April 4, 2011

An Open Letter to the 13th District

I want to thank you for your support, your patience and your voice over the past few months, as we work together to fix the problems facing Wisconsin.

I've been proud to represent this district for 17 years. Last fall, I was re-elected as your senator, and then chosen by my colleagues as the Senate majority leader. I was given a clear direction: balance the budget, create jobs, improve the economy and fix the broken status quo.

These are not easy challenges we’re facing as a state or a country. Every one of us has reason to be concerned for the future, and for what kind of a world we’re leaving to our children and grandchildren. Wisconsin is a great place to live, especially this time of year, but we can’t keep pushing our problems off for the next generation to deal with.

Click here to read the rest of the letter. 

Fitzgeralds Help Protect Fox Lake

Many of you may have heard about plans for a correctional farm consolidation near the Fox Lake.  After listening to affected property owners concerned about the damage to water quality, I brought their concerns to the awareness of members of the State Building Commission who passed an amendment to withdraw the project from  the Capital Budget. 

The proposed site for the farm was located on a Fox Lake tributary and would have heightened the existing nitrogen levels.  In response, the Department of Corrections has decided that they do not intend to proceed with the prison farm project. 

Read more here

Senate to Vote on Balanced Budget Bill

The Senate will be in session tomorrow to approve the remaining pieces of Governor Walker's original budget repair bill.  The fiscal items will include:

• A refinance of state debt

• Funding to fill gaps in Medicaid and Corrections

• Provisions reallocating $37 million in excess Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funds to increase money for the Earned Income Tax Credit

• Changes to the amount of money the DOA secretary has to lapse or transfer to help balance the budget

Budget Bill Goes on the Road

Members of the Joint Finance Committee will hold the first of four public hearings for the state budget bill this Thursday.  The hearing will be held on the campus of UW-Stevens Point.  Other hearings are scheduled for Friday, April 8 at the UW-Superior campus; Monday, April 11 at the State Fair Park in West Allis; and Wednesday, April 13 in Arcadia in Trempealeau County.  For more details on the time and location for the budget hearings, click here. 

Sen. Fitzgerald discusses the budget repair bill at a press conference with Senate colleagues ______________________

Upcoming Office Hours

Senator Fitzgerald will be holding office hours this week on Thursday, April 7 at the following time and location:

5 - 7 p.m. at the Lake Mills Municipal Building Council Chambers, 200 B Water Street, Lake Mills

“I look forward to meeting with my constituents and listening to their thoughts and concerns. As we continue to move Wisconsin forward and restore our economy, I want to hear firsthand from the people in my district and their ideas of how to grow jobs and get our economy back on track.”

______________________

______________________

SenatorFitzgerald.com

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882    Phone: (608)266-5660     (608) 267-6795    E-mail: Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wi.gov