Reps in the News: Kitchens’ Well Funding Bill Passes Senate Committee

Representative Joel Kitchens

Rep. Kitchens released the following statement after the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy voted unanimously in favor of SB 168, relating to local assistance for remediating contaminated wells and failing wastewater treatment systems and award limits for contaminated well grants. “I was pleased to see the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy vote in favor of Senate Bill 168 co-authored by Senator Cowles and myself. This crucial piece of legislation will provide relief and access to clean water, a basic right most of us take for granted. The karst geo-region of Wisconsin is characterized by shallow soils over limestone bedrock. Underground streams flow within the bedrock, and sinkholes and fractures in the bedrock act as conduits to the surface, allowing pollutants to flow freely into the groundwater. The karst region forms a ‘V’ on the map of Wisconsin and includes all of Eastern Wisconsin. It is particularly problematic in northeastern Wisconsin where there is a very high concentration of dairy cattle and very little soil to act as a filter to remove fecal contaminants before they reach the groundwater. Additionally, recent testing has shown that a high number of wells in Kewaunee County are contaminated by human feces. I would like to thank Senator Cowles and his staff for their partnership and dedication on this issue which is so important to our area. Additionally, I would like to recognize the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters for their support and enthusiasm for this bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Assembly to pass the Assembly version of this bill so we can start providing the relief people deserve.”

Source:  Kitchens press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Baldwin called on Vice President Mike Pence to listen to Wisconsinites who would be forced to pay more for less care with the House-passed partisan health care repeal legislation. Vice President Pence visited Milwaukee Saturday to promote the partisan health legislation. “Working families in Wisconsin, who are already struggling to make ends meet, will be especially hard hit by this partisan legislation. Vice President Pence needs to explain to Wisconsin families why he wants Washington to make them pay more for less care and increase the number of people who are uninsured. If you are struggling with health care costs, this legislation will raise average premiums next year. If you are older, you will pay an age tax, and if you have a pre-existing condition, the guaranteed protections and care that you have today may not be there tomorrow,” Baldwin said. “Greg from Stoddard doesn’t know how he will make ends meet if costs increase for older Wisconsinites. Jim from Appleton told me his family needs strong protections for people with pre-existing conditions so he can rest assured that his daughter with multiple sclerosis can find affordable care. Becky from West Salem is facing skyrocketing prescription drug prices and the last thing she needs is higher health care costs for less coverage. Let’s listen to these Wisconsinites – it’s time to stop the partisan nonsense, take repeal off the table and work in a bipartisan way to improve and strengthen our health care system—not make things worse.”

Source:  Baldwin press release 

Senator Ron Johnson

Sen. Johnson issued the following statement praising President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement:  “The benefit of the Paris agreement was suspect from the start. The Copenhagen Consensus used the UN’s own model to estimate the deal would reduce warming by at most 0.3 degrees by 2100. Instead of spending hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars to barely move the needle on global temperatures in a hypothetical distant future, the world’s limited resources would be better spent providing safe drinking water, preventing malaria, and taking other measures to alleviate human suffering in the here and now.”

Source:  Johnson press release 

President Donald Trump

President Trump announced Tuesday during a visit to Wisconsin that he and Gov. Scott Walker were negotiating to bring a “major, incredible manufacturer” to the state. Trump’s second visit to the state this year was to promote apprenticeships and attend a $1,000-per-ticket fundraiser that Walker billed as “one of the biggest events we’ve ever had for a statewide elected official.” During a panel discussion with Walker, cabinet secretaries, students and CEOs, Trump mentioned that he and Walker were negotiating with the manufacturer behind the scenes. Trump said the company made phones, computers and televisions.

Source:  Wisconsin State Journal