I am pleased to announce that a number of my bills have moved one step closer to becoming state law.
Both the state Senate and Assembly held floor sessions this week to consider and pass more than 100 legislative proposals, seven of which I authored:
Since December when I prayerfully made the decision to run for La Crosse County Board in District 20 I have worked very hard to do the 'grunt' work that is necessary to build momentum. As of this article, I have knocked on over 1000 doors and personally spoken with hundreds of voters. I feel very blessed to report to you today that this campaign has exceeded all the goals that we set out to achieve and now we are well positioned to achieve the most important goal: winning the election.
A recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed that in 2022, Wisconsin lost nearly 10% of farms and 30% of dairy farms from 2017. This is incredibly concerning as our state and the nation rely on Wisconsin farmers for many nutritional food items, most notably dairy products such as milk and cheese.
In late 1997, I started working at Family Research Institute of Wisconsin. It was a small operation but had considerable impact, especially in the state legislature. In the first year I was with the organization I did research, wrote copy for various needs, processed gifts, answered phones, attended public hearings, and in general did whatever was needed. I have somewhat jokingly said to people that we pretty much ran the 3-person organization out of a shoebox!
This week, I was able to visit with businesses, law enforcement, and constituents in La Crosse and have productive discussions about how we can continue working together to improve the lives of folks in Wisconsin’s Third District.
I started off my day by meeting with Josh Neumann, a local realtor. We had a great discussion about strengthening real estate opportunities and supporting realtors in the area.
I was proud to wrap up session with a bill that will go a long way in providing our nation’s heroes with the care they need in a more timely manner.
With some limited and targeted exceptions to the state's civil service process and weekly pay to employees providing direct care to our veterans, we're cutting the unnecessary red tape to get nurses and CNAs hired to care for our veterans at our state-run veterans homes.
The La Crosse County Board of Supervisors needs a new voice to represent the voters and taxpayers in District 20 who would bring both responsible and common-sense solutions to issues that face the county, while passing on the savings in tax relief to the taxpayers.
For the last three years, Secretary Mayorkas, the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has willfully refused to enforce federal immigration laws, abused his parole authority, repeatedly lied to Congress, and unleashed millions of illegal aliens and deadly drugs into our communities.
I have been extremely critical of him from the beginning when the Biden administration paused deportations, stopped border wall construction, and ended Remain in Mexico on their first day in office.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key inflation index, came in hotter than expected at 3.1% in January and is up 17.9% since President Biden took office. This skyrocketing inflation has caused American households to spend $11,434 more annually to maintain the same standard of living as they did in January 2021.
In President Biden’s economy, Americans are spending more and getting less. With no clear end in sight, it’s understandable that folks are concerned about how they will continue to afford these inflated prices on groceries, gas, and everyday necessities.
I am honored the state Senate passed two of my bills this week that focus on generating more jobs in Wisconsin.
The first, SB 880, clears the way for Agristo, an international potato processing company, to construct a facility in Stevens Point.
The proposed plant would be Agristo’s first in North America and is expected to create 150 well-paying jobs and bring an investment of nearly $50 million to Central Wisconsin. Agristo is also planning to support local farmers by purchasing an estimated 20,000 acres of potato crop per year from Wisconsin producers.
This week, Republicans in the Legislature passed the district maps that Governor Evers proposed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I have always said it is the job of the Legislature to determine the maps, not the courts. This should be a win for both sides, as it ends the millions being spent on this redistricting lawsuit, yet not a single Democrat spoke on the floor and all but one voted no.
One of my top priorities as Chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee is increasing educational access and career opportunities for veterans. The Third District is home to Ft. McCoy, one of the largest Army Reserve installations in the country, and I often hear from Reservists that their inability to utilize the same tuition benefits as other GI Bill beneficiaries can result in a heavy financial burden should they wish to pursue higher education.
