List of Upcoming Town Halls with State Legislators

In addition to the upcoming Joint Finance Committee hearings, many state legislators are holding town halls in their districts. Here is a list of upcoming town halls that we are aware of; attending a town hall is a great way to build a relationship with your local legislator!

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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State Representative Andre Jacque (R- De Pere)

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5:00 PM-6:00 PM Two Rivers City Hall Council Chambers, 1717 E. Park St., Two Rivers

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State Representative Amanda Stuck (D-Appleton)

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5:30 PM-7:00 PM Elisha D. Smith Public Library, 440 First St., Menasha

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State Representatives John Spiros (R-Marshfield) and Bob Kulp (R-Stratford)

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5:30 PM-7:00 PM Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library, 105 S Maple Avenue, Marshfield

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State Representative Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point)

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1:00 PM-3:00 PM Portage County Library, 1001 Main St.,  Stevens Point

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March 21

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State Senator Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa), Representative Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield), Representative Rob Hutton

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6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Brookfield Public Safety Building (2100 N. Calhoun Rd in Brookfield)

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State Representative Dave Considine (D-Baraboo)

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5:00 PM-6:30 PM Woodshed Ale House, 101 Jackson St., Sauk City

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State Representative Andre Jacque (R- De Pere)

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5:00 PM-6:00 PM Wrightstown Village Hall, 352 High St., Wrightstown

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State Representatives Cody Horlacher (R-Mukwonago) and Scott Allen (R-Waukesha)

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6:30 PM-7:30 PM511 Division St., Mukwonago

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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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March 23

State Representative Romaine Quinn (R-Rice Lake) & State Representative James Edming (R-Glen Flora)

6:30 PM-7:30 PM: Chetek City Hall Council Chambers, 220 Stout St., Chetek

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State Representative James Edming (R-Glen Flora)

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10:00 AM-11:00 AM Rib lake Village Hill, 645 Pearl St., Rib Lake

12:30 PM-1:30 PM Hawkins Area Library, 709 Main St., Hawkins

3:00 PM-7:30 PM Winter Town Hall, N4680 County Road W, Winter

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State Representative Amanda Stuck (D-Appleton)

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6:00 PM-7:30 PM Appleton Public Library-Meeting Room A, 225 N. Oneida St., Appleton

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State Representative Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) & State Senator Fred Risser (D-Madison)

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5:00 PM- 7:00 PM Arts Center, Oakwood Village, 6205 Mineral Point Rd.,Madison

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March 27

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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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State Representative Rob Summerfield (R-Bloomer)

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5:30 PM-6:30 PM Lake Holcombe Town Hall, 26179 275th St., Lake Holcombe

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March 30

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State Representative Dave Considine (D-Baraboo)

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5:30 PM-7:00 PM The Ball Room, 112 E Cook St.,Portage

April 1st

State Representative Romaine Quinn (R-Rice Lake)

4:00 PM-5:30 PM Barron City Hall, 1456 East La Salle Ave., Barron

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April 3rd

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State Representative Andre Jacque (R- De Pere)

6:00 PM- 7:00 PMFrancis Creek Village Hall, 200 Norwood Drive, Francis Creek

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April 7th

State Representative Romaine Quinn (R-Rice Lake)

6:00 PM-7:30 PM Rice Lake City Hall, 30 E Eau Claire St., Rice Lake

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April 8th

State Representative Romaine Quinn (R-Rice Lake)

10:00 AM-11:30 AM Clear Lake Community Center, 560 5th St. NW, Clear Lake  

April 10

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State Representative Andre Jacque (R- De Pere)

5:30 PM-6:30 PM Lawrence Town Hall, 2400 Shady Court, De Pere

April 17

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State Representative Andre Jacque (R- De Pere)

3:30 PM-4:30 PM Denmark Village Hall, 118 E. Main St., Denmark

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April 18

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State Representative Andre Jacque (R- De Pere)

6:00 PM -7:00 PM Mishicot Village Hall, 511 E. Main St., Mishicot

Joint Finance Public Hearings on the State Budget

The Joint Finance Committee public hearing schedule on the state budget is now final! Attending a public hearing on the budget is a great way to talk about school library and technology needs. 

Here are the official dates and locations:

JFC PUBLIC HEARINGS FINALIZED

• Monday, April 3 - UW-Platteville, Platteville
• Wednesday, April 5 - State Fair Park, Milwaukee
• Friday, April 7 - Berlin High School, Berlin
• Tuesday, April 18 - Spooner High School, Spooner
• Wednesday, April 19 - Ellsworth High School, Ellsworth
• Friday, April 21 - Marinette High School, Marinette 

Assembly Passes State Treasurer Resolution; Referendum Set for April 2018

The Assembly passed AJR2/SJR3 this afternoon on a bi-partisan vote of 68-31.  A statewide referendum will be held in April 2018, and Wisconsin voters will get to decide whether or not the state treasurer position is officially eliminated.

Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), a co-author of the proposal, has repeatedly promised that if voters ultimately decide to keep the office, he will draft a bill to restore the state treasurer’s duties, many of which have been transferred to state agencies over the years.

Both Schraa and the current State Treasurer Matt Adamczyk issued statements praising the move.

Schraa Statement:  Amendment to Delete State Treasurer Passes

State Treasurer Adamczyk: Thanks Legislature for passage of SJR 3.

SJR3 Passes Senate 18-15

Senate voted 18-15  to approve SJR3, which deletes the state treasurer from the constitution and adds the lieutenant governor to the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL).

Senate Democrats offered an amendment which would have added the state superintendent to the BCPL instead of the lieutenant governor, which was tabled in a 13-20 vote. Following the tabled amendment,  Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison) urged to vote against SJR 3, calling into question its constitutionality. Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) argued against SJR3 as it would impact checks and balances and the integrity of the BCPL.

SJR3 passed the Senate, 18-15. All Democrats voted against as well as Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls)and Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield).

The full Assembly will vote on AJR2 on Thursday, March 9^th. If passed, voters will decide in a statewide referendum in April 2018.

Assembly and Senate to Vote on State Treasurer Resolution Next Week

Both houses of the legislature will vote on AJR2/SJR3, the resolution to eliminate the state treasurer, next week!

The Senate will vote on Tuesday, March 7 and the Assembly will vote on Thursday, March 9.

Once both houses have passed AJR2/SJR3, a statewide referendum will take place in April 2018 and voters will get to decide whether or not to eliminate the state treasurer and add the lieutenant governor to the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.

It is absolutely critical that you contact your State Senator and State Representative before the votes take place next week and ask them to vote “no.”

Here are some things you can say:

1.    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.

2.    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.

3.    Instead of eliminating the State Treasurer’s office, the Legislature should restore the treasurer’s duties (transfer the unclaimed property fund and other duties back to the state treasurer).

4.    This proposal saves NO taxpayer dollars—the state treasurer is paid entirely with Program Revenue from the unclaimed property fund.

See WEMTA’s testimony for more details about the BCPL and Common School Fund.

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.

Assembly Committee Votes 8-4 to Advance AJR2

The Assembly Committee on State Affairs voted 8-5 yesterday to approve AJR2, which deletes the state treasurer from the constitution and adds the lieutenant governor to the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL).

Committee Democrats offered an amendment to the bill, which would have added the state superintendent to the BCPL instead of the lieutenant governor.  Representatives Hesselbein (D-Middleton) and Ohnstad (D-Kenosha) spoke in favor of the amendment, referring to Tia Nelson’s testimony and the call for a separation of powers.

Representative Gannon (R-Slinger) spoke against the amendment, calling it interesting and suggesting it be considered in the future but said he would vote against it simply because it would delay the process of amending the constitution. Constitutional amendments must pass each house of the Legislature in identical form during two consecutive sessions. Since the Legislature already approved the proposal in 2015-16, any change to AJR2 during this session would require the Legislature to take another vote in 2019-20.

The amendment failed 4-8.

The Committee voted 8-4 to send AJR2 to the full Assembly, which will vote March 9^th.  After the Assembly votes next week, the only step left in the legislative process is for the full Senate to vote. If the full Legislature passes AJR2/SJR3 this session, voters will decide whether or not to eliminate the state treasurer in a statewide referendum to be held in April 2018.

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/