Recent Assembly Happenings Jan 25, 2008

Rep Hintz wants Public Defenders to be more accessible to low-income individuals. According to Hintz's release: The legislation would update the SPD’s financial eligibility criteria to be the same as that of the W2 program (except the SPD criteria limits the asset exclusion for a home to $30,000, and takes the cost to hire an attorney into account). Under the new eligibility requirements, the SPD would be able to provide legal representation in about 15,400 additional cases per year. Additionally, the new requirements would ultimately eliminate the liability for counties to provide counsel to people who do not qualify for SPD representation.

Rep Kaufert wants mandatory breathalyzers attached to your ignition for all repeat drunk driving violators. They would need to breath into it before being able to start the car and randomly while driving.

As many other sources have already told you, Rep Carol Owens is stepping down after 16 years of government service. You can read her release here. Rep Owens, like Rep Roth, would not respond to questions from this site, because she would only provide feedback to constituents in her district and we may or may not have had an address in her region. Hopefully the next official in the 53rd will be more open to disclosing their opinions and positions. Good luck in retirement Carol. This local site linked here didn't care much for Owens.

The Oshkosh Northwestern interviewed Rep Hintz and State Sen Roessler on their response to Doyle's state of the state address. The entire interview can be found here. Really not much is said, but here is one statement from each:

• Hintz, when asked if anything was left out of Doyle's address: "..one thing that was missing was campaign finance reform. We seem to be closer to getting our governor’s attention when he called for a special session and we certainly still have time this year to act. I’m a little bit disappointed that we haven’t heard anything about campaign finance reform. It’s just because to me one of the biggest issues that needs to be addressed in Wisconsin. I think the support is there from the public."


• Roessler, when asked about Doyle's Health Care proposal: "my first comment is that it puts a further nail in the coffin of the Senate Democrats Healthy Wisconsin proposal. The governor continues to not support that proposal. What he did talk about is that the public cares about disclosure, how much they are paying for and they want to see those costs and who is performing the service. They want to be more in charge of it, consumer driven. The governor is now talking about the involvement of consumers and again, the Democrat majority simply want to pour more money in it and raise the money and then have a board determine what the benefit plans are going to be. A board of absolute generalists and no one from the medical community and on and on.A government operated health care system and government run system is costing $15 billion in taxes on our workers and employers is not the way to go. Now, the first that I heard of BadgerChoice is tonight. It is all about the cost. I agree with the governor that it is all about the health care cost. He said something there that it is the cost. He is the saying the same thing that we republicans have said for months when we came up with Healthy Wisconsin that it is about the cost. I do not know really the particulars about this plan. This is the first that I heard of it tonight."

The "Labor Chicks" are back to life, with early endorsements of any Democrat that will run. According to the site, they would support "Any Democrat who will do a good job in the 53rd Assembly district. All you have to do is be able to stay awake during Assembly sessions and you will be doing better than the incumbent. " Oddly naive - this blind Dem support at any cost leads one to endorse Chuck Chvala over Bob Lafollete. Not everyone has to like Bob.

Rep Roth and friends have introduced a bill that would require the Legislative Fiscal Bureau to prepare report to be released to the public for 48 hours before the Joint Committee on Finance, the Assembly, or the Senate can approve a budget bill. The report will bring to light all earmarks, including the cost, location, beneficiary, and requesting representative or senator. Their press release can be found here.

Rep Kaufert sponsored a resolution paying tribute to former state assembly rep and WW2 decorated veteran Richard Steffens, who passed away Jan. 2.

Hintz on Budget

From Hintz's website:on October 23, 2007:

Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) issued the following statement following tonight’s passage of the 2007-2009 State Biennial Budget by the Wisconsin State Assembly:

“The Republican Leadership decided that the best way to compromise was to borrow, use one-time funding, and accounting gimmicks to fund ongoing programs. There are important programs in this budget that deserve state support, but these programs require reliable revenue sources.”

“The current Legislature has dug a hole for the next budget by returning to Thompson-era style budgeting I campaigned against. It is no longer acceptable to vote for irresponsible budgets that fund expanding programs with one-time and potentially declining revenue.”

“I worked hard to make sure this budget includes funding for the UW-System and the first phase of the Growth Agenda, a six-year plan that will be meaningless if we can’t sustain our state’s commitment in future budgets. Starting the next budget with an estimated $892 million structural deficit in an uncertain economy makes the challenge that much harder.”

“I am hopeful state government can identify savings in this biennium that can be used to reduce our future debt.”

The 2007-2009 budget includes a $25,000 aquatic invasive species grant to treat weeds in Miller’s Bay as well as a $25,000 grant for neighborhood improvement, both which utilized existing state program funding.

“While the state continues to turn its back on cities like Oshkosh with no increase in shared revenue and unreasonable attacks on local control, I felt it was important to find other ways to secure funding for these important projects for Oshkosh.” ###


Gordon, the criticism of the Republican leadership speaks in generalities. Although you may be right, it would be more interesting to know what specific proposals you opposed and why. After all, you were only 1 of a few Dems who opposed the final budget, despite it including these things you state you fought for. Unfortunately, if you did provide this type of in-depth look into your positions and reasoning, you'd probably be the only state rep doing it.

Throw a Pie at Hintz

If you are available Wednesday, November 28, you can pay a few bucks to throw a pie in Gordon Hintz's face. Event is at Fratellos in Oshkosh, between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Proceeds go to the Oshkosh United Way. Rumor has it Rep Hintz will be dressed as Kry Tuff, his air guitar alter ego.

Rep Roth won't be present, but the Milwaukee JS did throw a pie at his immigration proposal, calling it " Just Counterproductive" while a letter in the Capital Times stated the following:

What the legislators (Rep Roth and State Sen. Glenn Grothman ) are truly attempting is to fuse the notions of "immigrant" and "dangerous criminal." Their campaign is based on deception and confusion, which only promotes fear, division and confrontation within our own communities.

Kaufert and State Budget Process

This column from Rep Kaufert appeared in Appleton PC on 11/23/07. This first half of the column is at best simple partisan ragging and ineffective negative rhetoric, which does little to promote dialogue or discussion amongst anyone not already deep within the camp.

The second half of the column includes recommendations on improving the state's troubled budget process. Many of the proposals are intriguing, and some are common sense - such as prohibiting political contributions during the budget process.

According to Kaufert:

"...I'll be exploring these proposals and concepts in the future for possible legislation:

Pay and per diems would be withheld from legislators until a permanent budget is passed.

All other legislative bills and proposals will be frozen until a budget resolution is passed. No bills will be allowed to be drafted, passed or have a public hearing.

Pass language that takes non-fiscal policy out of the budget.

Hold steady timelines requiring state agencies to submit their budgets by Sept. 15 of the prior year and that the governor must introduce his budget on the last Tuesday of January.

Explore the possibility of moving the state's fiscal year end date back by one month to Aug. 1 in odd years.

Adopt Assembly Bill 61/Senate Bill 25, which bans state elected officials from accepting political contributions during the budget process."

A response letter in the Oshkosh Northwestern questioned Kaufert's integrity and support of the measures he is offering here:

I read with great interest, Representative Dean Kaufert's laundry list of proposals to reform the budget process. What I would like to know is where these reforms were the last seventeen years that Dean has been in the Assembly?

This is not the first time the budget process has broken down while Rep. Kaufert has been in the Assembly. In fact it happened twice, in 1997 and 1999. It wasn't until the fall of those years that the legislature finally approved a budget. Where were these reforms then? Or, where were they just a few years hence when Rep. Kaufert co-chaired the powerful Joint Finance Committee and wielded enormous influence in the budget-writing process?

It's easy to stand on the sidelines, knowing your influence has waned, and armchair quarterback problems like the budget process. Rep. Kaufert knows his reforms will go nowhere. He can "champion" reform and pose for holy pictures, knowing full well he can score political points without changing the system that worked so well for him when he has been in power. I guess for Rep. Kaufert he can have his cake and eat it, too.

James Reiland, Menasha

The Appleton Post Crescent endorsed much of what Kaufert said here.

Roth, Owens, and Illegal Aliens

Reps Roth and Owens are sponsors of AB569, legislation intended to seemingly protect the local policies that have been adopted in communities across the state in an effort to gain political clout by pushing the hot-button issue of immigration. This is an example of when elected politicians ignore significant issues within the state and the departments they "rule" over, and instead attempt to create the illusion that there is an issue regarding a controversial topic that will potentially provide them with political gains.

According the the LRB:

This bill prohibits a city, village, town, or county (political subdivision) from enacting or enforcing an ordinance, resolution, or policy that prohibits an employee of that political subdivision from inquiring about the immigration status of an individual who is seeking or receiving public services provided by that political subdivision and from notifying the federal government of the presence of illegal aliens in the political subdivision.

The bill also authorizes an elector of a political subdivision to file a writ of mandamus with the circuit court to require compliance with the requirements created by the bill if the elector is aggrieved by the failure of the political subdivision to comply with the requirements.

Kaufert and Assembly Budget

The Milwaukee JS covered the republican led assembly budget proposal. According to the piece,

At least one Republican - Rep. Dean Kaufert of Neenah - said he is not sure if he can support the Assembly budget. Kaufert said he was disturbed that both Republicans and Democrats crafted their budgets behind closed doors and "loaded" them with pork and policy items that should be dealt with separately.

"The no-tax-increase budget is a laudable goal, but if you're not going to be upright and upfront and you're going to utilize accounting gimmicks to get there, I don't know if that's what my constituents want me to support," he said.

Read the piece here.

Even the crazies are questioning him for his position.

Hintz on Petri

The local Democrat entourage showed up in a New York Times piece on the upcoming Petri race. According to the piece:

Hintz even attempted to invert one of the credentials that has given Petri cross-party appeal, his willingness on occasion to break with the Republican line. Hintz argued that Petri, despite his seniority, has long been overlooked for leadership positions in his party. “He’s out of touch with Republicans,” Hintz contended. “He’s a 1979 Republican. He comes from an era where parties worked together more.”

Hintz also offered that a Petri retirement can’t be ruled out, saying, “Anyone that has been a career politician as long as he has, you hear rumors.”

Read the article here.

Owens, Roth on Employee Discrimination

Reps Owens and Roth are sponsors of AB 30. According to the LRB:

This bill specifies that it is not employment discrimination because of conviction record for an educational agency to refuse to employ or to terminate from employment an individual who has been convicted of a felony and who has not been pardoned for that felony, whether or not the circumstances of the felony substantially relate to the circumstances of the particular job.

On May 16, the assembly passed AB 30 with all four Winnebago Assembly Reps voting in favor.

This bill joins a list of recent proposals from the Assembly that seek to weaken the protections of ex-felons. While is some cases the results of this bill may be reasonably effective, note that these employers are already legally able to deny employment if the crime is at all related to the employment position.

The issue with the continual assault on common societal protections for ex-felons is that we create an ever-increasingly difficult atmosphere for an ex-felon to succeed in. To the extreme, we create a class of individuals who are long-term reliant on taxpayer-funded social welfare programs and who are more likely to re-offend. Of greater significance, we suggest that our corrections system is entirely inadequate of addressing the needed protections of society while assisting their service population in becoming safe and productive members of society.

Of course it is always unfavorable to oppose legislation that negatively impacts an un-liked population. In addition, it is unlikely that AB30 by itself would cause negative effects in many cases.

UW Oshkosh instructor, author, and convict criminology expert Stephen Richards has impressive credentials that likely exceed most of those in the state Assembly (See Here). He also is an ex-con who spent 4 years in prison. Yet he is doing some of the most impressive and innovative work in Wisconsin (Listen to his interview with UW Oshkosh instructor Tony Palmeri). While we want to ensure that our society is safe and protected, we also want to make sure that we strive to harness the positive potential of everyone. We want to ensure that an ex-felon who is committed to following the law, who works hard, and who positively contributes to society will be welcomed and supported. We also want to make sure that when our lawmakers are discussing emotionally and politically driven topics as with AB30, they are consulting with knowledgeable people like Steven Richards.

Republican Party and Emergency Contraception

The website Playground Politics has a piece on the Emergency Contraception issue, calling it the Death Knell for the Republican Majority. The legislation has been moved to the Judiciary and Ethics Committee, which is chaired by Rep Mark Gundrum (Republican - West Salem) According to the piece:

"If the Republicans refuse to move it out of committee and bring it to the floor, you can be assured that the Democrats will attempt a pulling motion at some point. There will be a roll call vote on this bill. The Democrats will need 50 votes on the first try - just a simple majority - to pull the bill to the floor for a vote."

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, "(Representative Mark) Gundrum told the Wisconsin State Journal he would not hold a hearing on the bill."

Local Winnebago County website Babblemur also covered the issue, stating that "Gundrum must be in a pretty safe district to exercise such “compassionate conservatism” for rape victims."

Analysis - See previous posts ONE and TWO on this issue.

AB377 is important legislation that serves the interests of victims of rape. This bill guarantees the rape victim access to important information on how to legally, safely, and effectively prevent the possibility of an unplanned and unwanted conception. This is a needed guarantee, and we commend Representatives Kaufert and Hintz for co-sponsoring this legislation.

Candidate Time

It is almost the season when the politically-minded, the wealthy businessmen, the socially disgruntled, and the principled idealists begin considering a run for state office.

A few requirements to challenge for a State Assembly Representative seat:

- Representative to the Assembly is elected in the Fall General Election and serves a 2-year term starting the first Monday of January. Candidates must be a resident for one year within the state and a qualified elector* of the district at the time of taking office.

- Qualified elector is defined in s.6.02, Stats., as a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, who has resided in the election district for at least 10 days before any election at which he or she offers to vote (and who is not disqualified by virtue of one or more of the impediments described in s.6.03, Stats.).

- No person may hold any state or local elected office in Wisconsin if the person has been convicted of a felony in any court in the United States unless the person has been pardoned of the conviction. No person may have his/her name placed on the ballot for any state or local elected office in Wisconsin if the person has been convicted of a felony in any court in the United States unless the person has been pardoned of the conviction. (Article XIII, Section 3 (2), (3), Wis. Constitution)

For information on the requirements for registering and running a state assembly campaign, visit the following website on the Wisconsin State Elections Board Website: http://elections.state.wi.us/subcategory.asp?linksubcatid=423&linkcatid=527&linkid=295&locid=47

In addition, check out these fine resources:

- The Legislative Process in Wisconsin

- The Wisconsin Blue Book

- Resources for Legislators

- How to Become and Effective Legislator

- A Guide for Legislative Leaders

- Legislative Spotlight from the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau

Kaufert and Emergency Contraception

Although none of the 4 representatives seem too interested in publicly sharing their positions with non-main stream media and none of them provided their position on Emergency Contraception when asked (see a previous post which was followed by email request), Dean Kaufert is now listed as a co-sponsor of the Assembly Bill, as is Gordon Hintz.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal on 5/27:

Three Assembly Republican have signed on as co-sponsors and two key anti-abortion groups are officially neutral on the legislation -- a factor that led to the wide margin of support in the Senate.

"This is going to put more pressure on the Assembly leadership now that there's at least three Republicans supporting it," said Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, one of the GOP co-sponsors. "It's different from the whole abortion discussion because we're talking about rape."

Assembly and Emergency Contraception

On Wednesday, the State Senate passed a resolution (SB129) that would require hospitals to provide information about and access to emergency contraception for rape victims. The bill passed 27-6, including support from Sen Ellis and Sen Roessler.

According to the Women's Alliance for Women's Health, "Emergency contraception (EC) is an FDA approved form of contraception that is also known as the “morning after pill.” It is an extremely time sensitive drug that works for up to 120 hours, but is most effective if used within the first 12 to 24 hours
following unprotected sex, birth control failure or sexual assault. EC does not affect an existing pregnancy, and should not be confused with the “abortion pill,” also known as RU486. "

For a detailed review of emergency contraception, read this report from staff at Princeton.

According to Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, "A 2006 study found that 66% of Wisconsin emergency rooms fail to provide access to EC to rape victims."

The only group to lobby against EC was Pro-Life Wisconsin. According to director Peggy Hamill, “The Wisconsin Senate has shamefully ignored the fate of embryonic children by forcing Wisconsin hospitals to dispense a known abortion-causing drug to vulnerable women. In so doing, they have trampled upon the conscience rights of hospitals in blatant disregard of our federal and state constitutions which guarantee freedom of religious expression and liberty of conscience.”



I will send the following questions to our 4 Assembly Representatives to assist them in distributing their public opinions, support, and/or opposition to this.

Dear Representative,

Please answer the following questions regarding the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill.

1. What are the positive points of the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill?

2. What are the negative points of the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill?

3. Without access to EC, what other avenues for support and assistance do you believe are available to rape victims that adequately address the situation?

4. Do you support a proposal similar to SB129? Why or Why not?

Hintz statement on Budget

Rep Hintz has issued the following piece on the budget. I strongly encourage a critique and suggestions for additional priorities and critical assessments of the budget, as much of the content below relies heavily on Democratic party talking points. In addition, I also encourage reference to past budget activity and legislative priorities.

I will again request a statement on the budget from Reps Roth, Kaufert, and Owens, and will quickly post their statements if I receive a response.

From Rep Hintz (Verbatim):
__________________________________

State Budget Process Needs Your Input

In my first two months in the legislature, I have met with many individuals and organizations. Although there are many issues confronting the legislature, our primary challenge is adopting the 2007-2009 state budget.

Every two years the Governor proposes a budget to fund our state government for the next two years. This is the beginning of the budget process. Over the next few months, the legislature will consider what programs are worth funding, how much should be spent, and where that money should come from. By now you have seen headlines and heard radio and TV spots highlighting the programs, costs, and potential impacts of the proposed budget. The size and complexity of the state budget can be overwhelming. But the decisions and programs included in the budget affect all of us and it is important to understand what is being proposed.

During the campaign, the issues I heard most about were often local (garbage fee) or national (the Iraq War). Yet over the next two years Wisconsin is budgeted to spend more than $27 billion of our general fund tax dollars on programs, many of which impact us directly. Over the next few months, I will be soliticiting your input. After all, this is your state budget.

Some of the decisions we need to make as a state include:

Can we afford to provide health care to all children and the uninsured? The Governor has made an ambitious proposal to cover all children and increase eligibility for childless adults. The funding for this proposal comes from an increased assessment on hospitals, a tax on tobacco, and increased federal matching funding.

How much should the state spend on K-12 education and what is proposed budget’s impact on the Oshkosh Area School District? Many of the challenges our school district faces on spending, closing schools, and revenue caps are affected by decisions made by the legislature. Is the proposed funding for K-12 education in Wisconsin enough to provide quality education in Oshkosh and to keep property taxes under control?

How much should the University System and UW Oshkosh receive? For the first time in several budgets, there is a significant increase in funding for the UW system, including money to support UW-Oshkosh’s Growth Agenda and increased financial aid.

What is the cost of tracking sex offenders and hiring additional DNA crime lab analysts and how much should we spend? There has been increased attention on how to effectively deal with sex offenders as well as the need for additional DNA analysts in our state crime labs. This budget includes increased funding for both of these.

How should we pay for highways? For years, Wisconsin’s gas tax automatically increased with inflation, leading to steady funding for a quality transportation system, but it also created the second highest gas tax in the U.S. The legislature repealed the automatic increase last year and the Governor has proposed taxing oil company profits to pay for the additional highway infrastructure.

What is the best way to pay for state services and what can we afford? The Governor’s budget does not increase the income or sales tax, but does increase fees and other taxes on cigarettes, hospital and oil company profits, while providing a number of targeted tax cuts and exemptions.

Decisions on what programs to fund and whether we can afford them will require more than the opinion’s of legislators. It will require the feedback of people such as you. I will be hosting several public forums to discuss the state budget and I really hope that people will attend to ask questions and provide comments. If you cannot attend, you are always welcome to contact me directly.

The first forum will be held on April 5, from 7pm to 9pm at the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Avenue in Room A & B.

__________________________________

Kaufert, Owens, & a WI Death Penalty

From the Milwaukee JS on 3/28/07 regarding the reintroduction of the death penalty in Wisconsin:

"Republican Sen. Alan Lasee (R-DePere), who as president of the Senate over the last two years made sure the advisory vote was on the Nov. 7 ballot, is the chief Senate sponsor of the bill; the Assembly lead sponsor is Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah)."

It seems there is a strong push for death up here in Winnebago: Introduced by Senators A. Lasee and Roessler; cosponsored by Representatives Kaufert, F. Lasee, LeMahieu, Owens and Gunderson.

The killing would take place by lethal injection (see here too).

See the bill here.

Suspending the Rules

For the second time in consecutive Assembly meetings, Republican Assembly Representatives have attempted to suspend procedural rules by eliminating the third reading of a proposed resolution. See here and here.

The rule (Assembly Rule 40 - 1) states that:

Every assembly bill, and every senate bill received by the assembly for consideration, shall receive a reading on each of 3 separate and nonconsecutive legislative days under the appropriate order of business designated in rule 31 (general procedures).

This rule is in place to ensure thorough discussion and evaluation of proposals, both by the legislature and by the public. If there is a certain urgency that exists that warrants by-passing this rule, neither of these two cases meet it.

Let us all just follow the rules.