Larson Weekly Report - Part II, July 26, 2012

Dear Friends,

With balance restored to Wisconsin's   Legislature, it's time for committees to get to work on furthering   bipartisan, job-creating initiatives. Continue reading for more   information about the newly restructured committees.

I also encourage you to find me on   Facebook and Twitter for timely updates on legislative activities.

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

Drought Conditions   Linger in Wisconsin
Neighbors everywhere have continued to   struggle in our prolonged drought. The heat plaguing our community, the   state of Wisconsin, and the rest of the country still shows no sign of   letting up. Temperatures remain in the mid-90s after our community was hit by a stretch of triple-digit temperatures around the Fourth of July holiday. While some areas have seen small amounts of rain, these brief reprieves have not been enough to avoid severe consequences for our state and neighbors.

Many of us have seen the impacts of the drought in our front yards as   our grass slowly becomes dry and dormant. However, Wisconsin's farmers   have been the hardest hit and their losses ultimately stand to affect all of us. As rainfall in our area becomes scarce, farmers are unable to provide crops with the water needed to grow. Some farms in the area have seen crop losses as high as 40%. The struggles for our crop farmers has   created a ripple effect for the rest of Wisconsin's agricultural community. As crop farmers have less corn to sell and fields everywhere have dried up, livestock farmers have also had to make tough choices.   These conditions will likely leave some livestock farmers unable to feed   all their animals forcing them to sell off some of their livestock.
  
Agriculture plays a vital role in our economy. The industry makes up 10% of the Wisconsin workforce and generates over $59 billion in economic activity each year. The economic losses caused by this drought will undoubtedly be a huge blow to our   state and send our economy backwards.
  Governments at all levels have taken action to cope with the heat. The federal government has taken notice of hardship brought to Wisconsin by   the drought and upgraded Wisconsin’s drought classification to “severe.”   This classification acknowledges that crop loss and water shortages are   likely. State government has also taken action by declaring a state of emergency and requesting financial support from the federal government.   This declaration will make it easier for farmers to try to divert water   from lakes and streams to salvage what little crops they have left. Local communities have also stepped in by placing water usage restrictions on residents meaning that for now, lawns and plants will go without being watered.
  
Less predictable weather and more significant weather events, like this drought, are definite symptoms of climate change. As we do what we can to help our farmers recover, we also need to tackle the root causes of such climate change. I will continue to update you on this important and far-reaching topic as more information becomes available.

Ask Chris
 I   often have neighbors contact me looking for my perspective on various   local and state issues. I very much appreciate our neighbors' questions and want to dedicate a portion of my newsletter to common questions that I hear to maintain an open dialogue. Please continue reading for this week's question.
  
Q: I heard that the Legislature is   out of session until January 2013. So what can be done to create jobs and further economic development in our state now?
  
A: The Legislature concluded its 2011-2012 Legislative Session in mid-march of 2012. In years past, that   means that the Legislature will not meet again as a body until session   resumes. The Senate and Assembly will still be able to hold public hearings seeking input from neighbors, but cannot vote on legislative proposals until January 2013.
  
There are some exceptions to this rule:
1). The governor could call the   Legislature to meet in a special session that focuses on bills needed   immediately on such important issues as job creation and economic development.
2). Both houses of the Legislature could pass a resolution calling for an extraordinary session, allowing them to work on any legislative initiatives that they and their constituents deem important.
  
While   it is atypical for the Legislature to go into a special or extraordinary session, our state continues to struggle with trying   to get our family, friends, and neighbors back to work. During times of economic depression, we need leaders to acknowledge that we cannot simply continue to follow the status quo, and instead need to take extraordinary action. Republican legislators and the governor have already acknowledged that our state is failing compared to others in the nation, which is why they opted to hold two special sessions during the 2011-2012 Legislative Session.

Unfortunately, these sessions did not do enough to create immediate jobs for Wisconsinites. Just last month, Wisconsin lost another estimated 11,700 private sector jobs and the unemployment rate rose to 7%, according to the state Department of Workforce Development. Clearly, we have more work in-store to get Wisconsin's economy moving in the right direction. My Democratic colleagues and I urge the governor and leaders of the Assembly to join our efforts and hold a special or extraordinary session to get Wisconsin working.