Senate Committee Holds Hearing, Votes 3-1 to Advance SJR3

The Senate Committee on Financial Institutions,  Constitution and Federalism held a public hearing this afternoon and voted 3-1 to approve Senate Joint Resolution 3, which deletes the state treasurer from the constitution.

WEMTA registered against the proposal and submitted written testimony. Pieces of WEMTA’s testimony are included in the Associated Press article linked to below.

Representative Schraa (R-Oshkosh) and Senator Feyen (R-Fond du Lac), the proposal’s authors, again testified that the position of state treasurer is largely symbolic and serves no purpose. State Treasurer Adamczyk also testified in support of SJR3, saying the office is “outdated, not needed and a waste of money.”  

Several speakers testified against SJR3, including former Republican State Treasurer Jack Voight, former BCPL Executive Secretary Tia Nelson and former Manitowoc County Clerk Jamie Aulik.

All three speakers cautioned against removing checks and balances and highlighted the fact that the legislature has stripped the office of many of its duties over the years. Nelson also discussed a memo from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau that says the state treasurer should be working on the unclaimed property program since his salary is paid by the unclaimed property fund. Aulik highlighted a 2015 Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance article called “Chipping Away At Tradition: Constitutional Offices Past and Present”, which shows that Wisconsin is the only state in the nation where the state treasurer doesn’t handle cash management.

Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), the only “no” vote,  raised concerns about the proposal’s impact on checks and balances. She argued that the treasurer’s previous duties should be restored instead of deleting the office from the constitution, saying that too many of the office’s old duties have been transferred to the executive branch which consolidates power in the Governor’s office.

The Assembly Committee on State Affairs will vote on the proposal Wednesday and the full Assembly will vote March 9. Once the full Assembly votes, the final step is for the full Senate to vote. Then it will be up to voters to decide in a statewide referendum to be held in April 2018.

Effort to eliminate Wisconsin state treasurer moving ahead: http://www.startribune.com/effort-to-eliminate-wisconsin-state-treasurer-moving-ahead/414975334/

Full Assembly to Vote on State Treasurer Resolution March 9

Today Assembly leadership released their proposed calendar for their March 9 floor session, and it includes voting on AJR 2, the proposal to eliminate the state treasurer from the state constitution and add the lieutenant governor to the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. On Wednesday, March 1 the Assembly Committee on State Affairs will formally vote to advance the AJR2 to the full Assembly, making it possible for the floor vote to take place on March 9.

In addition, the Senate Committee on Financial Services, Constitution and Federalism is holding a public hearing Tuesday, February 28 on Senate Joint Resolution 3.

If both the Assembly and the Senate pass AJR2/SJR 3 this session, Wisconsin voters will have a chance to vote on the proposal in a statewide referendum which AJR2/SJR3 schedules for April 2018.

It is critical that you contact your state representative and state senator this week and voice your concerns with this proposal, especially if they serve on the Assembly Committee on State Affairs or the Senate Committee on FinancialServices, Constitution and Federalism.

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.

Upcoming Listening Sessions with State Legislators

Many State Legislators are holding listening sessions on the state budget. These are great opportunities to introduce yourself to your state legislator and to discuss school library and technology issues. 

Here are a few upcoming listening sessions that we are aware of: 

March 2

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State Representative John Spiro (R-Ledgeview)

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5:30 Pm-7:00 Pm Weston Village Hall, 5500 Schofield Ave., Weston

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March 3

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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8:30am      Butler Village Hall, 12621 W. Hampton Avenue
9:30am      Lannon Village Hall, 20399 W Main Street
10:15am     Sussex Civic Center, N64W23760 Main Street
11:15am     Merton Village Hall, N67W28343 Sussex Road
1:15pm      Nashotah Village Hall, N44W32950 Watertown Plank Rd.

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State Representative Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah)

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10:00 AM-11:00 AM: Neenah Town Hall, 1600 Breezewood Lane, Neenah

3:00 PM-3:00 PM: Fox Crossing Village Hall, 2000 Minicipal Drive, Neenah

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March 4

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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9:00am     Delafield City Hall, 500 Genesee Street
1:00pm     Lake Mills Community Center, 200 Water Street

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State Representative Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah)

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11:30 AM-1:00 PM: Neenah Public Library, 240 E Wisconsin Ave., Neenah

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March 5

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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1:00pm      Juneau Community Center, 500 Lincoln Drive

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March 6

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State Representative John Macco (R-Ledgeview)

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4:30 PM- 5:30 PM Town of Ledgeview, Municipal Building (3700 Dickinson Rd.)

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State Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh)

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10:00 AM Carter Memorial Library, Omro 405 East Huron Street, Omro, WI 54963
6:00 PM Waupun Public Library 123 S. Forest Street, Waupun, WI 53963

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State Representative James Edming (R-Glen Flora)

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3:00-4:00 PM Athens Municipal Building, Boardroom 221 Caroline Street Athens, WI 54411

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March 10

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State Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh)

10:30 AM Oshkosh Public Library 106 Washington Avenue, Oshkosh, WI 54901

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March 11

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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9:00am      Germantown Village Hall, N112W17001 Mequon Road
1:00pm      Brookfield Public Safety Building, 2100 N. Calhoun Road

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March 12

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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1:00pm      Hartford City Hall, 109 N. Main Street--The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers. Please use the entrance located off of the rear parking lot.

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March 13

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

7:00pm       Wauwatosa Public Library, 7635 W. North Avenue

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State Representative John Macco (R-Ledgeview)

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5:00 PM- 6:00 PM Brown County Library-Kress Family Branch (333 N. Broadway St)

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March 18 

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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9:00am      West Bend City Hall, 1115 S. Main Street
1:00pm      West Allis Public Library, 7421 W. National Avenue

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March 19

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Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th District)

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1:00pm      Richfield Village Hall, 4125 Hubertus Road
                  The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, located in the lower level of Village Hall.

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March 20

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State Representative Kitchens (R- Sturgeon Bay)

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6:00 PM-7:30 PM Town of Scott Town Hall, 2621 Jody Drive, New Franken, WI

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State Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh)

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6:00 PM Spillman Public Library, North Fond du Lac 719 Wisconsin Avenue, North Fond du Lac, WI 54937

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March 22

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State Representative John Macco (R-Ledgeview)

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5:00 PM- 6:00 PM Bellevue Village Hall (3100 Eaton Rd)

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April 3

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State Representative John Macco (R-Ledgeview)

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6:15PM- 7:15 PM Glenmore Community Center (5718 Dickinson Rd.)

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