LARSON Weekly Report - March 8, 2012

Dear Friend,

This week the Senate voted unanimously to continue working on mining legislation in the Joint Finance Committee. Continue reading for more about our legislative efforts to increase mining opportunities in Wisconsin.

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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Mining Bill Sent to Committee for Additional Work
After narrowly rejecting a partisan amendment, the Senate voted unanimously (33-0) to continue working toward a responsible ferrous mining compromise by referring the mining bill back to the Joint Finance Committee this past Tuesday.

It was clear on Tuesday that Democrats stand ready to pass a comprehensive overhaul of Wisconsin's mining laws to bring economic opportunity to the state while safeguarding our environment. It is unfortunate that Governor Walker and Republican legislators spent the first year of session stripping away the rights of Wisconsinites and passing policies that led to six straight months of job loss. As a result, they have left the important issue of increasing mining jobs in Wisconsin until the last minute, which has significantly hampered progress on this complicated issue.

The process employed to get mining legislation to the floor has been anything but typical and most certainly rushed. Last month, Senate Republicans decided to eliminate the Senate Select Committee on Mining created to serve as an open forum to debate the proposal. Another unfortunate side-effect of dissolving this committee, is that all but one of the public hearings in the affected community were cancelled, which limited the ability of our northern neighbors to have their voices heard on this issue.

In the last couple weeks, several other mining proposals were put forward. One of these is a bipartisan bill that will give prospective companies the necessary tools to create much-needed jobs across the state. This bill was authored by Republican Senator Dale Schultz and Democratic Senator Bob Jauch based off of testimony they heard during a public hearing they held while visiting the proposed mining area. This bipartisan compromise addresses all the concerns raised publicly by interested companies while also ensuring that we continue our valued tradition of stewardship. After looking for a proposal that best reflects our Wisconsin values, I signed on in support of this thoughtful proposal. It respects our workers, prospective businesses, and culture of conservation.

We still have the opportunity to move Wisconsin forward by passing legislation that will make our state an attractive investment for all mining companies. It is time to end the mine games. A majority in the Senate are prepared to pass a responsible, long-term compromise. If a bill is not adopted before the legislative session ends on March 15, we must continue to strive for the passage of a bipartisan bill. We cannot let Governor Walker’s failed leadership continue holding us back from the rest of the country in terms of job growth and economic development.

Click here to view a copy of the bipartisan mining compromise to increase mining in Wisconsin.
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National Trend Catches Up to Wisconsin
It is uplifting to hear that Wisconsin is finally starting to experience some of the national up-tick despite Governor Walker's job-killing policies. The Department of Workforce Development estimates that Wisconsin added approximately 12,500 jobs for the month of January. It will be interesting to see what Governor Walker claims as his role in this achievement, given that in the past he took credit for favorable job numbers, but then was quick to point the finger when Wisconsin experienced six straight months of job loss.

Although current job estimates for January are promising, today’s revised numbers for the past year were worse than estimates and confirm that Wisconsin did in fact lose thousands of jobs in 2011, which is deeply troubling. I will continue to keep you updated on this important issue and remain committed to doing what I can on behalf of our neighbors and our community.
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Milwaukee Democrats Fight for MATC
Earlier this week, the Senate took up Senate Bill 275, legislation originally drafted to change the member composition of all technical college boards throughout Wisconsin. This bill was expected to die in committee, but gained legs after it was altered at the 11th hour to only apply to Milwaukee.

If Senate Bill 275 was truly a positive change for the state, it would have been applied to all communities, not just ours. Additionally, it is concerning that the process employed to discuss this issue was not open and there was no dialogue with Milwaukee Area Technical College. The version of Senate Bill 275 that came before the Senate for a vote never got a public hearing. Additionally, the bill's authors never met with the president, board chair, or appointment committee chair for Milwaukee Area Technical College. Such actions leave many of us wondering what the real motivation were in pushing for this bill.

Fortunately, Senate Democrats were successful in pursuits to have this bill amended. Had Senate Bill 275 been adopted without these amendments, all nine members of the Milwaukee Area Technical College district board would have been removed and replaced. The new board created under the bill would instead be composed of the Washington, Ozaukee, and Milwaukee County Executives, as well as the Milwaukee County Board Chair. It also would have made it impossible for four current members to reapply under the newly created rules. This would have meant a board that is less democratic and less representative.

The proposal would have also disproportionately increase the power of communities that have few students attending Milwaukee Area Technical College and invest relatively little in the school, while decreasing Milwaukee's overall authority and input. This version of Senate Bill 275 would have empowered Washington and Ozaukee Counties with 50% of the appointment authority, despite the fact that these two counties combined provide Milwaukee Area Technical College with less than 20% of its overall funding. Milwaukee County, on the other hand, is responsible for over 80% of Milwaukee Area Technical College's funding and the majority of its students, yet it would have only gotten 50% of the appointment authority.

Another anticipated consequence of passing Senate Bill 275 prior to it being amended on the floor, is that changing the composition of the Milwaukee Area Technical College Board would have likely caused the school's two television stations to lose their licensure from the Federal Communications Commission. This would have been a tremendous loss for our local community and those looking to learn valuable skills for future employment.

The future economic success of our state is highly dependent on the quality of our technical schools and their ability to help train our next generation of workers. It is important that we start making them a priority and begin investing in these institutions.

Click here to view a copy of Senate Bill 275 as amended.
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Allowing Veterans IDs for Voting
This past Tuesday, a Dane County Circuit Court Judge issued a temporary injunction on Wisconsin's new law requiring voters to show a photo ID. This decision will prevent the law from being implemented while the court continues with a hearing to determine the constitutionality of the bill, which is one of the strictest ID laws in the country.

Voting is a fundamental constitutional right. As you may know, the challenged law would require Wisconsin voters to show photo identification when deciding to exercise this right. One form of identification that remains notably absent from the list of acceptable forms of photo identification are veteran ID cards.

Democrats attempted to correct this issue during the debate on Assembly Bill 7 by authoring an amendment that would allow veterans ID cards to be used by voters as proof of identification. Unfortunately, this amendment was rejected without consideration.

I heard from one of our neighbors after the recent primary election who was upset that even though he fought hard to protect our democratic right to vote, he was not allowed to use his veterans ID card as proof of identification for voting purposes.

In order to correct this injustice, I am cosponsoring Senate Bill 553, legislation that will add veterans cards to the list of acceptable forms of identification that can be presented when voting. Veteran Affairs Cards are issued by the Veterans Health Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. These cards contain both a name and photo of the individual.

Voting is integral to the democratic process and those who have given so much to preserve our democracy should be able to participate. While the courts decide if the new law restricts our right to vote so much that it must be stricken, I will continue doing what I can to usher Senate Bill 553 through the legislative process to ensure our veterans can vote using their veterans ID card.

Click here to view a copy of this legislation.

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