March 19, 2015

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope everyone enjoyed the warm weather, St. Patrick's Day and most of all the Badger victory! As everyone gets their brackets ready for March Madness I remain focused on the budget madness in the legislature. This e-update highlights upcoming budget listening sessions, concerns with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), recently introduced legislation and a new business of the week!

I hope you find this information helpful, and don't forget to get out and enjoy all of the fun upcoming events in western Wisconsin!

Sincerely,

Jennifer K. Shilling
State Senator | 32nd District

Sen. Shilling announces local budget listening sessions

With a looming $2.2 billion deficit, Wisconsin’s upcoming state budget has many families concerned about the future.

Many residents have questions about Gov. Walker’s budget cuts and how they will impact our schools, roads, parks and health care services. Rather than forcing these difficult decisions on our local communities, I want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to share their thoughts on the state budget and help find new ways to move our state forward.

In order to provide local residents an opportunity to learn about Governor Walker’s budget and comment on his proposals, I will be holding several listening sessions throughout the region.

Friday, March 20th from 12:00pm-1:00pm
Prairie du Chien City Hall - Community Room (2nd Floor)
214 East Blackhawk Avenue
Prairie Du Chien, WI 53821

Friday, March 20th from 3:00pm-4:00pm
Soldier’s Grove Community Center and Public Library - Community Room
102 Passive Sun Drive
Soldiers Grove, WI 54655

Monday, March 23rd from 11:00am-12:00pm
Joint budget listening session with Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska)
West Salem Library - Meeting Room
201 Neshonoc Road
West Salem, WI 54669

Monday, March 23rd from 5:00pm-6:00pm
Joint budget listening session with Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska)
Onalaska Library Meeting Rm. A
741 Oak Avenue South
Onalaska, WI 54650

Thursday, March 26th from 4:30pm-5:30pm
Joint budget listening session with Rep. Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah)
Sparta Barney Community Center
1000 East Montgomery Street
Sparta, WI 54656

Friday, March 27th from 1:00pm-2:00pm
Viroqua City Hall - Council Room
202 North Main Street
Viroqua, WI 54665

Monday, March 30th from 5:00pm-6:30pm
Joint budget listening session with Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) & Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska)
**This event will also feature a brief school funding overview by the Department of Public Instruction**
Logan High School - Theater
1500 Ranger Drive
La Crosse, WI 54603

With a self-inflicted $2.2 billion budget deficit, a lagging economy and stagnant family wages, we need more effective solutions to invest in our communities, strengthen our schools and encourage local job creation. As we work to balance the state budget and invest in our future, I want to make sure that we’re putting the needs of Wisconsin families first and increasing economic opportunities for everyone.

These budget listening sessions are open to the public and no RSVP is required. If you would like more information, you can contact me toll-free at 1-800-385-3385 or email Sen.Shilling@legis.wi.gov.

Check out the News Channel 8 coverage from the recent budget listening session that I held in La Crosse with Rep. Jill Billings.

Gov. Walker ignores state law and fails to track

taxpayer spending

A stinging new report revealed that Gov. Walker's troubled jobs agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), has once again failed to track taxpayer funding and disclose how tens of millions of dollars were spent.

It is disappointing that Gov. Walker has become so distracted by his presidential ambitions that his administration has once again ignored the law and failed to account for taxpayer spending. With a self-inflicted $2.2 billion budget deficit, this embarrassing and financially troubling report is yet another example why Wisconsin needs a full-time Governor who is focused on the important issues here at home.

Gov. Walker's WEDC has been plagued by scandals and fiscal mismanagement since its creation in 2011. Audits have revealed that the WEDC awarded funding to ineligible businesses and ineligible projects, failed to meet job creation and performance benchmarks, and allowed staff to use agency credit cards to buy alcohol, football tickets and iTunes gift cards.

The latest data has shown Wisconsin’s economy remains sluggish despite strong national economic growth. While other neighboring states like Minnesota are seeing strong job growth and budget surpluses, Wisconsin remains dead last in the Midwest for job creation and Gov. Walker and legislative Republicans are struggling to address the $2.2 billion budget deficit they created.
 

News Coverage of Gov. Walker's Budget Proposal

Walker budget would raise taxes, fees by $48 million
An analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau finds that Gov. Scott Walker's budget would raise taxes and fees by $48 million.         -Read Full Article

Gov. Walker proposes overhaul of Wisconsin's long-term care program
Tucked into Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget is a massive overhaul of the system that provides long-term care to more than 50,000 elderly or disabled people in Wisconsin — a dramatic change that blindsided those currently managing the care.  -Read Full Article

Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. fails to track how companies used incentives
After saying repeatedly last year that they had shored up their shaky financial controls, officials at Wisconsin's flagship jobs agency have disclosed that they again failed to follow state law and track how recipients of state loans and grants were spending tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money. -Read Full Article

It's time to say 'no' to voucher expansion
Gov. Scott Walker's plan to expand the voucher-school program, in which the state pays for private-school tuition, isn't everything that voucher proponents want. But it's still a threat to Wisconsin's constitutionally mandated commitment to public education.                               -Read Full Article

Wisconsin 'right-to-work' critic will expand company in Minnesota
The owner of a Wisconsin company invited to move to Minnesota in protest of its new "right-to-work" law says he plans to at least expand in the Gopher State -- provided enough contracts come his way to support the business. -Read Full Article

Walker must answer for state's deficit
As Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tours the country touting his conservative credentials while gearing up for an expected run for president, there’s a conservative question that’s nagging back home. -Read Full Article

WEDC under fire again for not tracking loans, losing top executives
The state’s flagship job-creation agency is once again facing criticism for its failure to track public subsidies to private companies and for the departure of numerous top executives. -Read Full Article

Why can’t WEDC get it done right?
WEDC has been run badly ever since it was formed to succeed Commerce. Audits a couple years into its operation were highly critical, essentially suggesting WEDC had lost track of millions in government money handed off to businesses and, perhaps worse, the agency’s record keeping was so bad it couldn’t really say whether promised jobs actually had materialized.  -Read Full Article
  

Social Media Milestones!

This past week I reached 1,000 followers on Twitter and over 3,000 followers on Facebook! If you would like to stay up to date on what is happening in Western WI and in our State Capitol, "like" my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter! 

Bill package to help Wisconsin Veterans

Thanks to Representative Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) for authoring a comprehensive package of bills to help veterans and active duty service members in our state. I appreciate Rep. Hesselbein's efforts as the ranking Democrat on the Assembly's Veterans and Military Affairs Committee to find bipartisan support for these proposals and provide our military members with the freedom and opportunities they deserve.

 

You can read the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here.

Constituent Visits

Left: Rep. Jill Billings and I had the opportunity to speak with doctors from Gunderson Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. We discussed health care in our state and ways that we can improve patient care. 

Right: I had a great time meeting with local residents representing Crawford County for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation day in the Capitol!

To see all of the local residents I have been meeting with, check out my Facebook page!

Sen. Lassa Column: Schools struggling to absorb more cuts

One of Gov. Scott Walker's initiatives that I have been a supporter of is his interest in workforce development. Through programs like Wisconsin Fast Forward, the governor has recognized the fact that our state's future prosperity depends on maintaining a ready supply of workers who have the skills that business and industry need. If our state is going to be ready for the future, we need to prepare our young people today.

That's why it is so disappointing to see that the governor's budget proposal contains even more cuts to our most important workforce development resource: our public schools. Under his plan, schools statewide will lose $127 million in per-pupil state aid next year.

I have been hearing from school administrators across my district who are wondering how to keep such deep cuts from harming our children's education. The small rural district of Pittsville in Wood County will lose $90,750 in categorical aid next year. The Tri-County Area Schools will be cut $100,950; Wautoma Area Schools will lose, $214,050, and the Adams-Friendship Area Schools will see a $250,800 cut. Sparta schools will be out $412,050, and Tomah schools $460,050. Wisconsin Rapids will have to absorb a cut of $771,000, and Stevens Point schools will lose $1,130,325.

The revenue limits on school property tax levies will remain flat, so schools will have no choice but to cut their budgets accordingly. On top of that, the budget eliminates a state building insurance program that many school districts rely on for affordable coverage, forcing them to buy more expensive policies or go without. And the Governor has proposed removing the 1,000-student cap on private school vouchers, which are paid for from public school dollars.

This all comes as school districts continue to reel from the historic $1.6 billion cut in Governor Walker's first budget, cuts that have never been restored. Some districts in our area were looking at budget deficits to begin with, and the Governor's budget will make them even worse. The school leaders I've spoken with say there is no longer any fat to cut; the only choices left are to hurt the education of students or ask voters through a referendum to pay more in property taxes.

As a group of area educators wrote to Gov. Walker, "Our school districts have been reducing and eliminating programs and resources for the past ten years. We are burdened by the cumulative effects of budget cuts as demonstrated by our aging school facilities with deferred maintenance and improvements, while also understanding the importance of keeping pace with technology demands and providing necessary support services for students. Our districts are struggling to maintain our current educational and co-curricular programs, while recognizing that we need to expand educational opportunities and choices for students and families."

In other words, something has to give. We can't continue to balance the state's budget on the backs of public school children and expect that they will get the education they need and deserve.

The $2.2 billion budget deficit that Wisconsin is dealing with now did not result from the Great Recession. It was created by the choices the governor and the majority party in the Legislature made in past budgets. Unfortunately, our kids can't hit the pause button on their education until state leaders decide to make the needed investments in public schools. If we continue to send our children to crumbling, antiquated schools and cut the teaching resources they need, they don't get a second chance — and neither will our state's future prosperity.

Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, represents the 24th Senate District.
 

Local Business of the Week!

I always enjoy visiting locally owned businesses throughout the 32nd Senate District and will be highlighting a different local business in each e-update. This week's featured business is Dairyland Shrimp!

Who knew you could get fresh shrimp in the middle of Western Wisconsin! Dairyland Shrimp is a family owned business that farms locally raised Pacific White shrimp year-round through an environmentally friendly 'bio floc' process.

Make sure you check out Dairyland Shrimp and purchase locally grown shrimp!

Let the Madness begin!

Congratulations to the UW-Madison Men's Basketball team on winning the 2015 Big Ten Tournament and securing a number one seed for the NCAA Tournament! A special congrats to La Crosse native Bronson Koenig for achieving a career high of 19 points during the tournament. They have a had an outstanding season, good luck and Go Badgers!

Recently Introduced Legislation

If you are interested in legislation that is being introduced, the Wisconsin Legislative website posts bills as they are being introduced in the Senate and Assembly. Check it out and stay informed!  
                        
 

Calendar of Events

I apologize if any upcoming events in the area were left off. If you would like me to include an event in future e-updates, please email me the date, location and a website with details.

Senator Jennifer Shilling
P.O. Box 7882 - Madison, WI 53707

phone: 608.266.5490   

email: sen.shilling@legis.wi.gov

 "like" me on Facebook      "follow" me on Twitter     visit my website

If you wish to stop receiving these emails, please reply to this email
with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.