Yesterday the Senate Committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining and Revenue held a public hearing on Senate Bill (SB) 349, which relates to the regulation of nonmetallic mining. I have received a lot of contacts about this bill, and I have spoken with various local elected officials on this matter. I appreciate the feedback I have received from all of my constituents.

Based on some of the emails I received, it seems there might be some confusion about this hearing and the general progression of the bill through the Legislature. Thursday’s hearing was a Senate hearing, not a joint hearing with the Assembly. A companion to SB 349 has not yet been formally introduced in the Assembly. Earlier this week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos announced that the Assembly would not be taking up this legislation this fall.

SB 349 particularly affects western Wisconsin, including the 67^th Assembly District. Sand mining operations exist almost exclusively in western Wisconsin, so your voices on this issue are incredibly important. Sand mining has been serving industries across our state and our country for nearly 100 years, supplying sand to the glass, shingle, foundry, energy, and other industries. While I recognize the important role sand mining plays in our district’s (and our state’s) economy, I have long been an advocate of local control, and I have reservations about how SB 349 might impact it.

Sand companies have generally been very supportive of their local communities, but serious disagreements between local governments and mining companies have arisen in the past few years. I believe there are valid points on both sides, and I feel these issues must be resolved reasonably and legally. At this time, I do not know that the one-size-fits-all approach in SB 349 will effectively solve these problems. Although this issue will not likely come before the Assembly in the near future, I will continue to monitor this situation and discuss alternatives with local officials in the 67^th Assembly District.

The Legislature’s select committees on Common Core held a hearing in Eau Claire this past Wednesday, October 23. We had a great showing, and I was very happy to hear from so many local educators. The next hearing will be Wednesday, October 30 in Wausau at the Northcentral Technical College auditorium at 2:00 p.m. If you would like to submit written testimony, you may do so by emailing the Assembly committee’s chair, Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt at Rep.Thiesfeldt@legis.wi.gov.