On Thursday, the Assembly voted to concur in Senate (SB) Bill 1, which streamlines the process for obtaining an iron mining permit while preserving environmental protections.  SB 1 does not guarantee that a mining company will obtain a permit, but it does make the process more predictable so that a company knows it will get a definite yes or no within a reasonable timeframe.

I am proud to have voted for SB 1, and serving on the Assembly mining committee, which held a lengthy public hearing on SB 1 and its companion, Assembly Bill 1, in January, has been a fascinating experience.  I believe that SB 1 strikes the proper balance between encouraging responsible, job-creating development and protecting Wisconsin's natural resources.  Whether you support or oppose iron mining in Wisconsin, we all breathe the same air and drink the same water, and SB 1 as passed  - particularly newly created section 295.58 - clearly lays out the criteria the Department of Natural Resources must consider when deciding whether to issue a mining permit.  In addition, new section 295.77 outlines the circumstances under which an interested party may request a contested case hearing to challenge DNR decisions relating to the mining permit.

I am confident that time will prove SB 1 to be a good thing for Wisconsin and its residents.

Now that the Legislature has completed its work on SB 1, the next major issue is, of course, the 2013-2015 state budget, Assembly Bill 40.  The Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance will begin to hear budget briefings by the state agencies in the near future, and it plans to hold public hearings around the state in early April.  In its current form, AB 40 is 1,080 pages long.  As you may imagine, it's an extremely difficult document to get your arms around, but there are several useful resources available to assist you in understanding what's in the budget and what the budget's status is: 

• As I mentioned in a previous E-Update, the Department of Administration provides a "Budget in Brief" on its website, which also includes an agency-by-agency breakdown of the budget. 

• The Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the nonpartisan service agency that advises the Legislature on budgetary matters, puts together a huge amount of information during the budget process and puts in online.  (The 2013 page doesn't have much yet, but you can look at the 2011 page to get an idea of the documents that will be added during the budget process.)  The LFB also publishes a useful series of informational papers that are an invaluable resource if you want a better understanding of how state government works. 

• Lastly, WisPolitics, a news site that reports on many aspects of Wisconsin government and politics, has a Budget Blog that covers the joint finance committee, including its budget activities.

I have already received many comments from constituents about AB 40, and I encourage each of you to refer to these resources throughout the coming months.  As I have told those of you who have already contacted me, there are probably going to be a lot of changes made to AB 40 between now and the time the Assembly votes on passage sometime in June, and these websites will help you keep track of and understand what is happening in the Capitol.