Robert Cowles

Serving Wisconsin's 2nd Senate District

Sen.Cowles@legis.wi.gov

Fun Fact Friday

Les Paul, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, is credited with the creation and popularization of the modern guitar. This revolutionized the modern music industry and cemented Wisconsin’s place in music history.

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Continuing My Focus on Workforce Development

On Tuesday, January 10^th, Governor Scott Walker delivered his State of the State Address to a Joint Session of the Legislature. During his address, he stated that more Wisconsinites are employed now than at any time in our state’s history. Our economy is outpacing many other states, but our workforce is not keeping up.

 
In the past, I have worked with the Governor and my Legislative colleagues on the Fast Forward Program, which provides job training services. We believe the program has been successful, but Wisconsin is facing even more obstacles  in our future workforce. I hope to once again work to tackle the challenging issues surrounding workforce readiness and increase hiring for in-need labor markets.
 
Currently, JobCenterofWisconsin.com has over 80,000 jobs available on their website. I believe this one-stop shop for jobs shows that Wisconsin needs to continue focusing on building our workforce. Through utilizing our workforce development resources and our K-12 and higher education system, we can to do more to provide job training and education on in-demand industries in Wisconsin.

I also wish to continue building on the success of the Project Search program to help persons with disabilities find employment. I look forward to working with Governor Walker and my colleagues in the Legislature to tackle these issues that are imperative in moving Wisconsin’s economy forward.

The P.A.C.E. Program

 
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently wrote an article about the statewide implementation of the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program. This program enables property owners to obtain low-cost, long-term loans for energy efficiency by working with their local governments. I am proud to have worked on legislation to improve this program, and hope for its continued success.
 
To learn more, read the article or visit the PACE website.
 

Local Control of Cell Tower Citing

 
The first bill I have authored this session will help to restore local control to cell tower citing in residential areas. The Village of Little Chute recently tweeted out support for the bill, and other municipalities and groups will also support this legislation. Keep watching the E-Newsletters and my social media pages for more information on this bill and others as the session progresses.

Ice Breaking in the bay of Green Bay

As mentioned in the last "Updates from the State Senate", ice breaking operations have been occurring on the bay of Green Bay. This operation helped Northeast Wisconsin to meet the regional demand for petroleum due to the West Shore Pipeline shut down which happened in March of 2016.
 
The last shipment of the season came in to the port on January 13^th. For more information, please visit the US Coast Guard's website for updates on operations and read a recent story about the operations on WeAreGreenBay.com.
 

Civic Education

Learning about how government works and the importance of the legislative process at an early age is crucial, and I want to help. On my website, I offer four activity books designed to assist in learning more about state government. These books are built for students from Kindergarten to High School, but everyone is encouraged to take advantage of these resources. This page also describes the Senate Scholar and Page for a Day Programs, which high school students are strongly encouraged to apply for. To learn more, click on the image to the left and choose the Civic Education Tab.

Links I Want to Share

Being a Legislator means staying up to date on the news circulating Northeast Wisconsin and throughout the state. Here are some of the links I’ve found recently that I want to share with you:

1. Last week, Governor Walker called for a special Legislative Session to tackle Wisconsin’s opioid crisis. To read more, visit the Governor's website.

2. Even though we are less than one month into the new year, new scams have been reported throughout the state. To learn how to protect yourself from a scam, read about the resources available to identify and report consumer fraud on DATCP's website.

3. Packers fans have been waiting all week for Sunday’s NFC Title Game against the Atlanta  Falcons, which has a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Here are Six Reasons Why the Packers Can Win from CBS Sports. Go Pack Go!

Thanks For Reading!

Feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns you may have,

and be sure to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Senator Robert Cowles