August 7, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors -

As we continue to enjoy this summer in Wisconsin, there is still a lot of activity happening under the Capitol dome and in a community near you.

This e-newsletter features some of the latest developments on the student loan debt crisis, updates to the state's "Do Not Call List" and Legislative website, and some helpful information from the Wisconsin DNR.

Also, don't forget to vote in Wisconsin's upcoming fall primary election on Tuesday, August 12th. For information on your registration status, polling location, or to see a sample ballot, you can visit https://myvote.wi.gov/.

Enjoy!

Jennifer K. Shilling
State Senator | 32nd District

Action needed to solve student loan debt crisis

At a local listening session on student loan debt, a student approached me and said “I worked through high school to save for college, but that money barely covered my first semester. I’m going to graduate with thousands in debt, but I don’t want that to stop me from buying a house, purchasing a car, starting a family and contributing to our economy.”

His experience has unfortunately become the norm as more and more students and families struggle to afford higher education and make ends meet. With over 40 million Americans currently burdened by student loan debt, including more than 900,000 Wisconsin residents, this issue has become an economic and financial crisis.

While student loan debt isn't a new issue, this problem has intensified over the past decade and is now one of the biggest barriers to the success of Wisconsin students and families. Nationally, student loan debt has grown from $200 billion in 2000 to over $1.2 trillion today. It has surpassed credit card debt and auto loan debt for the first time in history and is second only to home mortgage debt.

Students and graduates know that a degree is a still a smart investment, but our state has failed to provide the support and economic security that Wisconsin families need to thrive and succeed. Wisconsin schools have seen historic state funding cuts over the past three years and financial assistance has failed to keep pace with rising tuition costs. This past school year, more than 41,000 of our best and brightest students were denied financial aid as a result of Gov. Walker's budget shortfall.

In order to address this crisis, I joined my Democratic colleagues in putting forward a comprehensive plan to restore investments in our public schools, technical colleges and universities. We also introduced the “Higher Ed, Lower Debt Bill” to allow individuals with student loan debt to consolidate and refinance their loans similar to options currently available for home and auto loans.

Unfortunately, Gov. Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature blocked these proposals and failed to put forward any ideas of their own. As a result of this stubborn inaction, Wisconsin families and communities continue to struggle.

In fact, rather than addressing the student loan debt crisis, Republicans have already started planning their next line of attack on our local schools. This summer, a special legislative committee was formed to develop legislation that will eliminate local control of Wisconsin’s technical college system, centralize more power in Madison, and jeopardize the financial stability of our schools.

Local educators and business leaders across Wisconsin have overwhelmingly opposed these misguided proposals and the impact they would have on our technical colleges and local communities. These continued attempts to undermine and underfund our education system will reduce our ability to attract quality jobs and make it harder to compete with neighboring states.

By investing in our local schools, providing student loan debt relief, and protecting local control of our technical colleges we can provide greater economic freedom and expand opportunities for all Wisconsin residents. These are achievable goals, but we need to hold our leaders accountable and demand immediate action to support working families.
 

August brings new consumer-friendly changes to Wisconsin's "Do-Not-Call Program"

From the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection:

As of August 1, Wisconsin consumers will no longer be required to register their numbers every two years to receive protection under state law from unwanted telemarketing calls and text messages, and new registrations will be active the following day rather than the next quarter.

“The changes to the state’s Do Not Call law will benefit consumers,” said Sandy Chalmers, Division Administrator for Trade and Consumer Protection. “Consumers can sign up once and not have to worry about whether their registrations will lapse or whether there will be a three-month delay before they are protected under the program.”

The following changes to Wisconsin’s Do Not Call law are now in effect:

• Wisconsin residents no longer have to sign up every two years. Sign up once and you are done, as long as you have that number.

• Wisconsin consumers can register their residential landline, cell or VoIP numbers online at http://nocall.wisconsin.gov or by placing a call from the phone they wish to register to 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236).

• To verify that your number is registered, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone you want to verify or visit https://www.donotcall.gov/confirm/conf.aspx.

• After you register, your phone number will show up on the registry by the next day. Telemarketers covered by the Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry have up to 31 days from the date you register to stop calling you.

If you receive a call from a telemarketer after 31 days, file a complaint on the DATCP website (http://datcp.wi.gov) or call DATCP’s Consumer Information Hotline at 1-800-422-7128. Please provide as much information as you can, including the name of the telemarketing company, the location from which they are calling, the name of the person calling, the phone number they used to call you and the product or service they called to sell.

For more information on the Wisconsin Do Not Call program, visit http://nocall.wisconsin.gov.
 

Wisconsin Legislature gets newly redesigned website

From the Legislative Technology Services Bureau:

I am pleased to announce the redesigned website for the Wisconsin Legislature http://legis.wisconsin.gov!

LTSB worked closely with leadership offices, the Chief Clerks’ offices, and legislative service agencies to create a new website that better serves Wisconsin citizens and legislative users.

The new site has been updated with a modern design, publishes more information, integrates with the Legislature’s Notification system, and makes it easier for Wisconsin citizens to follow the legislative process.

Some highlights of the new website include:

• Legislator lists with photograph

• Enhanced detail page for every legislator

• Enhanced detail page for every committee

• Enhanced detail page for every proposal

• Advanced Search capabilities

• A Find-by-Map feature that shows which legislators represent citizens by using a map location

• Redesigned look and feel that looks and works great on wide screen monitors, tablets, and smart phones

We hope you enjoy the new site!
 

National Farmers Market Week

Join me in celebrating the 15th Annual National Farmers Market Week! Farmers markets connect consumers with the farmers who grow their food and support local communities.

There are many farmers markets throughout the 32nd Senate District. Here are a few!

Bridgeview Plaza Farmers Market
2500 Rose Street, La Crosse
Wednesdays 8:00am-1:00pm

Hmong Cultural & Community Center Market
1815 Ward Avenue, La Crosse
Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm

Cameron Park Farmers Market
Downtown La Crosse – Cameron Park at King Street
Fridays 4:00pm-8:00pm

Riverside Park Farmers Market
Downtown La Crosse – Riverside Park
Saturdays 7:00am-12:00pm

La Crosse County Farmers Market
Corner of 3rd & 4th Streets and Vine & State Streets, La Crosse
Saturdays 6:00am-until sold out

Onalaska Farmers Market
Festival Foods Parking Lot – 1260 Crossing Meadows Drive, Onalaska
Sundays 8:00am-1:00pm

Holmen Farmers Market
Festival Foods Parking Lot – 600 Holmen Drive, Holmen
Wednesdays 3:00pm-7:00pm

West Salem Farmers Market
Corner of Jefferson & Mill Streets, West Salem
Wednesdays 2:00pm-6:00pm

Ferryville Market in the Park
Sugar Creek Park - Hwy 35, Ferryville
Saturdays 9:00am-5:00pm

Gays Mills Farmers Market
Lions Club Park - Gays Mills
Wednesdays 3:00-6:30pm

Hillsboro Farmers Market
Royal Bank Parking Lot – 731 Water Avenue, Hillsboro
Saturdays 8:00am-1:00pm

Eastman Old School Farmers Market
Eastman Ballpark - North Main Street, Eastman
Fridays 3:00-7:00pm

Blackhawk Junction Farmers Market
Blackhawk Junction, Prairie du Chien
Saturdays 6:00am-11:30am

Prairie Street Farmers Market
Sports World Parking lot, Blackhawk Avenue, Prairie du Chien
Saturdays 7:30am-12:00pm

Viroqua Partners Main Street Farmers Market
Western Technical College Parking Lot, 220 Main Street, Viroqua
Saturdays 8:00am-12:30pm

Traastad Produce Farmstand
E5214 Traastad Lane, Coon Valley
Sunday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm | Saturdays 6:00am-5:00pm
 

August is Child Support Awareness Month

August is Child Support Awareness Month in Wisconsin. County Child Support Agencies have secured child support and health insurance orders for more than 300,000 Wisconsin children. County Child Support Agencies collect $6.44 in support for every dollar invested in the program - 25% more than the national average - and save an average of $1.25 in public assistance costs for every dollar spent on the program.

Visit the Bureau of Child Support or the Wisconsin Child Support Enforcement Association to learn more about child support in Wisconsin.
 

From the Wisconsin Department of natural Resources

Get schooled in the new deer hunting season rules and more in Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine’s August issue
In the new issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, we help hunters get ready for some upcoming seasons, share some new ways to explore the outdoors and go crazy over carp.

DNR invites public input to help set scope of review for new Enbridge pipeline proposal
Comments from August meeting will be used to inform development of environmental impact statement.

Smokey Bear turns 70 on August 9
Smokey says he is ready for 70 more years of preventing wildfires as the star of the nation’s longest-running public service advertising campaign.

Farm Technology Days opens Aug. 12
DNR staff will again be available with demonstrations and information.

Antlerless deer tags available for purchase Aug. 18
Hunters are encouraged to view FAQ document and participate in antlerless tags chat Aug. 12.

More than 2,400 students and 120 teams participate in 2014 National Archery in the Schools World Tournament held in Madison
Results have been posted for the 2014 National Archery in the Schools World Tournament held July 11-13 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

Crossbow license required for all crossbow hunters starting in 2014
With bonus antlerless permit sales and archery and crossbow seasons just around the corner, license sales have begun to increase.

Woody biomass training to boost Wisconsin’s working forests
Wisconsin’s forests grow more timber than loggers remove each year and increased strategic harvesting can improve species diversity, strengthen state forests and support Wisconsin’s forest industry.

Public comment invited on draft panfish rules
Proposed rules designed to increase panfish size on selected lakes.
 

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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