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I am pleased announce the
passage of Assembly Bill 260, legislation that will improve the working
relationship among local units of government. AB 260 encourages cooperative
agreements on zoning issues between towns and cities or villages. This bill
passed the Wisconsin State Assembly on a bipartisan voice vote last week. As
a rural legislator, I feel it is important that we protect the interests of
rural communities and give them a real say in how lands are used. Town
leaders should not be shut out of zoning discussions. Their voice is
critical to smart land use planning, for both the growth of Wisconsin’s
economy and the protection of our natural resources.
AB 260 essentially reverses the controversial Supreme Court decision in Wood
v. City of Madison. The case overturned nearly 50 years of legal history,
giving cities or villages the ability to unilaterally deny approval of a
plat, a mapped plan that determines land use. Since the Supreme Court
decision in 2003, there have been less than five boundary agreements between
cities or villages and towns. AB 260 limits city and village authority to
traditional platting and land division powers, giving town government a more
significant role in land planning. This is something that township leaders
and the Wisconsin towns association have fought hard for and I am pleased we
have taken this action. AB 260 will help level the playing field between
cities or villages and towns in land use debates.
I was also pleased to support and vote for the IRA Reform Bill, which adopts
federal tax policy to allow people of all income levels to convert a
traditional individual retirement account (IRA) to a Roth IRA, penalty-free.
This legislation also enables investors to contribute the maximum federal
amount to their retirement accounts without additional charges. With
Wisconsin’s middle class families still struggling to make ends meet, it’s
only right that we take action to protect the savings they’ve worked so hard
to set aside for retirement. By eliminating penalties Roth IRA conversions
will help Wisconsin families secure their financial futures.
The IRA Reform Bill also makes several important changes to the state tax
code that will help military families make ends meet by allowing them to
make withdrawals from IRAs and health flexible spending accounts without
penalty, when called to active duty.
Finally, I also supported the creation of the New Markets Jobs Credit, which
targets support to businesses in poverty-stricken communities across the
state. This program is modeled after a federal program that has a track
record of success in growing businesses and creating jobs. We’re on the
cutting edge, with the New Markets Jobs Credit. This innovative program -
one of only a few in the nation - will make Wisconsin more attractive to
investors, driving hundreds of millions of dollars in capital to small and
mid-sized businesses. Investments equal growth - and greater opportunity for
Wisconsin workers.
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