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Robert Cowles
Serving Wisconsin's 2nd Senate District
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Quick Fact |
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Did you know that November was Native American Heritage
Month? Northeast Wisconsin was home to a very
influential person in not only Native American history,
but Wisconsin history.
Electa Quinney, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee band
of Mohicans, moved to Wisconsin in the 1820’s where she
taught in Wisconsin’s first free school and became
Wisconsin’s first female teacher.
Learn more about Electa Quinney on
UW-Milwaukee’s website.
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Helpful Links |
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Session Review Newsletter Finalized |
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I recently finalized and mailed out a newsletter to
residences in the 2nd Senate District which includes
information on the bills I’ve authored and supported
that became law in the 2017-2018 Legislative Session as
well as some other information that may be helpful to
Northeast Wisconsin residents.
If you haven’t received yours yet or if you live outside
of the 2nd Senate District but want to check out the
newsletter,
visit my website.
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Extraordinary Session |
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Two weeks ago, the Legislature was in session to
discuss four new proposals brought up in
Extraordinary Session. One of those bills which
would have changed the 2020 election cycle by
separating the partisan and nonpartisan elections
never made it out of committee, which means it will
not pass. Of the three proposals that made it to the
Senate floor, I voted against the largest proposal
and in-favor of two of the smaller bills which I’ll
elaborate on below.
Of the three new proposals in the Extraordinary
Session, many of the things the Legislature debated
were policy items I’ve already supported. These
policies have already made it through the
Legislative process and have had ample public input
opportunities and thorough and careful
considerations by myself and my fellow Legislators.
I’m pleased we were able to protect these policies
from being overturned by incorporating changes from
the original policy by state agencies and the
federal government into law.
Between Senate Bill 883 and Senate Bill 886, the two
bills I supported after they were amended to address
some concerns, the Legislature ensured that we will
preserve waivers to establish work requirements for
able-bodied welfare recipients, ensure that new
revenue from taxing online purchases will help to
reduce our income
taxes,
and codify existing Department of Transportation
practices with federal highway revenue. These bills
do not strip powers from the incoming Governor, but
instead ensure that the administration doesn’t strip
powers from the Legislature.
After working to ensure that the bills struck a
proper balance between the incoming Governor and the
Legislative branch, I was unable to support Senate
Bill 884. This
proposal was larger and more encompassing than the
other two bills. While I am confident that some of
the proposed changes in this legislation will help
to strike a good balance and protect the process for
issuing a valid voter ID, the final bill limited
early voting, made certain changes to the
administrative rule process, and automatically
rescinded guidance documents which allow field staff
to properly manage our state programs. I believe
that these changes will have unforeseen impacts on
businesses, property owners, outdoorsmen and women,
and voters throughout Wisconsin, and as such, could
not vote in-favor of this bill.
The Legislature also debated passing a bill to
ensure that if the federal Affordable Care Act were
overturned, people with preexisting conditions would
be protected under state law to ensure that those
medical conditions do not impact their ability to
get or keep insurance coverage. While I supported
this proposal which already passed the Assembly,
unfortunately the bill was one vote short of passing
as no Democrats and two of my Republican colleagues
voted against the proposal. I will continue to
support legislation that ensures people with
preexisting conditions are covered.
I want to thank all of my constituents who contacted
me with your thoughts on the legislation being
considered in the Extraordinary Session. Your input
was greatly valued, and it’s always nice to see
Wisconsinites following what’s happening down in
Madison.
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Thank You Local Troops! |
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Thank you to the soldiers of the Wisconsin National
Guard’s Appleton-based 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry who
are deploying to Afghanistan, and thank you to their
families who had to say goodbye for the next year while
their loved ones are serving our nation. Best wishes to
those brave service members!
Watch coverage from the recent send-off ceremony for
these troops at Lambeau Field below.
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Federal Grant Awarded to Highway 29 Overpass |
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In the
August e-newsletter,
I wrote about a letter that I sent to the U.S.
Department of Transportation in support of a grant
request from Brown County to help fund the creation of
an overpass on County Highway VV (by Maplewood Meats in
Hobart) over State Highway 29. Last Tuesday, Brown
County Executive Troy Streckenbach and other local
leaders announced that the federal government has
awarded Brown County with about $20 million to help fund
the nearly $28 million project.
This grant is a huge step forward for a needed
development. Replacing the J-turns with an overpass will
help to foster economic development in a growing
community while also being much safer and helping to
ease the mobility of goods and people through this
intersection. Learn more about the project and the grant
on WLUK’s website at the link below.
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Freedom Teacher Wins National Award |
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Congratulations to Freedom High School teacher Paul
Larson on recently being awarded the National Future
Farmers of America’s prestigious ‘VIP Citation.’ His
dedication towards educating Freedom’s youth and
preserving Wisconsin’s agricultural tradition is highly
appreciated!
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Recent Events Attended |
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I have the opportunity to attend a number of community
events each week. These events are central in my role as
an elected official, as they allow me to stay
up-to-date
on the latest news from businesses, non-profits, and
local governments. These events also give me a chance to
meet great people and recognize the contributions that
so many people make to our communities. Here is just a
sampling of some of the events I’ve recently attended:
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I recently attended the Veteran’s Winter Hog Roast
at Palm Gardens Banquet Hall in New Franken hosted
by four veterans groups in the greater Green Bay
area, including the VFW, American Legion, UWGB Vets
4 Vets, and Combat Vets Association.
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On November 28th, I attended Congressman Mike
Gallagher’s town hall in Green Bay with other local
state legislators. It was a great opportunity to
hear what federal issues people in Northeast
Wisconsin are thinking most about.
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On November 10th, I went to the dedication of the
newly renovated Little Chute Area School District
Intermediate, Middle, and High School. The upgraded
building will help to better serve the needs of
local students and community members for years to
come.
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Last month, I joined officials from the state
Department of Transportation, first responders from
throughout the greater Green Bay area, and members
of the media during Traffic Incident Response Week
to remind drivers to move over or slow down for
first responders. Learn more about the importance of
using caution while driving past first responders on
WBAY’s website.
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Homelessness is not just an issue in major
metropolitan areas as the problem exists in
communities of all sizes. I am impressed with the
work of organizations in Northeast Wisconsin to help
the homeless in our communities, and I was pleased
to be able to support one of those organizations,
St. Johns, during their 4th Annual Restoring Hope
Gala in Green Bay.
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In early November, I went to the STEM2 Innovation
Summit at the Weidner Center on UW-Green Bay’s
campus. The STEM fields (standing for science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) continue
having an increased importance in today’s workforce,
and I am happy with the work being done locally to
ensure Northeast Wisconsin’s youth and young adults
are well-versed in these fields.
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Thank you to Rabbi Michoel Feinstein and the Chabad
of the Bay Area for allowing me to attend your
Annual Chanukah Menorah Lighting Celebration earlier
this month in Allouez. It was a pleasure to join
them to celebrate the holiday season.
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In Other News... |
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Here are some other stories I wanted to share with you:
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I was excited to hear last week that Faith
Technologies, a Menasha-based company that
manufactures energy and electrical products used in
microgrids, will be constructing a $15 million
facility in Little Chute. This facility, which is
expected to be complete by fall 2019, is expected to
employ 200 to 300 people and generate $18 million in
annual wages. In summer, I attended a demonstration
of Faith Technologies microgrid energy products at
the Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve in Grand Chute and
was very impressed with their forward looking energy
insight. Learn more about the announcement on the
Appleton Post Crescent’s website.
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Great work by Outagamie County to implement
text-to-911 services for those unable to call
emergency services. They join Brown County and
others who are progressing towards NextGen 9-1-1, an
initiative to improve the success and reliability of
911 which I supported in the last budget. Learn more
about NextGen 9-1-1 in Wisconsin on the
Department of Military Affairs’ website and
learn more about Outagamie County’s initiative on
WHBY’s website.
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Last month, the state Department of Health Services
awarded grants to fifteen counties to improve the
response to people in mental health crisis as part
of the state’s increased commitment to mental health
services. Congratulations to Brown County on
receiving a grant from DHS to improve their mental
health crisis response. Learn more on
DHS’s website.
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Congratulations to Green Bay Packaging and KI which
recently earned the recognition of 2018 Green Master
level companies selected by the Wisconsin
Sustainable Business Council. These two Northeast
Wisconsin companies join 30 other Wisconsin
companies recognized this year as Green Masters. See
the full list of awardees and learn more about the
recognition by clicking on
this link.
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Fox Cities’ Valley Transit recent announced that
they expect to receive a $7.68 million dollar grant
from the state Department of Administration. This
grant, which results from the Volkswagen Diesel
Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust, will
replace 15 buses that will not only help to maintain
public transportation in the Fox Valley for years to
come, but will have significant air emissions
reduction. Learn more on
WFRV’s website.
Additionally, I wanted to take a couple of moments to
recognize two people who passed recently: one local and
one national figure.
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I’m was very sorry to hear of Jerry Watson’s passing. I
had the pleasure of knowng Jerry for years. He was
a larger than life personality who never shied from
speaking his mind. Jerry’s positive influence on our
community will be felt long beyond his passing.
Learn more on
WBAY’s website.
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Throughout his life, George H.W. Bush exemplified
humility and kindness in service to his nation, and
our country is a better place today because of his
leadership. My thoughts and prayers are with the
Bush family, and I join the nation in mourning the
loss of this statesman, veteran, and American hero.
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Thanks for Reading! |
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Feel free to contact my office
with any questions or concerns you may have, and be sure
to
visit
my website and connect with me on
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
Senator Robert Cowles
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