SWWAP

Mt. Horeb Area Dane County Supervisor Pat Downing, submitted the following Resolution to the Dane County Board. It admonishes SB-249, which if enacted would surverly limit local authority to regulate non-metalic mining. Thanks Pat! RES. 13-14 OPPOSING LIMITATIONS TO LOCAL CONTROL REGARDING NONMETALLIC MINING, AIR AND WATER QUALITY, AND HIGHWAY DAMAGE AND USE CONTRACTS The expansion of industrial sand mining and processing in western Wisconsin raises significant local public health, economic, environmental, and quality of life issues. These are issues that require vigilance and action on the part of local governments, yet a bill pending in the Wisconsin Legislature would limit local control in a number of ways. Wisconsin Senate Bill 349 has been introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature to restrict local governmental authority to regulate nonmetallic mining and to limit certain governmental powers. This bill prohibits local governmental units from 1) imposing restrictions related to water or air quality and water quantity; 2) requiring monitoring of water or air quality and water quantity; 3) establishing or enforcing a standard of air or water quality; or 4) issuing permits related to water or air quality and water quantity. Senate Bill 349 also removes the power of a county to administer an air pollution control program with requirements that are consistent with or stricter than those in relevant state law. The bill prohibits a county from enacting or enforcing a nonmetallic mining reclamation ordinance that requires an operator to obtain a permit other than a reclamation permit, includes a standard of air or water quality, or is more restrictive than Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources standards. Highway use is also addressed in this bill. SB 349 prohibits counties from imposing any fee or other charge on a highway user for damage to highways caused by the highway user unless the county has entered into a contract with a highway user to reimburse the municipality or county for the cost of repairs to a highway that meets certain specific requirements, including a requirement that the proportion of damages caused specifically by the highway user must be determined by an engineer selected by the user and the county and paid equally by the user and the county. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Dane County Board of Supervisors supports local control of nonmetallic mining and opposes SB-349 and any state legislation that would preempt the ability of towns and counties to craft their own regulations tailored to their individual circumstances. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to Governor Walker, Wisconsin DNR Secretary Stepp, and the Dane County legislative delegation. ___________________

What's Old Is New!Fighting Bob Returns To Haunt Corrupt Government On Friday October 25, our area's first Progressive, Fighting Bob La Follette (channeled by Brian Standing) Returned to the State Capitol to haunt those corrupt legislators whose allegiance is to big money and not the peoples business. A great portion of the speech is as, or more relevant today, then when LaFollette spoke the words in Mineral Point Wisconsin on July 4, 1897. Fighting Bob LaFollette 1897 Speech as Relevant Now as it Was Then.Many Thanks to Marietta Gribb for costuming, Rep. Sondy Pope for arranging the Assembly Parlor space, Art Lewis and Nicole Desautels for video production, Lisa Nunez for audio production and Brian Standing for his outSTANDING delivery! This event was organized by SWWAP and is being shared widely.

Mark your calendars For an Important SWWAP event, Friday October 11 with music by The Raging Grannies, Ken Lonquist, and Cris and Anne Plata. Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's Mike McCabe and Sondy Pope will also be at this event. DON'T MISS IT! images/October_event_revise_FB.jpg

Action Alert: Open Record Law The Center For Media and Democracy wants to see documents about Vukmir's participation in a conference sponsored by American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The CMD says Vukmir introduced a piece of model legislation there that the public ought to know about. See Background information Here.Action Alert: Contact the Department Of Justice. Let them know that Legislators are not exempt from Open Records Laws. U.S. Mail: Wisconsin Department of Justice P.O. Box 7857 Madison, WI 53707-7857 Phone: (608) 266-1221 Fax: (608) 267-2779 Mt. Horeb Area State Senator Jon Erpenbach writes on the subject: "I find it amazing that, in the defense of a conservative organization, Attorney General Van Hollen now claims that a Legislator should not be required to comply with an open-records request for emails. This is the opposite of his stance two years ago, when a conservative organization sued me in an attempt to gain an unprecedented level of personally identifying information from emails sent to me by constituents. At that time, I sought the advice of Attorney General Van Hollen, who is a Constitutional officer sworn to represent the Legislature without prejudice. He refused to provide any counsel other than to tell me to acquiesce to the conservative organization's request." "The Attorney General's actions regarding Senator Vukmir and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are blatant partisan and political actions. They are an embarrassment to his office and to the Department of Justice. Senator Vukmir is certainly entitled to her defense against the lawsuit for her open records denial; what I simply find unbelievable is the partisan level of representation by a Constitutional officer sworn to represent the Legislature without prejudice. If you are protecting ALEC, the Attorney General will jump to represent you, but if you are protecting citizens he apparently cannot be bothered."*Statement on Defense of Senator Vukmir in open records lawsuit 9/12/2013 A well written letter to A.G. Van Hollen, from SWWAP supporter Susan Michetti. Why not contact the AG, and your representatives as well. Let them know, the legislature is not immune to open record requests. Attorney General, State of Wisconsin POB 7857 Madison WI 53707-7857 Fax 608 267 2779 9-19-2013 To Whom It May Concern: All elected officials in the State of Wisconsin are subject to the open records laws and clearly must comply with these laws, including WI Senator Vukmir. These open records laws were specifically enacted to apply to ALL elected officials within the State, particularly State and local politicians, as well as to all meetings or gatherings where a quorum of any public decision-making entity in the entire decision-making process exists at any time and/or at any place, regardless of location, intention, and/or status of legal announcement. Exemptions used in the past almost always were applied to sensitive personnel information. Senator Vukmir clearly does not have a special exemption. The enforcement of open records laws must be consistent, persistent, fair, and applied across the playing field in a non-partisan way. Anything less is unfair and is an indicator of some form of nepotism or of favoritism. Uniquely, Senator John Erpenbach was told by your office that he had to comply with open records laws and was instructed to turn over all constituents’ emails without redacting personally identifying information. Senator Erpenbach complied with this order from your office. Senator Vukmir is not above the law nor exempt from it. The documents being requested are not about sensitive personnel matters and must be released by Senator Vukmir. Since the law pertained to Senator Vukmir’s peer Senator Erpenbach, it logically applies to Senator Vukmir. The open records laws must be enforced consistently, persistently, fairly, and equally with the lack of any appearance of selectivity for any reason, particularly partisanship. To the extent that these laws are not enforced consistently, persistently, fairly, and equally without any appearance of selectivity and/or partisanship, that is the extent to which malfeasance of office and to which negligence of public trust occurs in this concern. Moreover, I find it unacceptable in the computer age that no “public email” address exists for the Attorney General’s office. Letter writing is a secondary method of communicating for those who do not have internet access. The fax method of communicating is also secondary and is used primarily by offices of business entities, NGOs, and government agencies; it is used much less often by individual citizens because it is more cumbersome. The absence of a “public email” address would, in effect, close down the major pathway for citizen input. In effect, the lack of a “public email” address shuts out a large number of citizens who would have otherwise written to your office on this issue and other issues. This presents an obstacle blocking the path of action that requires extra energy to go around and get beyond it. A representative democracy functions best with maximum transparency, openness, and facilitation of information released to the public arena as well as of expression and input by the public to those who are the elected or appointed representatives or surrogates for them in government and whom hold such offices in order to make decisions for that very same public. These surrogates representing the public are not elected to office to hide their decision-making from the public when citizens or journalists want this information. Balanced and fair free exchange requires the lack of obstacles and requires that all are treated equally without special preference. This requires the lack of extra steps that slow down First Amendment rights which are Constitution- guaranteed federally to not be abridged by obstacles, such as extra steps or sanctions that generate intimidation. This requires that the ability of citizens as well as journalists must be open and transparent in order to obtain facts documented or operating in the background impacting decision-making by elected officials. This requires openness and transparency to all citizens and journalists without undue limitations that abridge their First Amendment rights. This requires the ability of citizens and journalists to express themselves without undue limitations that abridge their First Amendment rights throughout all aspects of public governance, particularly at the State level. I ask you immediately to require Senator Vukmir to release her documents without redaction in their entirety, as requested, and to sanction her for any failure to meet the timeline required by the open records laws. We need to protect openness and transparency in Wisconsin’s governance in order to protect the best interests of the public and of the State from corrupting influences. I would hope as Attorney General that you would agree this.

Your Representatives Speak Out OnCapitol Crackdown On Peaceful Assembly Assembly Representative Sondy Pope writes: "Our often absent Governor is again out of the state he was elected to serve as he flits from fundraiser to fundraiser trying to build the case for his own presidential aspirations. Meanwhile back home he has left his Capitol Police Chief, David Erwin, with a questionably hefty pay increase and orders to silencethe voices of the last vestiges of his open opposition, the Solidarity Singers. The Republican Legislators continue to move his radical agenda forward as they avoid hearings on meaningful redistricting legislation, push for even more voter suppression, fail to create much-needed family sustaining jobs, continue their war on women, deny healthcare, and divert education funds to private schools. Despite the grim circumstances, I look forward to an opportunity to bring change to Wisconsin in the next election. We must continue to move forward and the ballot is the vehicle of change. Keep talking, keep singing, and let's be the change we want in Wisconsin." State Senator Jon Erpenbach writes:" of a man who claimed to be an observor to police today. I once again ask Chief Erwin to be the bigger man and de-escalate the situation that he has created." http://laborradio.org/2013/08/brian-austin-from-cops-for-labor-says-he-supports-the-solidarity-singers/ images/18.jpg Mt. Horeb Area Assembly Rep. Sondy Pope, with constituents Cindy Johnson and Tim White at the daily sing along. Photo by and thanks to Lisa Wells.

Your Representatives Speak Out On Capitol Crackdown On Peaceful Assembly Assembly Representative Sondy Pope writes: "Our often absent Governor is again out of the state he was elected to serve as he flits from fundraiser to fundraiser trying to build the case for his own presidential aspirations. Meanwhile back home he has left his Capitol Police Chief, David Erwin, with a questionably hefty pay increase and orders to silence the voices of the last vestiges of his open opposition, the Solidarity Singers. The Republican Legislators continue to move his radical agenda forward as they avoid hearings on meaningful redistricting legislation, push for even more voter suppression, fail to create much-needed family sustaining jobs, continue their war on women, deny healthcare, and divert education funds to private schools. Despite the grim circumstances, I look forward to an opportunity to bring change to Wisconsin in the next election. We must continue to move forward and the ballot is the vehicle of change. Keep talking, keep singing, and let's be the change we want in Wisconsin." State Senator Jon Erpenbach writes: "This is an alarming video of a man who claimed to be an observor to police today. I once again ask Chief Erwin to be the bigger man and de-escalate the situation that he has created." http://laborradio.org/2013/08/brian-austin-from-cops-for-labor-says-he-supports-the-solidarity-singers/ images/18.jpg

"Our often absent Governor is again out of the state he was elected to serve as he flits from fundraiser to fundraiser trying to build the case for his own presidential aspirations. Meanwhile back home he has left his Capitol Police Chief, David Erwin, with a questionably hefty pay increase and orders to silence the voices of the last vestiges of his open opposition, the Solidarity Singers. The Republican Legislators continue to move his radical agenda forward as they avoid hearings on meaningful redistricting legislation, push for even more voter suppression, fail to create much-needed family sustaining jobs, continue their war on women, deny healthcare, and divert education funds to private schools. Despite the grim circumstances, I look forward to an opportunity to bring change to Wisconsin in the next election. We must continue to move forward and the ballot is the vehicle of change. Keep talking, keep singing, and let's be the change we want in Wisconsin."

Join the Fun at the Mount Horeb High School Auditorium, Friday, October 11, as we Raise Money for Wisconsin's Campaign Finance Watchdog, The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign! images/October_event_revise_FB.jpg

As the Joint Finance Committee was finishing its work yesterday on the budget, the Assembly elections committee held a 7 hour hearing on a fast-tracked overhaul of the Wisconsin election system. Although the hearing was competing with Joint Finance for the attention of the media, the League's view of the bill was reported by Bruce Murphy in UrbanMilwaukee, by Associated Press and by The Progressive. Read the League's full testimony here. The Government Accountability Board implored the committee to “please slow down” on the omnibus bill which was introduced late Friday afternoon and rushed to the hearing Tuesday. No one knows how much this overhaul would cost because there has not been time to get a fiscal estimate. Yet the committee chair, Rep. Kathy Bernier, initially said the committee would vote on the legislation Thursday. The good news is that apparently enough concerns were raised to postpone that vote until next week. Assembly Speaker Vos said he intends the bill to go to the Assembly Floor this month.The bill: •Reinstates voter ID, with an exemption for people who are indigent, have religious objections to photo ID or lack documentation such as a birth certificate needed to obtain an ID. To claim the exemption, you would have to sign an affirmation and also take an oral oath with the chief inspector, in front of your neighbors at the polling place. Your ballot would be marked (compromising privacy of the vote) and may be challenged in a recount. Local election officials then would be charged with investigating and standing in judgment of whether you are poor enough or truly have a religious conviction.•Specifies that if poll workers neglect to have electors sign the poll book before receiving a ballot, then one ballot would be removed randomly at the end of the day for each missing signature. This penalizes voters (and likely not the ones who did not sign) for poll worker error.•Prohibits local clerks from offering early voting hours in the evening or on weekends to serve their constituents. Voters may seek to make an off-hours appointment, but it has to be with the clerk her/himself, not a staff member. By treating all municipalities equally, the bill does not treat voters equally. Some clerks serve hundreds of voters and others thousands.•Bans the use of proof-of-residence documents displayed electronically on a smart phone or pad.•Doubles the number of nominees sent to the Governor for appointment to the GAB, upsetting the checks and balances intended to maintain a nonpartisan board and allowing more leeway for political appointments.•Makes it more difficult for individual citizens to vote, while removing restrictions on moneyed interests that wish to influence our Wisconsin elections.To view the hearing on WisconsinEye, click here. Two LWV Milwaukee County members testified in opposition to the bill: Mary Jo McDonald spoke from her individual perspective as a Chief Inspector at a polling place in Shorewood (scroll to the 5 hour mark in the recording), and Tish Minor spoke on behalf of NAACP-Milwaukee Chapter and Voces de la Frontera (see her passionate explanation of the problem with asking people to publicly swear they are too poor to have an ID at hour 5:11). Forward this email to others, so people will know about this fast-tracked bill! Find the League on Facebook!

(MADISON) Representative Sondy Pope (D-Cross Plains) and Representative Fred Clark (D-Sauk City) released the following statement regarding the rumored budget deal struck by Republican legislative leaders and Governor Walker for Wisconsin’s schools. “Expanding the unaccountable private school voucher program statewide is an ideologically driven decision that does not help improve the educational outcomes of Wisconsin students,” said Rep. Pope. “As recent peer-reviewed evidence has demonstrated (link), the ‘gold-standard’ studies we have relied upon to make decisions about the voucher program do not even begin to tell the whole story. If we were truly interested in improving student outcomes and helping drive achievement, we would be closing the failing schools already participating in the Milwaukee and Racine voucher programs.” “It’s sad to think that for the last four months, while the fourth graders have been visiting the capitol to learn about open government and our citizen legislature, well-paid lobbyists like former speakers John Gard and Jeff Fitzgerald were cutting deals behind closed doors to grease the skids for private, for-profit schools,” Rep. Clark said. “How are Republican legislators going to go back to their districts and explain to their voters that they caved to special interests and private schools instead of increasing support for their community schools?” “We have the opportunity to begin to restore the $1.6 billion that was taken from our public schools during the last budget,” continued Rep. Pope. “This decision is about priorities and it is clear that the Republican leadership would rather continue to grow the subsidy the state provides to private schools than the help the public schools that educate all of our children.” “This is no deal for Public schools,” said Rep. Clark. “This is the continuation of a downward spiral for public education that is destroying the fabric of Wisconsin communities. And it is especially tragic because it's so reckless, and completely avoidable. Our kids deserve better than to have their own schools essentially sold off to the highest bidders.” Contact: Rep. Sondy Pope 608-266-3520

A dangerous proposal is being fast-tracked in the State Capitol. An intrusion of the legislature upon the judiciary, AB 161 would damage the critical checks and balances which protect citizens from the abuse of power by one branch of government. Proponents of the bill complain that, currently, one judge elected by voters in one county is able to block implementation of a statute that was passed by the full legislature and signed by the Governor. They cite the injunctions on voter ID and parts of the collective bargaining law as examples. Yet that is why we have higher courts. If the state believes a judge has incorrectly blocked a law as unconstitutional, it may appeal the ruling and seek to reverse a preliminary injunction. In the case of voter ID, the state sought a stay of the injunctions from two circuit court judges, two appeals court panels and the state Supreme Court. A total of 15 judges and justices—not just one—declined to stay the injunctions. Thus a process already exists to appeal a preliminary injunction. It is not an easy process, nor should it be. Judges have to be able to block laws they deem to be in violation of the constitution. This bill could allow the legislature to pass unconstitutional laws without consequences. The Wisconsin Legislative Council, the legislature’s independent nonpartisan legal research service, has concluded that the proposed law may very well violate the state constitution Contact your state legislators and urge them to reject AB161 and its companion bill SB154. Click here to find your elected official’s contact info

images/Email_Header.gif Gov. Walker ran on a promise to create 250,000 jobs in his first four years as Governor. Many economists argued that this goal was likely to be reached with little lifting from Gov. Walker due to natural upticks in the economy. Yet, more than halfway through Gov. Walker’s first term, he is spectacularly failing to meet his own job creation standards and his flagship “jobs agency” – the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) – has become a national embarrassment. WEDC’s mismanagement and incompetence falls squarely on the Walker Administration because it was the Governor’s brainchild to privatize the Department of Commerce to create the WEDC. Where was the necessary accountability and oversight? A WEDC spokesman was hired despite being on the delinquent taxpayer list and owing tens of thousands of dollars to Wisconsin in back taxes. A recent audit by the Legislative Audit Bureau found WEDC employees used company credit cards and taxpayer dollars to buy Badger season tickets, alcohol and iTune gift cards. The audit revealed that WEDC repeatedly broke state law, lost track of millions of dollars in taxpayer funded loans, and did not establish proper reporting mechanisms to track taxpayer dollars. By all standards Gov. Walker’s jobs agency is in turmoil and its failures must be addressed in a bi-partisan fashion to ensure adequate oversight of taxpayer dollars and good-job creation for Wisconsinites. In Solidarity, Phil Neuenfeldt, President

In just a few years, Facebook, Twitter and other social media have changed the way we communicate. In doing so, it has also changed our world. The social media revolution is credited with expanding social causes, and even changing political power. On Wednesday May 15, at 7pm, the Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives will host a seminar on social media. The event will be held at the Mt. Horeb Community Center at 107 North Grove Street. The program will demonstrate how individuals and organizations can harness the power of the new media to better communicate within communities. Co-leaders Margarete Worthington and Dan McClain will give an interactive power point presentation, which is sure to stimulate ideas and discussion. Worthington serves as chair of the Marquette County Democrats and formerly ran for State Senate District 12. McClain is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin and an intern for Wisconsin Grassroots Network. Attendees of this "hands on" seminar are encouraged to bring their laptop computers. Signing up and maintaining social media sites will be covered as well as exploring power of social media within the realm of politics. The public is invited to attend at no charge. Donations will be accepted to help defray the cost of the event.

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Republican Senator Ron Johnson's unsuccessful threat to prevent gun regulation legislation from being considered in the U.S. Senate this week shouldn't be much of a surprise. The National Rifle Association despises gun regulation of any kind and Johnson had over a million reasons to side with the group to kill the gun registration bill, which ended up receiving overwhelming bipartisan approval from his colleagues. Turns out the NRA reported spending more than any other outside special interest group to support Johnson's 2010 election victory over incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold. Four dozen SuperPACs and nonprofit groups representing the Democratic and Republican parties and an array of powerful special interests reported spending $4.7 million in the Johnson-Feingold contest. The NRA was Johnson's biggest benefactor and also spent more than any other outside group on the list - $1.18 million - or 25 percent of the total.

images/WISDCHeaderLeft.jpgThe Wisconsin Legislature used to be full of Dale Schultzes. Now he is a rare bird,hunted by a mob of his political genus if not his species. If he seeks reelection, he will face a primary challenge. His sin? Being what almost all Wisconsin Republicans were in the not-so-distant past.I first encountered Dale Schultz in the early 1980s when he and another senator-to-be, Brian Rude, were aides to Senator Dan Theno, a Lake Superior-area Republican. I got to know Theno and his staff because the state assembly district of my boss, Representative June Jaronitzky, was nested in Theno's senate district. Our offices were in regular contact because of the overlap of constituencies. I had not seen or heard of Theno in years, before noticing a letter to the editor he wrote last month expressing opposition to the expansion of Wisconsin's private school voucher program on the grounds that handing out the public's money to help a few families pay private school tuition is an inappropriate government entitlement that also will inevitably lead to state interference in the operation of private schools. A classically Republican take on the issue; at least it was a Republican take until unthinking support for vouchers became a GOP litmus test. When I was an assembly aide for two legislative sessions, staffing at the Capitol was considerably thinner than it is today. State representatives shared aides. I worked not only for Jaronitzky, but also Bob Larson, a moderate from Medford, and Earl Schmidt, an old-school conservative from Birnamwood who went on to become a circuit court judge. Because Jaronitzky represented northwoods communities blessed with scenic beauty and not much else and thus heavily reliant on the tourism industry, she worked on legislation curbing acid rain and backed a statewide phosphate ban. Most notably, she became the first Republican lawmaker to join Madison's Mary Lou Munts in pushing for marital property reform. In the weeks leading up to passage of that landmark legislation, I was June's emissary at daily strategy sessions with Munts and women's rights advocates. Several years after I left the Capitol staff corps, it occurred to me that I was Jaronitzky's only aide and worked for her for two legislative sessions and I never knew her position on abortion. She didn't wear it on her sleeve, and it wasn't a litmus test the way it is today. There were pro-choice Republicans and pro-life Democrats. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria! Perhaps Larson's proudest achievement was teaming with fellow Norwegian and then-Assembly Speaker Tom Loftus to carve out an exemption for lutefisk in a bill creating tougher regulation of toxic substances including lye, which is instrumental in the making of the Norwegian delicacy. Larson's real passion was daily card games with fellow legislators like Dave Paulson and Brownie Byers. Schmidt was less gregarious than his officemate Larson. He was studious, serious, with an eye for the fine print in laws. A judge in training. None of them liked Democrats much, but they all could work with them. Like Dale Schultz can. The Capitol was full of Dale Schultzes back then, and it is a much worse place today now that he sticks out like a sore thumb.

Democracy Convention 2013 RegistrationAugust 7-11, 2013 • Madison, WisconsinPlan to participate in the next Democracy Convention. Join us in one of the U.S.A.'s most forward-looking cities for a gathering like few others. More than a conference, this convention will house multiple conferences at the same time.If you want to strengthen democracy where it matters most -- in our communities, our schools, our workplaces and local economies, our military, our government, our media, our constitution -- you will find something useful and inspiring at the 2013 Democracy Convention. Click Here For More Information & To Register Democracy Convention August 7-11, 2013 MADISON, WISCONSINRegister Now

From SWWAP Area Represenative Sondy Pope. To see a "Report Card" for any School District in the State, Go to http://reportcards.dpi.wi.gov/rc_districts images/883729_10200449078982017_855955482_o.jpg

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Governor Walker’s Budget Released: On February 20th, Governor Walker presented his budget proposal to the State Legislature. The biennial budget is the largest and most important bill the legislature will take up during the two year session. Deciding how Wisconsin’s taxpayer dollars are spent is usually a contentious process, but it gives the public a clear view of the priorities of our elected officials. The Governor’s 2013-15 proposed budget contains over $67 billion dollars of spending which is more than a billion dollars more that was spent over the 2011-13 budget, As we move further into the process I want to hear from constituents on what issues you think are the most important. Right now, the budget is still being evaluated by our non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB). In the meantime, the Department of Administration has prepared a brief summary (see link below) broken down by affected subject areas. Please be cautious using these documents as they are prepared by the Department of Administration (DOA) and are not necessarily complete or 100% accurate: http://www.doa.state.wi.us/debf/execbudget.asp I will be making an effort to keep you apprised of the budget process through these newsletters. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. images/Take_2.png Racing toward school privatization: Included in the Governor’s proposed budget is an increase and expansion of funding for private school vouchers. An additional $94 million dollars is allocated to increase per pupil voucher school payments, create a statewide special needs voucher program and expand the voucher program to any school district that meeting the following criteria: • More than 4,000 students enrolled • Two schools identified as "failing to meet expectations" or "meeting few expectations" on the new Wisconsin school report cards • Have 20 pupils from the district indicate they intend to participate For more information, please see my guest op-ed in the Capitol Times Click here to read the story! Ask Sondy: Q: Would it have cost Wisconsin any additional money this biennium to expand Medicaid? 

 A: No. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal government would have paid 100 percent of the cost for an expansion to Medicaid for the first three years (2014-2016) and no less than 90 percent after 2016. There is no language forbidding states from capturing federal dollars from 2014 to 2016 and dropping coverage thereafter for cost concerns. Additionally, under the current model, the federal government pays 60 percent for Medicaid and states pick up the rest. Unclaimed Property:

 The Office of the State Treasurer handles unclaimed property for the state. Last year, in the 80th Assembly District alone, there was over $1 million returned to more than 900 people. If you feel that you might have unclaimed property, you can search the State Treasurer’s website by following the link provided below: 

https://statetreasury.wisconsin.gov/UCPWeb/ucpsearch.aspx March is Music in our Schools Month!

 Music is an integral part of a complete education that helps many young children grow academically and personally. The arts need our continued support, and those participating in school arts programs deserve congratulations and appreciation. 

Many students will be getting the chance to perform concerts at the Wisconsin State Capitol over the next month to celebrate Music in our Schools Month. Here is a list of the dates and schools participating: 

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Governor Walker’s Budget Released: On February 20th, Governor Walker presented his budget proposal to the State Legislature. The biennial budget is the largest and most important bill the legislature will take up during the two year session. Deciding how Wisconsin’s taxpayer dollars are spent is usually a contentious process, but it gives the public a clear view of the priorities of our elected officials. The Governor’s 2013-15 proposed budget contains over $67 billion dollars of spending which is more than a billion dollars more that was spent over the 2011-13 budget, As we move further into the process I want to hear from constituents on what issues you think are the most important. Right now, the budget is still being evaluated by our non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB). In the meantime, the Department of Administration has prepared a brief summary (see link below) broken down by affected subject areas. Please be cautious using these documents as they are prepared by the Department of Administration (DOA) and are not necessarily complete or 100% accurate: http://www.doa.state.wi.us/debf/execbudget.asp I will be making an effort to keep you apprised of the budget process through these newsletters. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. images/Sondy_Pope_Signature.gif

A 22 mile open pit mine, in a sensative watershed, in one of the most scenic areas of Northern Wisconsin. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Click on the map and find out. images/Unknown-2.jpeg

What could possibly go wrong with a 22 mile open pit mine in a sensitive watershed in Northern Wisconsin. Click on the map and find out. images/Unknown-2.jpeg

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