Assembly Committee Schedules Public Hearing on AJR5/SJR4!

Assembly Joint Resolution 5/ Senate Joint Resolution 4, which deletes the state treasurer from the state constitution and makes the lieutenant governor a member of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, appears to be on the legislative fast-track.  The Assembly Committee on State Affairs and  Government Operations will hold a public hearing on the measure Wednesday, September 30 at 1 p.m. Earlier this week, the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Relations passed the bill on a party-line vote of 3-2, and it can now be voted on by the full Senate.

Please contact your state representative and state senator to let them know why WEMTA is concerned about this proposal. 

WEMTA believes there are potential unintended consequences of AJR5/ SJR 4 that could put school library funding at risk.  We believe that replacing the State Treasurer with the Lieutenant Governor on the BCPL jeopardizes our founding fathers’ commitment to maintaining a constitutionally protected form of school library funding. As envisioned by our founding fathers, current BCPL Commissioners do not play a leading role in K-12 school funding or the state budget process—this makes them ideal custodians of the Common School Fund and helps protect the integrity of the fund. 

WEMTA is concerned that a complicated process to change the state constitution may not save as much money as projected, will require a lengthy legislative and election process, and may have unintended consequences affecting the future performance of the fund.  

Since AJR 5/SJR 4 is a constitutional amendment, it must be passed by both houses of the Legislature in two consecutive legislative sessions and approved by voters in a statewide referendum. 

HOW DO I CONTACT MY LEGISLATOR?
The first step in contacting your legislator is knowing who your legislator is. The easiest way to do this is the tool found on the Legislature’s home page, at http://legis.wisconsin.gov. In the right-hand side of that page is a link that says Find My Legislators!  Type your address in the box below that link to get the names of your state representative and senator.

Phone.  You may leave a message for your legislator’s Capitol office or indicate your position on legislation through the toll free Legislative Hotline, at 1-800-362-9472.·         

E-mail. The e-mail addresses of members of the Wisconsin Legislature all have the same format. For members of the Assembly, the form is Rep.Jones@legis.wisconsin.gov; for members of the Senate, the form is Sen.Adams@legis.wisconsin.gov.