September 18, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors -

Summer is coming to an end and autumn officially arrives on Tuesday. That means it's time to start gearing up for the area's fall colors, Oktoberfest and hunting season.

This e-newsletter has some helpful information on all of these fun fall festivities as well as an update on the bipartisan No Labels conference I recently attended, state budget deficit projections and campus news from UW-La Crosse.

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

No Labels National Ideas Meeting

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to participate in a national gathering of Republicans, Democrats and Independents who are working to find bipartisan solutions to some of our nation's most pressing issues. The conference was hosted by the non-profit organization No Labels in an effort to break the political gridlock, bridge the partisan divide and take on the tough issues.

I've always been proud to work with my colleagues in the state legislature regardless of their political affiliations and I will continue to advocate for commonsense solutions that will help working families and move our state forward. You can learn more about the No Labels organization online at www.nolabels.org.

Additionally, you can read a recent article by the La Crosse Tribune on the No Labels conference below.

No Labels: Shilling, Miller attend bipartisan gathering to shape national strategy

by Chris Hubbuch   Sept. 17, 2014

Sen. Jennifer Shilling and Sen. Jeremy Miller come from opposite sides of the Mississippi River — and opposite sides of the aisle.

But the two lawmakers are joining together today in an effort to solve some of the nation’s most daunting problems.

Shilling, a Democrat from La Crosse, and Miller, a Republican from Winona are among 200 state, local and business leaders who are taking part today in a first-of-its kind gathering in Washington, D.C., hosted by the nonprofit group No Labels.

Formed in 2010, No Labels has called for a solutions-oriented governing process, which it is building from the ground up.  - Read Full Article

Budget Deficit Grows to $3 Billion

After state agencies submitted their 2015-17 budget requests this week, Wisconsin's budget deficit is now projected at nearly $3 billion. The overall budget deficit could exceed $4 billion once state transportation, school funding and other agency budget figures are released.

As the mother of two young boys, I am concerned that our local schools and communities will be jeopardized by another round of devastating cuts. It’s time we balanced our state budget responsibly and made the necessary investments to grow our economy and strengthen local communities.

In addition to the $3 billion budget deficit for 2015-17, the state is also facing a more immediate deficit of $396 million that must be addressed by the end of the current state fiscal year. Democrats have called on Gov. Walker to work with the legislature on addressing this budget crisis immediately before it becomes a larger problem.

Democrats stand ready with real solutions to address the state budget mess. By strengthening BadgerCare, raising the minimum wage and immediately providing student loan debt relief, we can save state taxpayer dollars and provide working families with financial relief needed to get our economy growing.

BUDGET CRISIS BY THE NUMBERS
Current Fiscal Year (FY15) Budget Deficit:
$396 million (LFB memo 9.8.14)

Projected 2015-17 State Budget Deficit numbers:
$1.8 billion structural deficit (LFB memo 9.8.14)
$1.1 billion in new spending requests (DOA agency budget requests 9.15.14)
Estimated $680 million Transportation Fund deficit (Associated Press 9.15.14)
Estimated $568 million in K-12 Fair Funding costs (WI DPI 2013-15 budget request)

UW-La Crosse Makes Headlines

It has been a busy start to the school year on the UW-La Crosse campus. UW System President Ray Cross visited the UW-La Crosse campus recently and met with local business and community leaders during the Chancellor's Community Council. Afterwards, he talked with students, faculty and staff before going on a campus tour. You can read about his visit here: UW-L Racquet - UW System President Visits Campus.

From left to right: Sen. Shilling, UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow,

UW-L student Jacob Schimmel and UW System President Ray Cross

As you might have seen in the news already, UW-La Crosse was also recently named the top regional school in the UW System and the #4 regional university in the entire Midwest according to the US News & World Report.

WKBT: UW-La Crosse ranked as top regional school in UW System

WXOW: UW-L named top ranked university

Additionally, UW-La Crosse recently received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the second year in a row UW-L has received this award which recognizes efforts to promote diversity, inclusiveness and opportunities for all. You can read more about this award here: UW-L Campus News - UW-L receives prestigious, national award for diversity and inclusion.

Travel Wisconsin News

From the Department of Tourism:

La Crosse was #11 on Outside Magazine’s “16 Greatest Places to Live in America” for its combination of small-town friendliness and outdoor recreation.

Fall Campaign Launches
Our second TV spot staring Airplane! actors Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Hays and Wisconsin’s beautiful fall color is now airing. The spot features aerial footage of Wisconsin’s famous fall color and playfully addresses Abdul-Jabbar’s career with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Camp Wisconsin campaign continues with a fall theme, encouraging viewers, listeners and users to plan their getaway at TravelWisconsin.com. Camp Wisconsin bus shelters in Chicago are now covered in leaves with buttons riders can push to listen to the sounds of migrating birds. Radio spots featuring Camp Counselor Klett and Chad Venture promoting a variety of fall activities now airing on Pandora and Spotify. See all of our fall campaign assets on our Marketing Overview page.


Post the Travel Wisconsin Fall Color Report to Your Website
Now you can have a dynamic and customizable version of the Fall Color Report right on your own website! Once embedded, it will show the report’s live feed in real time exactly like the TravelWisconsin.com report. You even have the option to highlight a specific area of the state or the whole report. All it takes is some simple embed code. Instructions are available online here.

Creation and Presentation Grant Applications Now Available
Applications for the Arts Board’s Creation and Presentation (C&P) grants program are now available here. C&P grants provide artistic program and operational support to established nonprofit arts organizations whose primary mission is to create or present ongoing arts programming that makes a significant local, regional, or statewide impact on the cultural life of Wisconsin, and that furthers the Arts Board’s community development and arts education goals. The eGrant deadline for this program is 3 p.m. on October 15.
 

DNR: Deer hunting rule changes for 2014

Starting in 2011, an extensive review was conducted of Wisconsin’s deer management program. The result of this undertaking known as the Deer Trustee Report included over 60 recommendations designed to improve Wisconsin’s deer management programs and the hunting experience. After significant effort by the public, the DNR and other partners and stakeholder groups, rule changes have been made that will go into effect beginning with the 2014 deer hunting seasons.

Quick notes on the upcoming season

Frequently Asked Questions - Deer hunting rule changes for 2014

Deer hunting rule changes for 2014 [VIDEO Length 12:40]

Talking points on E-Registration
  • For the 2014 season hunters will continue to register in-person.
  • In the 2015 season hunters will be able to register online, on the telephone and in-person.

2014 Hunting and Trapping Forecast

All Things Deer including: new Deer Management Zones & Deer Management Units, bonus antlerless permit information and other hunting tools.
 

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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