Assembly Committee to Vote on Proposal to Delete State Treasurer Next Week!

The Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations will vote on Assembly Joint Resolution 5 (AJR5) next Thursday, October 15, which deletes the state treasurer from the state constitution. In addition,  AJR5 replaces the treasurer with  the lieutenant governor on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.  

Please consider contacting your State Representative before Thursday, especially if they serve on the Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations,  to let them know why WEMTA is concerned about AJR 5/SJR 4. 

WEMTA believes there are potential unintended consequences of AJR 5/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.  

If the Committee approves AJR 5, it will be sent to the full Assembly for approval. SJR 4 is currently available for a vote before the full Senate. 

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, athttp://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.

Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations

Representative Rob Swearingen (Chair, R-Rhinelander)

Representative David Craig (Vice Chair, R-Big Bend)

Representative John Jagler (R-Watertown)

Representative Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls)

Representative Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc)

Representative Bob Gannon (R-Slinger)

Representative Keith Ripp (R-Lodi)

Representative Bob Kulp (R-Stratford)

Representative Gary Tauchen (R-Bonduel)

Representative Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth)

Representative JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee)

Representative Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee)

Representative Robb Kahl (D-Monona)

Representative Tod Ohnstad (D-Kenosha)

Representative Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee)