Legislation

With many communities seeing rising property taxes due to lack of state funding for our schools, I authored Senate Bill 491 to lower school district property taxes, as well as Senate Bill 1151 to increase special education reimbursement rates to a guaranteed 60%. We must change how we fund our public schools to avoid the endless cycle of budget cuts and referendum votes while funding classroom needs and protecting property taxpayers.

As communities are approached by big tech companies regarding data centers, it is important the state provides strong regulations to protect residents, the environment, and workers. I authored Senate Bill 729 and Assembly Bill 1162 to ensure large corporations pay their fair share of energy costs rather than shifting them to you, meet high environmental standards, and pay workers a fair wage. I also cosponsored Senate Bill 969, which would ban government employees from signing non-disclosure agreements with data center developers that conceal the development from the public. I supported several additional bills to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that companies or bad actors can’t use AI to harm people or raise costs for consumers, and there is much more we need to do to regulate AI as this technology evolves.

I was proud to fight for the reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program,  one of our state’s most effective tools for conserving land, water, and wildlife habitat, throughout the legislative session. There were many conversations and negotiations over the last few months of the legislative session to try to get to a bipartisan agreement to reauthorize Knowles-Nelson, and I was deeply disappointed when a compromise could not be reached. Currently, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program funding will expire on June 30th. I am hopeful that once the next legislative session begins in January 2027, we will be able to quickly pass legislation to fund the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and fully reauthorize it for at least the next 10 years.

Family farms and agriculture are central to Wisconsin’s heritage and to our economy. During a very difficult economic climate, it is vital that we support our farmers, both those who are established and those just getting started. I authored Senate Bill 723 to create a state tax credit for existing farmers to sell or lease land, equipment, and livestock to new farmers, helping new farmers set themselves up for long-term success. I also authored Senate Bill 829, Senate Bill 770, Senate Bill 840, and Senate Bill 841 which would help more locally grown food reach markets, as well as invest in programs to ensure that our prime farmland continues to feed our state for generations to come. I also support legislation to continue to help farmers transition to more sustainable practices, diversify their operations, and bring additional revenue to their farms through agricultural tourism.

I have heard countless stories of rising healthcare premiums and skyrocketing prescription drug costs. No one should have to choose between putting a roof over their head and purchasing the life-saving medications they need. That’s why I authored legislation to lower the price of medications like insulin, inhalers and over-the-counter drugs. When Congress let the price of premiums skyrocket for families with Affordable Care Act coverage, I authored Senate Bill 1091 to give them a tax credit to cover part of their premiums and lower costs for Wisconsinites. With health insurance continuing to get more expensive and Congress failing to help, we must do more to provide affordable options for Wisconsinites.

Childcare is expensive – too expensive for many Wisconsin families. Too many families are scrambling to find affordable childcare. It is time for the state legislature to step up and address this increasingly concerning issue. Over the last 20 years, half of child care providers have had to make the difficult choice to close their doors and the cost of quality child care is so high that many parents are forced to make the difficult choice between working and staying home. That is why I authored Senate Bill 322, which would invest $480 million in the Child Care Counts program – supporting working parents and keeping our economy strong. I was also proud to coauthor bills in the “Cutting Costs for Child Care” package which would have expanded eligibility for the Wisconsin Shares program, covered the costs of training for new child care providers, and ensured that workers who are providing child care are able to afford it for their own children. We must find ways to lower the cost of child care for families across the state. When families have affordable, reliable care, Wisconsin works better.