It's been seven weeks since I was sworn is as the Representative for the 88th Assembly District. The learning curve is immense, but all freshman legislators are blessed to have a great network of veteran legislators and supplemental staff. These individuals have helped me and my team set up an office, learn how to create legislation and how to be a better overall representative.

A look into the Job: Joint Audit Committee

As many of you know, I serve as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Audit Committee. I want to share with you a little of what this committee does and an example of a specific item we are discussing. The Joint Audit Committee directs the Legislative Audit Bureau to check in on various state agencies on how they handle their day-to-day business and finances. The committee is co-chaired by Senator Rob Cowles from Green Bay and Representative Sam Kerkman from Southeast Wisconsin. (Interesting fact: these two legislators are two of the longest-serving members in their respective chambers!)

This committee's mission is a good example of why I ran for office: to promote effective and efficient government. When we direct the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau to audit a department of state government, we're simply learning more about how a government organization operates. After the audit is completed, the results are made public. From the results of the audit, legislators  can propose new ideas on how the organizations may do things a little better in the future.

Today, the annual audit of the University of Wisconsin System became available. You can see the entire audit here. If you don't have time to read the whole audit, you can check out the executive summary here. You'll notice that the Legislative Audit Bureau gives the legislature suggestions on what could be done to correct some of the issues found.

If you have a government organization that you think could do some things more effectively, email or call my office. I'm always open to new suggestions on how we can create more efficient and effective government and bring Wisconsin from Good to Great!

This winter has been especially long and cold. After being cooped up inside for the four months, there is nothing my family loves to do more than get out and explore Wisconsin. Travel Wisconsin has links that will show you some great deals you can get right now to plan for future vacations. These deals are from all over Wisconsin!

Two weeks ago two ladies came into my office. Both use motorized transportation in order to get around because of their severe disabilities. They told me about their group for which they work, Options for Independent Living, and the amazing work they do. This group educates and equips individuals with disabilities to have more freedoms in the home, workplace and social sphere.

Needless to say, I immediately accepted their invitation to tour their facilities in Green Bay. The director, Tom Diedrick, gave me the executive tour. I found out that many legislators have visited the facilities in the past few years. If you would like to learn more about this excellent organization, check out their website here.

The end is near. The first day of Spring is less than 30 days away. Spring Training began for the Brewers this past week. The UW-Badgers Basketball team is in the last few games of the regular season. All signs show that winter is almost over.

However, with how cold it is going to be this next week, I encourage you to stay safe. Although I know that every Wisconsinite knows instinctively how to deal with the cold, consider some of these precautions to brush up on your preparedness.

Have a great weekend,

John Macco

Representative

88th Assembly District