March 31, 2016

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Have you voted yet? You can vote early now through Friday, April 1 or vote on Election Day, Tuesday, April 5. Visit myvote.wi.gov to find your polling location.

Although Republicans adjourned the legislative session without taking up numerous bills to help the people of Wisconsin, I remain committed to pushing for common-sense reforms that will support families and grow our economy. In the coming months, I will be meeting with local residents and business owners to continue working on innovative solutions to the challenges facing our state.

This e-update highlights voting updates for the spring election, a recent column on transportation funding, the weekly Democratic radio address, the local business of the week and more.

I hope you find this information helpful, and don't forget to get out and VOTE!

Sincerely,

Jennifer K. Shilling
State Senator | 32nd District

Early Voting Has Begun!

I was first in line to vote when I went to City Hall!

You can avoid the lines on election day by heading to your local clerk's office this week and casting your vote early. In-person absentee voting continues through Friday, April 1. Visit https://myvote.wi.gov/ to learn more about your registration status, polling location and what's on the ballot.

This election, citizens will be required to present a valid voter ID in order to cast a ballot. For information on accepted voter ID, and what to bring to your polling place, visit http://bringit.wi.gov/.

Make a plan, and be sure to make your voice heard!

Wisconsin is full of potential

After a vigorous debate over Christmas Trees and plastic bags, the Wisconsin State Senate adjourned for the year leaving hundreds of bills dead in committee. Years of Republican control have left Wisconsin in a worse position. Family wages remain stagnant and Wisconsin has trailed the nation in job creation for seventeen consecutive quarters. We have seen attacks on our local schools, higher education, worker’s rights, women’s health, and open records laws.

Instead of looking for ways to invest in families, strengthen communities and grow local economies, this session has been dominated by more Republican giveaways to special interests and efforts to boost Governor Walker’s short-lived presidential campaign.

Republicans made it easier for unlimited corporate spending to flood our political system while ignoring the growing student loan debt crisis. They cut funding from K-12 education and referendums are now the new norm as communities look for ways to keep their schools running. With the largest cut to our universities in state history, campuses across the state, including UW-La Crosse, face serious budget cuts and layoffs.

Planned Parenthood and community health centers were targeted as Republicans limited preventive care services, cancer screenings, and birth control and made it more difficult for women to make their own healthcare decisions. Families have been hit hard by these misplaced priorities with over 10,000 Wisconsin workers affected by mass layoffs and business closings last year alone. I know we can do better. If we want to grow our middle class and help our next generation succeed in a competitive global economy, we need to invest in our state and retain the best and brightest.

Democrats have offered dozens of forward-looking solutions to expand access to quality education, invest in infrastructure and improve workplace flexibility for hardworking Wisconsin families. We’ve introduced bills to address long-term transportation funding, expand BadgerCare, provide student loan debt relief, and invest in local school. These are the issues that impact families across Wisconsin and these are the issues that families want fixed. By focusing on policies that encourage growth and drive innovation we can expand economic opportunities and move Wisconsin forward.

It is disappointing and frustrating that Republicans have adjourned for the session with so much unfinished business. Rather than throwing in the towel and calling it quits, we should work together to achieve Wisconsin’s full potential.
 

Travel Wisconsin: Four Affordable Family Getaways in Wisconsin

Spring has sprung in Wisconsin and that means Wisconsinites are getting back outdoors to enjoy the warmer weather and all the fun activities that come along with it.

As you begin to plan exciting your springtime adventures, make sure to check out this list of affordable getaways for families in Wisconsin thanks to the fine people at Travel Wisconsin.

Happy travels!

La Crosse Tribune Editorial Board: Our worn roads need repair, not spin

The following editorial was featured in the La Crosse Tribune:

Just how bad – or good — are the roads in Wisconsin? It depends who you ask.

The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance handed out a 2015 report card, and the lowest of 23 grades went to the condition of our roads — a D.

If you ask the American Society of Civil Engineers, you’ll hear that Wisconsin has the third-worst road conditions in the United States. On top of that, the group estimates nearly 2,000 of our bridges — roughly 14 percent — are either structurally deficient or obsolete. Because of that number, according to the U.S. Department of Chamber of Commerce, drivers in Wisconsin pay a total of $1.147 billion each year — that’s $281 per motorist — in additional vehicle repairs caused by roads that need fixing.
 

You can read the full article here.
 

Local Business of the Week!

I always enjoy visiting locally owned businesses and nonprofits throughout the 32nd Senate District and will be highlighting a different local businesses in each e-update. This week I am featuring Drifty's Canoe Rental!

Drifty's has been providing canoe rentals to the Driftless region since 1994, the longest of any canoe rental on the Kickapoo River! With canoe, kayak, and inner tube rentals, Drifty's offers unmatched scenery of Wisconsin's Driftless region.

The Kickapoo River follows a meandering, winding path through Wildcat Mountain State Park and the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, with plenty of places to stop for a picnic, swimming or exploring. As a very safe, slow moving river, it can be enjoyed by beginners as well as experienced canoe enthusiasts.

So whether you are looking for a relaxing float down river in an inner tube, or a canoe and kayaking adventure, be sure to check out Drifty's Canoe Rental this spring and summer. You can also get more information about rentals by calling (608) 337-4288. Thank you to the folks at Drifty's for helping us enjoy the river and float our troubles downstream!
 

The NewDeal Celebrates 5 Years

Congratulations to The NewDEAL on marking its 5-year anniversary. The NewDeal is a national network of state and local leaders working to expand opportunity for all Americans in the changing economy. Since launching, NewDEAL leaders have helped to advance over 100 progressive, pro-growth policies designed to expand economic opportunities and move our country forward. I'm glad to be part of this team along with other Wisconsin leaders including State Senator Julie Lassa, Racine Mayor John Dickert and Madison Alder Maurice Cheeks.

Weekly Democratic Radio Address:

"Early voting in Wisconsin has begun" 

Senator Mark Miller (Monona) recently offered the Democratic weekly radio address on early voting in Wisconsin.

“Early voting has begun here in Wisconsin for the April 5th Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary. You can vote early, in person absentee, from March 21st through April 1st." - Sen. Mark Miller

The audio file of last week’s address can be found here: http://media2.legis.wisconsin.gov/multimedia/Sen16/millerradio3.24.16.mp3 

News Across the State

Wisconsin State Journal: UW-Madison plans push to get students voter IDs before presidential primary

UW-Madison is opening a second location on campus where students can get the special identification cards that thousands of them will need to vote in next week’s presidential primary and spring election. -Read Full Article

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A new spring for renewable energy

Wisconsin's renewable energy landscape has been pretty much frozen for the last five years, especially when it comes to wind farms. While neighboring states have been blossoming with wind development in recent years, Wisconsin has become almost a "black hole" of development, according to one renewable energy advocate.  -Read Full Article

Wisconsin State Journal: Changes to tenure, budget and Regents show extent of Scott Walker's impact on UW

Walker has cut funding for the University of Wisconsin System by hundreds of millions of dollars, frozen undergraduate tuition and approved legislation that shifts power on UW campuses toward administrators and away from faculty, while also weakening those professors’ protections from layoffs. - Read Full Article

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The state Senate fails to help kids prone to seizures

Scott Fitzgerald had indicated he was in favor of a bill to help kids prone to seizures get the medicine they need. So was a majority of the state Senate. But the apparent support of the Senate majority leader and his colleagues wasn't enough when three top Republicans — Senate President Mary Lazich of New Berlin and Senators Duey Stroebel of Cedarburg and Leah Vukmir of Wauwatosa — blocked it. - Read Full Article

Wisconsin Public Radio: Walker Mulls Cuts To State Energy Efficiency Program
Walker is reviewing a bill recently passed by the state Legislature that would cut $7 million, or roughly 7 percent, from the Focus On Energy Program. -Read Full Article

The Cap Times: The 'me-first' session? 10 ways Walker and the Republican-led Legislature have moved to diminish accountability
These initiatives stand in contrast to a pattern of attempts by the Walker administration and the Republican-led Legislature to eliminate or diminish mechanisms of accountability across state government. -Read Full Article

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin lags Midwest in clean energy sector jobs

Wisconsin ranks ninth among 12 Midwest states in a ranking released Tuesday of jobs in the clean energy sector — including energy efficiency, renewable energy and biofuels. -Read Full Article

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM chief lays out budget cuts but key details to come

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would cut as much as $41.25 million from its budget over the next three years under a plan Chancellor Mark Mone introduced Monday to address a $38 million deficit. - Read Full Article

Post Session Happenings

Top Left Photo: It's that time of year where the Capitol is busy with school groups! I hope students from Hillsboro Elementary had a fun time!

Top Right Photo: Recently I attended the annual Girl Scouts investiture ceremony for Wisconsin Troop 1912. Troop 1912 was created 5 years ago by the Girl Scouts Alliance of Wisconsin honoring those who have been elected to serve in the legislative and executive branches of state government. I still have my Girl Scout sash from when I was younger!

Bottom Left Photo: I was glad to be able to join Department of Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher on a tour of the Wisconsin Badger Camp, just south of Prairie du Chien. The camp provides summer programs for people with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors and make new connections. Thanks to Carol Beals and the rest of the members and staff who have worked to grow and maintain this camp over the years.

Bottom Right Photo: A group of Viterbo University students visited the Capitol for Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and School Nutrition Association of Wisconsin day. We discussed the WIC Dietetic Internship bill, the Nutrition Education Act, and School Breakfast Program funding.

Wisconsin DNR updates

News from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:

Panfish regulations set to change on 93 lakes starting April 1
In an effort to improve panfish size on 93 Wisconsin lakes with the potential for bigger fish, new regulations take effect on April 1. - Read Full Article

Trumpeter swan numbers soar - from zero to 4,700 in a generation
The number of trumpeter swans in Wisconsin has zoomed from zero to nearly 4,700 a generation after the Department of Natural Resources and partners launched recovery efforts, national surveys results show. - Read Full Article

Frog and toad survey celebrates 35 years; thousands of volunteers have heard the call

Volunteers power the Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this spring as North America's longest running frog calling survey, and organizers hope even more people will hop at the chance to listen to frogs at a wetland near them to see if frigs are beginning their calls earlier. - Read Full Article

"Citizen scientists" celebrated in Stevens Point March 30-April 2

The important role volunteers play in Wisconsin in assessing water quality in lakes and rivers and keeping tabs on wildlife from frogs to owls to dragonflies, takes center stage this week in Stevens Point. - Read Full Article

National Archery in the Schools state tournament will showcase more than 1,500 students from throughout Wisconsin

About 1,500 youth archers from across the state will travel to Wisconsin Dells this weekend to take their aim at the 2016 Wisconsin National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament at Wisconsin Dells. - Read Full Article

Natural Resources Board to meet April 13 in Madison

Approval of the 2016 Wisconsin migratory game bird hunting season structure and proposed rule changes governing activities, visitor use and management of state properties including parks, forests, trails, shooting ranges and other recreation areas are among the items the state Natural Resources Board will address when it meets April 13 in Madison. - Read Full Article

Protect oak trees, avoid oak wilt by waiting until after July to prune

To protect oak trees and help prevent oak wilt, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advises people to avoid pruning oaks on their property from April through July. - Read Full Article

Law enforcement range will add weekend public access for a fee

Through an agreement between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Dane County Sheriff's Office, the public will again have weekend access to the Dane County Law Enforcement Training Center Range near Waunakee on weekends from Saturday, April 9, through Nov. 5 for a $10 daily fee. - Read Full Article

Tune in to Wild Turkeys in Wisconsin and set the stage for another exciting spring turkey hunt in Wisconsin

This April, tune in to Wild Turkeys in Wisconsin and make sure you are prepared for another exciting spring hunt. - Read Full Article

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

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