CONTACT ME
MAIL:
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State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707
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Sen.Shilling@legis.wi.gov
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|
March 27, 2014 |
Dear Friends and Neighbors - Happy spring! This newsletter will highlight Gov. Walker's signing of the asbestos and voter suppression bills, the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act, Vernon Electric Community's Solar Farm, and Matt Antoine's welcome home reception. It also contains a reminder to sign up for the Healthcare Marketplace. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about these or any other state legislative issues. Sincerely, |
| Walker Secretly Signs Asbestos Bill Limiting Justice for Veterans |
| At a secret bill
signing event in Milwaukee on March 27th, Gov. Walker signed
Assembly Bill 19 into law. This bill will shield corporations
from liability and deny justice to veterans who have been
exposed to asbestos. Veterans and their families are justifiably upset that their rights have been stripped away by Gov. Walker and Republican legislators at a secret bill signing. We should be working to protect the rights of our veterans and citizens who are suffering as a result of their exposure to asbestos. This bill unfairly tips the scales of justice against veterans in favor of large corporations and special interests. AB 19 is opposed by the Wisconsin American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Wisconsin Military Order of the Purple Heart. According to the Wisconsin Military Order of the Purple Heart, AB 19 is particularly harmful to veterans because mesothelioma, a deadly disease contracted from asbestos exposure, affects veterans at alarming rates. While veterans represent 8% of the nation’s population, they make up 30% of all known mesothelioma deaths that have occurred in the U.S. |
| Gov. Walker Signs Voter Suppression Bills |
| Republican legislators recently passed
a series of bills that will limit voting rights and create new
obstacles for local election officials. In a letter submitted on
March 24th, I joined 46 of my Democratic colleagues and called
on Governor Scott Walker to veto Senate Bill 324, Assembly Bill
202, Senate Bill 20, and Senate Bill 655. Unfortunately,
Governor Walker signed these bills into law in a secret bill
signing ceremony on March 27th. Each one of these proposals had bipartisan opposition in the Legislature and are broadly condemned by election watchdog organizations in Wisconsin. SB 324 will restrict absentee voting hours and prohibit communities from accommodating the needs of seniors, working families and students who may have difficulties voting on Election Day. This bill makes it more difficult for qualified voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote and will create longer lines on Election Day for both rural and urban voters. AB 202 allows observers to physically intimidate voters by hovering within an arm’s reach of registration tables, ballot stations, and election officials. SB 20 will take away local control and prevent municipal clerks from selecting the most qualified poll workers to oversee local elections and SB 655 is a “pay-to-play” proposal that will open the door for increased lobbyist contributions to elected officials. Our democracy is strongest when we increase voter participation and encourage civic engagement. These partisan bills are clearly meant to suppress voter participation, create confusion at the polls, and open the door for political corruption. I am disappointed that Gov. Walker signed these bills into law rather than focusing on job creation. |
| Public Pressure Forces Action on Cancer Treatment Fairness Act |
| In the face of mounting public pressure
from cancer patients and health care advocates, Republican
lawmakers were forced to take action on legislation to ensure
parity for insurance coverage of oral chemotherapy treatments. Despite overwhelming support for Senate Bill 300 (SB 300),
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald had previously blocked
Democratic efforts to pass this legislation. SB 300 prohibits health insurance policies that cover injected or intravenous and oral chemotherapy from requiring a higher co-payment, deductible or coinsurance for oral chemotherapy than is required for injected or intravenous chemotherapy, regardless of health plan. The effort to bring SB 300 up for a vote was the Legislature’s version of March Madness. Unfortunately, Republican leaders went to extraordinary lengths earlier this month to delay SB 300 and deny access to vital treatments despite the many personal stories and pleas from patients battling cancer. I am pleased that my Senate colleagues and I were able to find a bi-partisan solution to overcome the power of special interests and advance SB 300. |
| Vernon Electric's Community Solar Farm |
 At their annual meeting on Saturday,
March 22nd, Vernon Electric Cooperative announced that they will
be building the state’s first community solar project. It is very encouraging that the first community solar project in our state is being built in western Wisconsin. Our strong entrepreneurial spirit and abundance of natural resources has propelled our region to the forefront of homegrown renewable energy production. Renewable energy projects like wind and solar not only improve the health and sustainability of our communities, but these energy projects have the added benefit of creating local jobs and boosting our regional economy. In partnership with the Clean Energy Collective, a national community solar developer, the Vernon Electric Cooperative plans to host a 305 kW community solar array adjacent to a 520 kW solar array being built simultaneously by Dairyland Power. It is expected that a total of 825 kW of solar capacity will be up and running by early summer. Through the Clean Energy Collective model, any member in Vernon Electric Cooperative’s service territory can purchase panels from the shared farm and the energy generated will be credited to the individual or business’s monthly utility bills. To learn more, individuals can visit the Vernon Electric Cooperative website at: www.vernonelectric.org. |
| Matt Antoine Open House Event |
My family and I were very excited to
attend Matt Antoine's Open House Event in Prairie du Chien to
welcome him back from the Sochi Olympics and to congratulate him
on his bronze medal in the men's skeleton event. His return to Wisconsin
was celebrated with a reception on St. Feriole Island, and he
served as the Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick's Day Parade
through downtown Prairie du Chien.  |
| Senate Scholar |
| The second of two Senate Scholars from
the 32nd Senate District, Mike Gu from Onalaska High School,
completed the 2014 Senate Scholar Program on Friday,
March 14th. The Senate Scholar Program is a week-long educational program offered by the Wisconsin State Senate that provides high school students with a hands-on, up-close view of the Legislature’s role in our democracy. Senate Scholars gain experience in such diverse areas as policy development, constituent relations, and processing legislation by working with Senators, legislative staff and University of Wisconsin faculty. Congratulation, Mike!  Senate Scholar Mike Gu and I in the Senate Parlor. |
| Healthcare Marketplace Open Enrollment Ends on March 31st |
| Don’t forget – Anyone interested in
receiving health care coverage through the Healthcare
Marketplace needs to sign up by March 31st. To sign up for coverage, get more information about the Healthcare Marketplace, or learn about personal enrollment assistance in your area, you can visit HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.) The next Marketplace enrollment period will begin on November 15th for healthcare coverage in 2015. |
| Let the Public Service Commission (PSC) Know What Your Broadband Internet Needs Are! |
| The PSC is launching the
LinkWISCONSIN
Bandwidth Assessment Tool (BAT) to help address the
increasing demand for broadband communication in the state.
Consumers and businesses do not always have the tools to help
them determine their broadband needs and there are unmet pockets
of demand around the state. The LinkWISCONSIN tool will provide you with a personal estimate of how much bandwidth is required for doing the things you or your business need or want to do online. Additionally, a summary of survey results will go to internet service providers in the state so that they know which regions to further develop their broadband infrastructure. At the end of the survey, you will have the option to request that internet provider contact you with service offerings that meet your needs. Most importantly, taking this survey will help provide the state with information as to where to direct funding to enhance broadband services. As we in western Wisconsin know all too well, many pockets in our region still do not have broadband internet options. To take the survey or to learn more about this tool, visit http://www.linkwisconsin.org/lwi/bat.htm or go to the LinkWISCONSIN website and click on Bandwidth Assessment Tool. On the site, you can watch a short informative video, download FAQs, and register and start the survey. For questions about the Wisconsin Bandwidth Assessment Tool, please contact Tithi Chattopadhyay at the PSC at (608)267-9138 or Tithi.Chattopadhyay@wisconsin.gov. |
| 2014-15 Fishing Calendar Available |
| The 2014 Wisconsin Fishing Report, a
fishing calendar and regulations for hook and line are now
available online to start planning for fishing trips in the
spring. The 2014 Fishing Report is an annual report that compiles fishing forecasts by DNR biologists, and has information about the number and sizes of fish they found during population surveys on a variety of lakes across the state. Also available is the Making Fishing Better Calendar. It has important fishing dates, moon phases, fish identification tips and monthly forecasts. The Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations 2014-15 and the Guide to Wisconsin Trout Fishing Regulations 2014-15 can also be viewed online. In case you missed it, fishing licenses for the 2014-15 season went on sale on March 5th. Hunting and fishing licenses can be purchased through the Online Licensing Center on the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website, at all authorized license agents, at DNR Service centers, or by calling toll-free 1-877-945-4236. |
| Calendar of Events |
| State Legislation Update |
| Signed into Law: SB-73. An income and franchise tax credit for workplace wellness programs. ACT 137. SB-284. Allowing pupils in grades 7 and 8 to earn high school credit. ACT 138. JSSAB-2. Workforce training grants to technical colleges, workforce training grants for collaborative projects among school districts, technical colleges, and businesses, workforce training grants and services to enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. ACT 139. AB-655. Establishing the shoreline of Lake Michigan in the city of Milwaukee. ACT 140. AB-704. State highway funding. ACT 141. AB-407. Snowmobile registration, trail use sticker requirements, and funding for supplemental snowmobile trail aids. Act 142 AB-683. Licensing structure for electricians and electrical apprentices; reciprocal agreements between this state and other states relating to the regulation of electricians, electrical contractors, electrical inspectors, and electrical apprentices; exemptions from licensing and supervisory requirements for electricians; inspections of electrical work with certain facilities. ACT 143 SB-577. The property tax exemption for rented personal property. ACT 144. SB-20. Residency requirements of an election official. ACT 147 SB-377. Reporting registration and voting statistics. ACT 148 SB-548. Transferring responsibility over biennial updating of voter registration list to the Government Accountability Board. ACT 149 SB-640. Form required for certain residential repair or construction contracts. ACT 150 SB-641. Revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of supplying omissions and eliminating defects (correction bill). ACT 151 SB-643. County aid for town bridges and culverts. ACT 152 SB-655. Various changes in the campaign finance and lobbying laws. ACT 153 AB-19. Torts and personal injury trusts. ACT 154 AB-89. The method of reporting elections returns by municipalities. ACT 155 AB-161. Injunctions suspending or restraining the enforcement or execution statewide of a statute of this state. ACT 156 AB-288. County payments to public libraries in adjacent counties. ACT 157 AB-360. Emergency detention, involuntary commitment, and privileged communications and information. ACT 158 AB-396. Absentee voting at residential care facilities. ACT 159 AB-420. Providing a printed name for signers of nomination papers and petitions. ACT 160 AB-435. Admission of minors for inpatient treatment. ACT 161 AB-558. Resolving an ambiguity relating to carrying a firearm in certain public buildings. ACT 162 AB-559. Special group plates for women veterans, vehicle title information provided to county registers of deeds, the issuance of more than one motor vehicles operator’s license to a person, location of emissions inspection stations, and insurance registration for motor carriers operating in multiple jurisdictions. ACT 163 AB-560. Juries in criminal cases and contents of registers of officials. ACT 164 AB-561. Affecting various provisions of the statutes to correct errors and reconcile conflicts. ACT 165 AB-562. Affecting various provisions of the statutes to correct errors and reconcile conflicts. ACT 166 AB-563. Fixing an incorrect cross-reference under the statute of limitations for repeated sexual assault of the same child; numbers of subsections; sexual assault of a child; suspension of license to carry concealed weapon if the person is prohibited from possessing a dangerous weapon as a condition of release when charged with a felony or misdemeanor. ACT 167 AB-564. Revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of supplying omissions and eliminating defects. ACT 168 AB-565. Repealing the schedule of election occurrences. ACT 169 AB-566. Minors acknowledging paternity service of the summons and petition in a paternity action when the respondent is deceased; the form for a paternity action summons; releasing a frozen bank account of a support obligor determine eligibility for Wisconsin Shares; notices to, and the exercise of rights by, a guardian ad litem in an unborn child in need of protection or services proceeding; requiring a diligent investigation by an agency that receives a report of child abuse or neglect if the agency cannot identify an individual who is suspected of the abuse or neglect; eliminating a voluntary foster care education program; the prohibition against a person who has committed armed robbery from showing that he or she has been rehabilitated for purposes of being licensed, certified, or contracted with to provide child care. ACT 170 AB-567. Access to public records. ACT 171 AB-568. The effective date of administrative rules promulgated by state agencies. ACT 172 AB-569. Revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of supplying omissions and eliminating defects. ACT 173 AB-606. The number of nomination paper signatures required for city-wide offices in second class and third class cities. ACT 174 AB-770. Emergency heating assistance loan guarantees. ACT 175 If you would like to read the bill texts or track the status of these bills online, please feel free to visit the state legislative website at www.legis.state.wi.us and enter the proposal number in the column on the left. |
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