more about the Firefighters Association, visit their website.

Visitors at the Capitol

This past weekend, the Girl Scouts of Troop #7286 in Twin Lakes came to Madison for a tour of the Capitol. The scouts toured the building and learned more about our state government!

Cadette Girl Scouts of Troop #7286 from Twin Lakes relax after their tour of the Capitol this past weekend

If you are interested in tracking the progress of legislation introduced this session, please visit http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ and click on the Notification Service link found on the homepage.