Issues
Agriculture
Our farmers need our support. Over the past 40 years we have seen a huge change in our agriculture industry. The average age of farmers is increasing and the average size of farms is increasing. And yet, it is harder and harder to make ends meet. Many of our district's farmers are relying on off-farm income to make ends meet.
Wisconsin must help family farmers stay competitive in an ever changing landscape.
Big Tech
Wisconsin’s energy costs are the second highest in the Midwest. At a time when folks are struggling to make ends meet, that is unacceptable. I was glad to see the most recent state budget eliminate all sales tax on utility bills, but we have to do more. I voted to support a data center moratorium at the County level and would be happy to do the same at the state level.
Bipartisanship
I’m proud of my record as the most bipartisan legislator in Wisconsin. I believe neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, which is why I cosponsor an equal number of democratic and republican proposals every session. I don’t care if it’s a democratic idea or a republican idea, if it’s a good idea I’ll support it.
Childcare
It costs more to put a child in childcare than it does to send a child to college. That’s not sustainable and we need to make some serious changes. This session we expanded the business development tax credit to make it more enticing for businesses to partner with childcare centers. But that’s just the beginning, next session we will need to reinstate the Child Care Counts program.
Education
Wisconsinites value education, yet our public schools have been repeatedly starved of much needed revenue and support. We must provide teachers and staff with the resources they need. We must provide children with the public education they deserve. And, we must provide Wisconsinites property tax relief. Next session, I will work with parents, teachers, advocates, and my colleagues, to prioritize public school funding. The legislature must do its part to fund our public schools.
Environment
Wisconsin’s natural resources need to be protected. This past session we finally passed and had signed into law landmark legislation to fund PFAS cleanup and remediation. But there is more to do to ensure our air and water are clean. I look forward to supporting proposals next session that do just that.
Gas and Groceries
Food prices continue to climb with little to no relief, in fact, ground beef is up 23.3% this year alone. And the uncertainty at the Federal level caused by tariffs is not helping anything. This past session I supported a number of proposals to bring down the cost of food including grants to increase farm to fork production and grants to buy local. Next session I will be redouble the efforts to get these bills passed along with passing proposals that ban corporations from using algorithms to jack up their prices. Roughly one in ten families are skipping meals because they can’t afford them. That’s unacceptable, we have to do more to bring down costs.
Healthcare
A recent study found that more than a third of people are skipping medical appointments because they can’t afford them. That’s unacceptable, and we need to make major changes and make them soon. This session we passed legislation to improve the drug repository program in our state to make prescription medication more affordable for those who desperately need it. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. I cosponsored legislation to create a Badgercare public option. This will allow everyone to buy a health plan from the state rather than a private insurance company. By cutting out the middleman we can cut costs substantially. Next session we are going to get it done.
Housing
The average age of a first-time home-buyer has risen to almost 39 years old. Young people are being priced out of the market. I’m proud of the work I’ve done to support loan programs to increase workforce housing including main-street rehabilitation grants and funds to transition empty big box stores into workforce housing. But more needs to be done. I’ve supported proposals to help first-time home buyers with their down payments, and proposals to encourage more housing being built which would ease the supply and help bring down costs. Lastly, we need to ban venture capital firms from buying up our houses. Houses in our community should be owned by those who live here.
Income and Property Taxes
According to the Tax Foundation, Wisconsin ranks in the bottom half of states for competitiveness of income taxes. We can do better than that. I was proud to see the income tax cuts included in the budget signed into law, but that is just the beginning. I voted to support the deal negotiated between the legislature and governor that would have sent a tax rebate to most Wisconsin taxpayers and would have eliminated taxes on tips and overtime. Unfortunately, that deal fell through. I have called on the Governor to bring us back into special session so we can get these additional cuts passed now. Wisconsin can’t wait.
This past year saw the largest jump in property taxes since 2018. At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet we can and must do better. That’s why I voted to support the deal negotiated between the republican leaders of the legislature and the governor to increase funding for our schools and cut property taxes. While the deal wasn’t perfect, something is better than nothing, and folks need help now. I have called on the Governor to bring the legislature back into special session and not let us leave until a deal has been reached. We cannot afford to wait for another year to solve this problem.
Law Enforcement & Local Government
Last session we took an important step in updating the State’s shared revenue formula. This is the formula that provides state money to municipalities so they can afford to pave roads and staff their public safety departments. This was a huge first step, and I was proud to vote fore the bill, but we need to now take the next step. Our municipalities need more funding to ensure that our police and fire departments are fully staffed.