Two Farrow bills clear Senate

On Tuesday, two bills I authored passed the State Senate and were messaged to the Assembly.

Senate Bill 434: Food Protection to modernize food protection education practices and encourage more restaurant managers and assistant managers to become certified in food safety best practices. For more information on SB 434 click here.

Senate Bill 498: Patent Trolling takes the first steps to curb the increasing abuse of meritless patent infringement lawsuits. “Patent trolls” do not actually produce any products or provide any services – instead they file (or more likely threaten to file) patent infringement lawsuits in large groups in the hopes of leveraging license fees from unsuspecting businesses both large and small. This legislation doesn’t restrict the ability for patent holders to enforce their patent rights, but simply sets a level playing field to make sure that the ultimate merit of the patent claim determines the outcome – not simply a cost/benefit analysis of whether its worth fighting the lawsuit or not by asking for basic information when a demand letter is filed. For more information on SB 498 click here.
 

DWD: unemployment rate drops to 6.1%

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development announced that the unemployment rate has dropped to 6.1 percent, which is the lowest point since November 2008. New job estimates show that Wisconsin added more than 106,000 private sector jobs in 2011-2013.

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development News Release
 

Apply for Wisconsin YES!

The mission of Wisconsin YES! is to help young people learn how science and technology innovations can be developed into solid business plans. Wisconsin students, from middle school to 12th grade, are eligible to enter individually or in small teams.

This contest will help middle- and/or high-school students to better envision careers in science and technology, and especially where those disciplines intersect with the creation and growth of businesses.

Public, private and home-schooled students across Wisconsin are eligible to turn their science- and tech-related ideas into business plans and compete for cash and prizes. The contest begins with a 250-word summary submitted through the website. Entries that advance to Phase 2 of the competition will expand their idea into a 1,000-word executive summary.

For more information, visit www.wisconsinYES.com

Please feel free to contact my office with any thoughts or questions you may have. It is a pleasure serving you in the State Senate.