LARSON Weekly Report - March 22, 2012

State Senator Chris Larson - 7th District

Dear Friend,

Check out my floor speech from the final day of session. You can also continue reading for updates on redistricting maps, our health safety net, and the new member composition of the State Senate.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or opinions you may have about our community or our state.

Sincerely,

Chris Larson
State Senator, District 7
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Using Power for All the Wrong Reasons
During this legislative session, Republicans controlled all branches of Wisconsin's government. They held a majority in both houses of the Legislature, maintained power in the Office of the Governor, and had a 4-3 advantage in the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, rather than choosing to use their newfound power to better our state through job creation and economic development to get Wisconsin moving in the right direction, Republicans instead wasted this opportunity by opting to pursue an extreme ideological agenda.

The numbers do not lie. While the nation has added jobs every month for 17 straight months and neighboring states all posted job gains this past year, Wisconsin has fallen tragically behind under Governor Walker's leadership. A new nationwide report released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Wisconsin lost 12,500 jobs from January 2011 to January 2012, more than any other state over the past year. In fact, Wisconsin is one of only six states to lose jobs in the past year, and our job losses are more than three times higher than the next state on that unfortunate list.

Click here or on the video below to watch my floor speech from the final day of session.

This session has also been about picking winners and losers. In order to help the big corporations and special interests further their backwards agenda, Governor Walker and Republican legislators have sacrificed Wisconsin’s jobless, children, and women. To provide big corporations with $2.3 billion in tax giveaways, Governor Walker cut $1.6 billion from neighborhood schools that educate our children. Governor Walker also chose to create a $196 million slush fund with little oversight, while making over $1 billion in cuts to our health safety net being used by children, displaced workers, and the elderly. Then, to make up for increasing spending by over $1 billion in his budget compared to the previous one, Governor Walker cut funding for basic women's health care, shared revenue for local governments, public transit, and recycling and stewardship programs.

We will examine the effect of the 2011-2012 Legislative Session on our state and local community in more detail next week.
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Courts Rule Republican Redistricting Maps Violate Voting Rights Act
Earlier today, a three judge panel confirmed that Republicans crafted unconstitutional legislative maps. According to the judges, the maps for Assembly Districts 8 and 9 violate the federal Voting Rights Act because of how they minimized the voice of minority voters. The Legislature has been ordered to quickly redraw the maps as elections are fast approaching. My Democratic colleagues and I stand ready and willing to work to fix the maps so voters are not disenfranchised.

Click here to view a copy of the judges' decision.

The redistricting process employed to develop these illegal maps illustrate why Wisconsin should look into changing its current redistricting model. In the most recent redistricting process, Republican legislators spared no expense to hire attorneys with $400,000 in taxpayer money to craft a secret plan to protect their jobs and create a one-party monopoly in Wisconsin for at least the next decade. Shortly after passage of the redistricting maps, a legal challenge was filed.

In September, a federal three-judge panel was assembled to hear the challenge. The panel, two of whom are Republican appointees, includes J.P. Stadtmueller of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Diane P. Wood of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Robert M. Dow Jr. of the Northern District of Illinois.

Republicans introduced several legal motions attempting to keep the process used to craft the maps secret. Not only did the three-judge panel rule against these attempts, but they issued a scathing opinion saying the following: "Quite frankly, the Legislature and the actions of its counsel give every appearance of flailing wildly in a desperate attempt to hide from both the court and the public the true nature of exactly what transpired in the redistricting process."

It is unfortunate that Republicans let the power get to their head and ultimately created a bill to disenfranchise those they have sworn to serve. I will continue to keep you updated on the details of this issue as they unfold.
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Office Phone: (608) 266-7505
Toll-free Phone: (800) 361-5487

Email: Sen.Larson@legis.wi.gov

Mailing Address:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707

Web Site:
SenatorChrisLarson.com