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It has been an honor for me
to have been elected by the people of the 91st Assembly District to serve as
your State Representative. Replacing former Rep. Barbara Gronemus was not an
easy task and she certainly left me with big shoes to fill. This is not to
mention the economic downturn which made our state budget ever so difficult
and the need to deal with constituents who are in need of state services
during this difficult time. It is been a busy time for me to take office.
I have been pleased to serve the people of the 91st Assembly District in a
non-partisan fashion reaching out to Republicans, Independents, and
Democrats both here at home and in Madison to find the best ideas. I have
been able to author several bills this session. I am pleased to point out
that my bills all have both Republican and Democratic co-sponsors. I feel it
is important that if you have a good idea, you should be able to sell it to
people in both parties. I am pleased to have achieved that goal this
legislative session. I want to take this opportunity to discuss with you
some of the bills which I am currently attempting to move through the
Wisconsin Legislature:
AB 269: Known as the “Police Protection Act,” this bill would update the
current legislative statute by which a person is penalized for resisting or
obstructing a law enforcement officer and causing that officer bodily harm.
Under the new law a person causing serious bodily injury to a police officer
may be charged with a felony.
AB 241: “The Retail Crime Deterrent Act” was introduced in order to combat
activity known as “Organized Retail Crime” (ORC). Unlike shoplifting, where
the thieves usually work alone and steal items for personal use, ORC
involves teams of two or more who steal merchandise from retailers with the
intent to resell. These teams work by distracting the sales staff, stealing
small but expensive products, and usually leaving undetected. The Wisconsin
Grocer’s Association estimates that ORC costs Wisconsin retailers $631
million annually. The bill would put Wisconsin’s felony threshold in line
with Minnesota and Illinois to ensure that Wisconsin’s retailers are not
targeted due to week prosecution standards.
AB 743: This bill requires the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection (DATCP) to process applications for farmland preservation
agreements that were submitted before July 1, 2009, using the laws that were
in effect before that date. The requirement that covered land be in an
agricultural enterprise area would, therefore, not apply to these
applications. This legislation was devolved in partnership with Trempealeau
County’s Department of Land Management. I want to take the time to thank
Judy Betker, Trempealeau County’s Farmland Preservation Specialist for her
leadership on this issue.
AB 628: This legislation offers legal conditions under which farmers will be
able to sell unpasteurized milk. Farmers will be required to obtain a
license from the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
and adhere to regular testing in order to sell the product. In addition,
every bottle must be clearly labeled as unpasteurized and include both the
producer’s name and license number and all sales must be done on site,
rather than through stores or distributors.
As the legislative session comes to a close, I wanted you to know about some
of the legislation I have been working on. If you have any ideas for future
legislation do not hesitate to contact my office. It is always great to hear
from my constituents and it is an honor to serve as the State Representative
in the 91st Assembly District.
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