Standing Up for Student Loan Borrowers

This week, I was proud to testify in favor of my Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill, in the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.

 Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites are being financially crushed by the weight of student loan debt. This bill offers common sense solutions that can make Wisconsin a national leader in providing real relief to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents.

It is my hope that elements of this bill – allowing student loan holders to refinance their debt at lower interest rates, granting tax credits for student loan payments, and better information and credit counseling before students take out loans – will draw support from the other side of the aisle to tackle the serious issue of student loan debt.

Read my entire testimony to the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges here.

Read my Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill here.

Civil Service System Overhaul

The proposed Republican changes to the Civil Service System also received a Senate hearing this week in the Committee on Labor and Government Reform Committee.

Sen. Roger Roth’s (R-Appleton) bill to overhaul the state’s 110-year old Civil Service System cuts the protections in the system and opens the door for corruption and cronyism. Sen. Roth’s proposal will do away with the civil service exam, speed up the hiring process, and eliminate rights that protect more experienced workers from losing their jobs to less experienced workers.

Any changes to the Civil Service System should protect Wisconsin taxpayers from political cronyism. If there are problems with aspects of the system, we should be addressing those problems individually rather than gutting the entire system.

If this bill makes its way to the Assembly floor, I will work with my colleagues to keep the best hiring standards and practices available for the state, its workers, and the services they provide to taxpayers.

Read the proposed changes to the Civil Service System here.

Don't Forget to Grab a 2015-2016 Blue Book

Remember, my office is now has the newest version of the 2015-2016 State of Wisconsin Blue Book available.

The State of Wisconsin Blue Book is like a State of Wisconsin almanac with reference sources about the state, documenting the organization of the state's three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial).

Please contact me by phone at (888) 534-0066 or by email at Rep.Mason@legis.wi.gov to request a Blue Book today.