October 30, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Have you made your plan to vote yet? Election Day in Wisconsin is right around the corner and turnout is expected to be high. Don't forget to exercise your right to shape our state's future by casting your vote on Tuesday, November 4th!

If you have questions about your polling location or registration status, you can find some helpful voter information below. This e-newsletter also features an update on the Higher Ed. Lower Debt Bill, the widening income inequality gap and some of the fun upcoming events around western Wisconsin.

I hope you find this information helpful, and don't forget to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 4th!

Sincerely,

Jennifer K. Shilling
State Senator | 32nd District

Election Day is approaching... Have you made a plan to vote?

Tuesday, November 4th is just around the corner and Wisconsin residents are encouraged to make a plan for getting to the polls.

If you have questions about your voter registration status, polling location or any other election issues, you can visit https://myvote.wi.gov/ or call Wisconsin’s toll-free Voter Help Line at 1-866-VOTE-WIS.
 

This could be a record-breaking year for voter turnout as clerks across Wisconsin have already reported strong numbers for in-person absentee voting. Friday, October 31st is the last day for in-person absentee voting in Wisconsin. If you know you'll be busy, out of town, or unable to make it to the polls on Tuesday, November 4th, you should contact your municipal clerk's office immediately to find out how to cast an absentee ballot. You can look-up your municipal clerk’s office through https://myvote.wi.gov/ or by calling Wisconsin’s toll-free Voter Help Line at 1-866-VOTE-WIS.

As always, please feel free to email me at Sen.Shilling@legis.wi.gov or call my office at 1-800-385-3385 if you have any additional questions.

$1.2 Trillion Student Loan Debt Crisis

Are you one of the millions of Americans impacted by the $1.2 trillion student loan debt crisis? Are you a parent helping to save for your children's future? Are you a taxpayer concerned about access to higher education?

Whatever your situation, I want to hear from you about ways that we can improve college affordability, provide relief to student loan borrowers and boost our economy.

Over the years, exponential increases in tuition and fees coupled with challenging economic times have made it nearly impossible for students to work their way through school, as was commonplace in the past. In fact, nearly 40 million Americans now hold over $1.2 trillion in student loan debt nationally.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin currently ranks 10th in the nation for number of college students with debt, with 67% of graduates from four-year schools having loans to repay. It is estimated there are over 900,000 Wisconsin residents with student loan debt.

Some issues related to student loans can only be dealt with at the federal level. Unfortunately, Congress’ current partisan gridlock leaves little hope for real relief for student loan borrowers in the near future. We cannot wait for Congress to act. It is time for innovative, common sense solutions that will provide real relief for Wisconsin's student loan borrowers.

As we get ready for the start of a new legislative session in Wisconsin, I hope you'll take 30 seconds to fill out my online survey and let me know how you feel about this issue and potential solutions for working families. Thanks!

U.S. Income Inequality: Higher than It Has Even Been

From CouleeCap, Inc.'s October E-Newsletter:

Economic insecurity remains widespread throughout the U.S., and low- and middle-income workers have seen no significant wage growth over the past decade. Today, one-quarter of American workers make less than $10.90 per hour. A full-time worker earning $10.90 per hour earns $22,672 a year, which for a family of four creates an income below the federal poverty level.

Meanwhile, the top 10% of earners took home 50% of all income in 2012, including the top 1% taking home 24% of the income. That's the highest percent in the last 100 years, when the government began collecting income data. During this same time period, average wages remained flat despite an increase in worker productivity of 15%, while corporate profits increased 13%.

Read More...

Around the District

I recently participated in the National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey - a nationwide outreach and education event dedicated to promoting the use of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. It was great to learn about the collaborative efforts of our local partners including Vernon Electric, La Crosse County, ANGI Energy Systems, Kwik Trip, the La Crosse Police Dept., Z's Lawn and Landscaping, Gundersen Health System, Go Solar, Honda Accord-Hybrid Community, Western Technical College, Organic Valley, Kirchner Custom Builders and Wisconsin Clean Cities!

You can learn more about National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey here: http://afvdayodyssey.org/about
 

Sen. Fred Risser: Concerns with sale of state property

Text of Sen. Fred Risser's October 30th Democratic weekly radio address:

Hi, this is Senator Fred Risser.

As elected representatives, my legislative colleagues and I took an oath to represent the interests of our constituents and act as good stewards of our state resources. The sale or purchase of our state buildings and assets cannot and should not be influenced by partisan interests or campaign contributions.

Recently, new information about Governor Walker’s role in providing insider information to a personal friend and campaign donor in a Milwaukee County real estate scandal raises questions about his rush to move forward with the sale of state lands for a new Hill Farms state office building in Madison. The secretive nature of the proposed Hill Farms land deal raises serious questions on whether this is another attempt to make back-room deals with campaign donors.

Over the past four years, we’ve heard about Gov. Walker’s ties with corporations: how Walker accepted a $700,000 campaign contribution from a mining group and then loosened environmental regulations, and how Walker’s Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation hands out hard-earned taxpayer dollars to special interests and out-of-state business.

Wisconsin Democrats have worked to ensure that we have transparent and accountable standards when it comes to being good stewards of our state resources.

The citizens of the State of Wisconsin have a right to be concerned about Governor Walker’s attempt to fast-track the sale of valuable state property with less than a month’s notice to prospective purchasers.
 

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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