| E-Update: A Historic Week for Wisconsin Voters | June 16, 2011 |
Dear friends,
This week marks a historic time in Wisconsin. This week, the State Legislature not only passed a balanced budget for the first time in years, but we also passed right to carry legislation and advanced legislation to prevent taxpayers from being forced to fund elective abortions.
For years, we watched impatiently as our state headed in the wrong direction. However, with a new majority comes a new direction—and I am proud to say this week the State Legislature moved forward on issues important to Wisconsin.
2011-2012 State Budget
Today, the State Senate accomplished a truly remarkable feat. This Legislature transformed a $3.6 billion deficit into a balanced budget, without raising taxes or the usual smoke-and-mirror gimmicks that had become all to common in recent years. This budget restores long overdue fiscal sanity to government by reining in spending and improving transparency.
Additionally, the budget includes a property tax freeze and tax relief aimed at growing manufacturing jobs in our state, continuing the path we started earlier this year of putting Wisconsin’s economy back on track.
Personal Protection and the Right to Carry
On Tuesday, the State Senate passed legislation recognizing the right of law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons for self-defense. With the passage of this legislation, Wisconsin finally joins the 48 other states that recognize this right to personal protection.
As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce and Government Operations, I have been deeply involved with the passage of this legislation. Right to concealed carry is about acknowledging a fundamental freedom that has long been denied to Wisconsin citizens and has been safely exercised around the country.
Federal Health Care Mandates and the Right to Life
Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the massive federal health care legislation passed during the last session of Congress, each state is required to create taxpayer subsidized health insurance exchanges. Senate Bill (SB) 92, legislation I authored, prohibits these mandated exchanges from using taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. My legislation simply ensures the current prohibition on state tax dollars is being extended to the exchanges mandated by federal law
This bill passed the Senate Committee on Public Health, Human Services and Revenue this week and will now head to the Senate floor
Wisconsin is finally back on track. These responsible changes to the way our government is run have been long overdue. I am happy with the progress the Legislature has made, and I am eager to continue to move Wisconsin forward.
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| Sen.Zipperer@legis.wisconsin.gov | State Capitol Room 323 South - P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882 | Telephone: (608) 266-9174 Fax: (608) 282-3573 |