Reps in the News: Oct. 23

Governor Scott Walker

On Oct. 16, Walker announced the appointment of Kyle Roskam as the incoming director of federal relations for the state of Wisconsin. Roskam will work on behalf of state agencies, members of the administration, and others to advocate for federal government-related policies that benefit Wisconsin residents. Roskam, a Green Bay native, worked for Congressman Ribble in Washington, D.C. as a legislative assistant and most recently served as Congressman Grothman’s legislative director. Former director of federal relations Wendy Riemann is leaving the administration to begin consulting work at 1492 Communications. Riemann served in the role for the past four and a half years, helping to bring about the needed St. Croix bridge legislation, convert Hwy. 41 to Interstate 41, mitigate the propane crisis, and protect the cranberry industry from burdensome regulations, among a host of other Wisconsin victories. Roskam began his new role on Oct. 15.

Source: Walker press release

Representative Reid Ribble

As you may have heard, the House Republican Conference is currently working through the process of finding a new Speaker of the House of Representatives following the news that Speaker Boehner intends to step down at the end of the month. While many in the media and in Washington have labeled this “chaos,” Ribble has led the charge in offering a different perspective: our political system is supposed to be a messy, step-by-step process, where elected representatives work to bring about the result they believe is in the best interest of their constituents and the nation. “At this point,” Ribble said, “we are still waiting to hear from all of the candidates who are interested in running for the position and to get a sense of their broad vision for leadership and the nation moving forward. I have discussed this process with Charles Payne on Fox Business (youtube.com/watch?v=ZY9gFcblrRA&feature=youtu.be), Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Hardball (youtube.com/watch?v=rJsEf4RWdH0), and elsewhere (youtube.com/watch?v=OauS9XC8WQY&feature=youtu.be), and I welcome your thoughts and input as we move forward.”

Source: Ribble website

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin and U.S. Representative Mark Pocan joined University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in hosting a roundtable with young and early-stage researchers at the Waisman Center, who are facing the worst funding for research in 50 years. Baldwin and Pocan introduced the bipartisan Next Generation Researchers Act to invest in the future of research, science, and innovation. This legislation, supported by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, would create the “Next Generation Researchers Initiative” within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director to coordinate all current and new NIH policies aimed at promoting opportunities for new researchers and earlier research independence. “In order for America to out-innovate the rest of the world and create an economy built to last, we must protect and strengthen our investments in research, science, and innovation,” said Senator Baldwin. “We can’t accomplish this without supporting and investing in the next generation of researchers here at the University of Wisconsin and across the country. This bipartisan legislation demonstrates a commitment to our future scientists and builds off Wisconsin’s proud tradition of being a leader in this industry.”

Source: Baldwin press release

Senator Ron Johnson

Johnson is pleased that legislation authorizing the nation’s defense for the next year included a provision he pushed for to allow service members to protect themselves and others while at military installations. The National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision, Section 526, ending a prohibition on service members carrying firearms while at military installations. The provision requires the Department of Defense to implement a new policy by the end of this year that would empower military commanders to authorize service members to carry firearms. Johnson sought such flexibility in July by sponsoring the Armed Forces Self-Defense Act, legislation he offered after service members were attacked at a military recruiting center and at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. “I am pleased that our service members will not be left vulnerable when it comes to defending themselves and their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines,” said Johnson.

Source: Johnson press release

President Barack Obama

The White House will announce new commitments from companies from across the American economy who are joining the American Business Act on Climate Pledge. With this announcement, 81 companies will have signed the American Business Act on Climate Pledge to demonstrate their support for action on climate change and the conclusion of a climate change agreement in Paris that takes a strong step forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future. These 81 companies have operations in all 50 states, employ more than nine million people, represent more than $3 trillion in annual revenue, and have a combined market capitalization of more than $5 trillion. Demonstrating an ongoing commitment to climate action. As part of this initiative, each company is announcing significant pledges to reduce their emissions, increase low-carbon investments, deploy more clean energy, and take other actions to build more sustainable businesses and tackle climate change. The measures taken by the public and private sectors enabled President Obama to set an ambitious but achievable goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by 26-28 percent by 2025.

Source: White House press release