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(608) 266-5780 | State Capitol, Room 307 West, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708 | rep.billings@legis.wi.gov
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Prayer to End Human Trafficking
February 8
English Lutheran Church
La Crosse Boat, Sports, Travel, RV & Hunting Show
February 7-10
The La Crosse Center
Out of Our Minds Chamber Music Series: "Too Early, Too Late"
February 17
Fine Arts Center, Nola Starling Recital Hall
Public Planetarium Program: "The Universe of Dr. Einstein"
February 9
UW-L Planetarium, 20 Cowley Hall
CONTACT ME:
State Capitol
Room 307 West
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
Phone:
(608) 266-5780
Toll Free:
(888) 534-0095
rep.billings@legis.wi.gov
Friends and Neighbors,
It has been quite the past few weeks in the rotunda! Ongoing
celebrations of Black History Month and related educational seminars
have continued to take place throughout the Capitol, as legislators
and constituents alike have come together to recognize the important
contributions of African Americans to Wisconsin and the broader
United States. February is also Workforce Development Month, and
I’ve enjoyed attending related presentations and events – like the
Wisconsin Technical College’s Student Showcase – to learn more about
the ongoing work of students at Western Technical College, and to
support recent graduates entering the workforce.
Governor
Evers also recently announced his budget address will take place
next week, on the evening of February 28th. His address
will provide a new way forward for Wisconsin, and I am committed to
supporting his efforts throughout the budget reconciliation process
alongside my legislative colleagues.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, comments or
concerns. You can always contact
my office by calling (608) 266-5780 or emailing me at
Rep.Billings@legis.wi.gov.
Please continue reading for brief local and statewide updates.
Best Wishes,
Jill Billings
State Representative
95th Assembly District
Appointed to Chair the
State Building Commission's
Higher Education Subcommittee
I am excited to
announce that I have been renamed to the Building Commission for the
2019-2020 session, and that Governor Evers has appointed me to chair the
Building Commission Subcommittee on Higher Education. This Wednesday,
February 20th, I led the Commission’s first meeting of this
legislative session. Several representatives from universities receiving
project funding were in attendance, and it was especially nice to see
and chat briefly with Chancellor Joe Gow and Vice Chancellor Bob Hetzel
from UW La Crosse.
The State Building Commission is chaired by the governor and includes
one citizen appointed by the governor, three state senators and three
state representatives appointed by legislative leadership.
The Higher Education Subcommittee oversees all University of Wisconsin
System facilities, which includes the majority of the state’s building
facilities. As the University of Wisconsin System is a premier
intellectual and economic driver for our state, and I am honored to have
been selected to chair the subcommittee that reviews the funding
requests necessary to facilitate the continued success of our state’s
institutions of higher education. As the sole Assembly Democrat to serve
on the State Building Commission, I look forward to overseeing all
projects related to the University of Wisconsin System’s development,
and to working across the aisle to ensure our state’s facilities get the
funding they need.
Governor Evers Moves to Add Wisconsin
to U.S. Climate Alliance
Governor Evers has announced his plan for Wisconsin to join the United
States Climate Alliance. The U.S. Climate Alliance was formed in June
2017 in response to President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United
States from the Paris Agreement, and it institutes a handful of
actionable goals. Included among them is reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by at least 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, accelerating
new and existing policies to reduce carbon pollution, and promoting
clean energy deployment at the state and federal level. At the time of
the Climate Alliance’s formation, I co-authored a
letter to
then-Governor Walker, along with over 40 other state representatives,
urging him to join this Alliance. Unfortunately, he did not. Governor
Evers’ decision to join indicates a new approach to climate change, a
crucial acceptance of climate science, and a commitment to taking
responsibility to do what we can to counter its effects for the sake of
future generations.
This all comes at the heels of Governor Evers declaring 2019 “The Year
of Clean Drinking Water,” which parallels my own legislative efforts to
improve drinking water in western Wisconsin. I am proud to support
Governor Evers in his efforts to improve the quality and safety of
Wisconsin’s drinking water, develop renewable energy solutions and
pursue the conservation of our state.
Children's Caucus Meeting in January
As a co-chair of the bi-cameral, bi-partisan Legislative Children’s Caucus, I was happy to help organize our first meeting of the 2019-2020 legislative session on Thursday, January 17th. Dr. Lonnie Berger of the University of Wisconsin Madison's Institute for Research on Poverty presented on "Complex Contemporary Families and Public Policy," and relayed to legislators that when making policy in 2019, it is important to keep in mind the array of forms a family can take. You can watch Dr. Berger's presentation here.
Rep. Billings in Madison
Representatives from Altra Credit Union came to visit my office last
week to talk about the volunteer work they do to promote fiscal literacy
in the La Crosse community.
We celebrated UW-La Crosse students and alumni this week at the UW-La
Crosse alumni reception in Madison, and I also met with UW-L students
advocating on behalf of the university in my office.
This past week I also met with folks from the La Crosse Area Family YMCA, who came to discuss the childcare and children's mental health services they offer to the community.