Capitol Update--7.24.17

State Treasurer Opposes Proposed BCPL Land Purchase 

State Treasurer Matt Adamczyk issued a statement July 24 opposing a proposed land purchase by the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.

“The constitution couldn’t be any clearer – our mission is to sell land,” said Adamczyk. “I call on my fellow Commissioners to join me in opposition to this land purchase. BCPL staffers are pushing government land grabs. An agency tasked with selling land should not be buying land. Furthermore, for over 150 years the BCPL did not buy land, we should not be buying land now.”

Adamczyk said that students lose out on millions when the BCPL purchases land. He plans to vote against the proposed purchase at the July 25 meeting of the BCPL.

Still No Budget Deal 

Legislative leaders in the State Senate and Assembly have yet to reach agreement on a deal to end the state budget standstill. While Assembly Republicans agreed to a deal offered by Governor Walker late last week that would have eliminated all new bonding in the transportation budget, Senate Republicans rejected the plan. 

Assembly Committee on Education Public Hearing

The Assembly Committee on Education will hold a public hearing on Assembly Bill 398 and Assembly Bill 427 next Thursday, August 3.

AB 398 expands the online summer or interim session classes that qualify for state aid to include classes the school board determines fulfill a graduation requirement in health education or that count toward the number of credits the school board requires for graduation in any combination of vocational education, foreign languages, fine arts, and other courses.

AB 427 requires the Department of Public Instruction to consult with the Department of Natural Resources, a law enforcement agency or a national or state firearms safety organization to develop a comprehensive curriculum for a firearm education course. Under the bill, the firearm education course would be taught as a high school elective. Schools would not be required to offer the elective. The course could not include live ammunition.

Assembly

PUBLIC HEARING

Committee on Education

The committee will hold a public hearing on the following items at the time specified below:

Thursday, August 3, 2017

11:00 AM

417 North (GAR Hall)

Assembly Bill 398

Relating to: summer school and interim session classes.

By Representatives Hebl, Jagler, Berceau, Felzkowski, Genrich, Horlacher, Ohnstad, Pope, Spreitzer, Subeck, Tauchen, Tusler and Vruwink; cosponsored by Senators Olsen, L. Taylor, Cowles, Miller and Vinehout.

Assembly Bill 427

Relating to: comprehensive firearm education for high school pupils.

By Representatives Skowronski, R. Brooks, Kleefisch, Allen, Brandtjen, Edming, Gannon, Horlacher, Knodl, Kremer, Krug, Mursau, Quinn, Ripp, Rodriguez, Schraa, Thiesfeldt and Tusler; cosponsored by Senators Moulton, L. Taylor, Nass, Tiffany and Wanggaard.

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Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt