Attend a Local Listening Session with Your Lawmaker!

State legislators are holding in-district listening sessions across the state to help inform their decision-making on the state budget and other legislative proposals. Listening sessions are a great way to form relationships with your local legislators and to educate them on issues that matter to you. If you live in one of the districts listed below, please consider meeting with your legislator to discuss the Common School Fund, staffing shortages and other WEMTA priority issues with lawmakers. You can view WEMTA's legislative agenda here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MO3_H-HYjs0IZE_zMdxXVoKeJtzjpc5f/view?usp=sharing

Representative John Macco (R – Ledgeview)

Friday, February 22

Village of Bellevue Public Safety Building/Village Hall at 3100 Eaton Road.

11:00 am to 12:30 p.m.

Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay)

Friday, February 22

Kaukauna City Hall

144 W 2nd Street, Kaukauna

2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Ashwaubenon Village Hall

2155 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Representative LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) and Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee)

Friday, February 22

West Granville Presbyterian Church (6935 North 107^th Street, Milwaukee, WI)

6 p.m. 

Representative Romaine Quinn (R-Barron)

Monday, February 25

Cumberland

Cumberland Public Library

9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Shell Lake

Shell Lake Arts Center

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Rice Lake

Rice Lake Municipal Court

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Cameron

Cameron Public Library

5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green)—Joint Finance Committee Member

Friday, March 1 with Rep. Tony Kurtz, 50^th Assembly District
9-10 a.m.                     Mauston City Hall Council Chambers
                                    303 Mansion St., Mauston, WI  53948
 
1-2 p.m.                       Reedsburg City Hall Council Chambers
                                    134 S. Locust Street, Reedsburg, WI  53959
 
Monday, March 4
10-11 a.m.                   Darlington Municipal Bldg. - Council Room
                                    627 Main St., Darlington, WI  53530
 
12:30–1:30 p.m.          Monroe Public Library – Upstairs Program Room
                                    925 16th Ave, Monroe, WI  53566
 
Monday, March 11 with Rep. Travis Tranel, 49^th Assembly District
10:30-11:30 a.m.         Schreiner Memorial Library – Community Room Two
                                    113 West Elm St., Lancaster, WI  53813
 
2-3 p.m.                       Linden Municipal Building – “Senior Citizen Room”
                                    444 Jefferson St., Linden, WI  53553
 
Monday, March 18 with Rep. Tony Kurtz (50) & Rep. Travis Tranel (49)
10:30-11:30 a.m.         Brewer Public Library – “Story Time Room” in basement
                                    325 N. Central Ave., Richland Center

Representative Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee)

Wednesday, February 27
Waukesha Public Library
Community Room
7-8pm
xxx
Wednesday, March 27
Sussex Public Library
Quad/Graphics Room
7-8pm
xxx
Wednesday, April 24
Pewaukee Public Library
Community Meeting Room
7-8pm

Legislative Council Committee Votes to Introduce CSF Study Committee Legislation

Representative Terry Katsma (R-Oostburg) presented the StudyCommittee on the Investment and Use of the School Trust Funds’ final report and recommendations to the full Joint Legislative Council Committee this morning. He told Committee members that he was “somewhat disappointed that we weren’t able to increase the returns” for the Common School Fund.  

The Legislative Council Committee voted unanimously to introduce the two draft bills authored by the Study Committee, which will now be given bill numbers and move through the typical legislative process. They are:

1    LRB 0438-1, which increases the length of terms that banks can make loans to municipalities from 10 years to 20 years.

2    LRB 0848-2, which gives SWIB the ability to invest Common School Fund dollars in the same manner as BCPL in the event that BCPL chooses to delegate some investment authority to SWIB.  

Representative Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) said she noticed in the final report that there were a couple of items that the Committee couldn’t come to consensus on and asked if they had any recommendations related to those topics. Representative Katsma told her that BCPL is already using some new investment strategies, like putting funds into a smoothing account, and that the Study Committee wanted to see how that develops.

The full recommendation by the Study Committee reads as follows. The Study Committee on the Investment and Use of the School Trust Funds:

• Appreciates the importance of the school trust funds to fund beneficiaries.
• Supports the goal of ensuring intergenerational equity through increasing the returns on the funds.
• Recognizes the value of recent legislative changes relating to the investment of the funds.
• Acknowledges that implementation of these changes is ongoing.
• Recommends that the Legislature further study issues relating to the investment of the funds, in consultation with beneficiary groups, once information on the results of the changes becomes available for study.

Study Committee on BCPL, Common School Fund Releases Its Final Report

The Study Committee on the Investment and Use of the School Trust Funds has released its final summary report.

The report outlines the Committee’s final recommendation and the two draft bills they voted to approve. It also provides a description of each of the meetings they held and the feedback they received from invited speakers, including WEMTA. 

This report will be given to the Joint Committee on Legislative Council.

WEMTA members outside the State Capitol after presenting to the Study Committee