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Walker Announces Sales Tax Holiday in 2017 School Year

Representative Joel Kitchens

Rep. Kitchens applauds Peninsula Pride Farms’ announcement of their Water Well Program. The program is a collaborative effort with local business partners to provide clean water to those in need. It provides free water and private well assistance to anyone in Kewaunee County who has a well contaminated with fecal matter. Peninsula Pride Farms is a group of 43 livestock and crop farmers in Kewaunee and southern Door Counties who have united with the objective of improving ground and surface water through innovative practices and technologies. 

“Groundwater contamination in Kewaunee County is a very serious public health concern, and it has led to a great deal of division and fingerpointing within the community,” Kitchens said. “Today, Peninsula Pride Farms is saying, ‘Everyone in Kewaunee County deserves clean, safe drinking water, and we are going to provide it as we work toward a solution to this problem.’ This is a tremendous step forward, and I cannot give enough praise to those community-minded people who are making this happen.”

Kitchens singled out Bob Atwell, CEO of Nicolet Bank, for his leadership role in rallying business support for the Well Water Program. “This is a great example of the collaborative and innovative spirit that exists in Northeast Wisconsin,” Kitchens continued. “This is a complex issue, and there is a role for state and local governments, as well as for the farmers, businessmen and citizens of our area. We will solve this by working together, not by pitting neighbor against neighbor.” The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has initiated the administrative rule process that will, for the first time, promulgate new rules for manure management that are specific to the karst region. “Coupled with the voluntary efforts being made by Peninsula Pride members and other forward-thinking farmers, there is now a clear path to the resolution of our groundwater contamination problems,” Kitchens said. “In the meantime, every citizen of Kewaunee County can be assured access to clean water.”

Source: Kitchens press release

Governor Scott Walker

Gov. Walker announced the inclusion of a “Back to School” sales tax holiday in his 2017-19 biennial budget. The sales tax holiday would last two days beginning on the first Saturday of August 2017 and would include school supplies, computers costing less than $750, and clothing items costing less than $75 each.

“The sales tax holiday we plan to include in our 2017-19 biennial budget will provide tax relief to the hard-working families of Wisconsin sending their children back to school in the fall,” Governor Walker said. “Our top priority has always been putting Wisconsin’s taxpayers first, and we’re always working to be better stewards of our taxpayers’ dollars and reduce taxes. Tonette and I know firsthand how quickly the cost of school supplies can add up, and this sales tax holiday is just one of the ways we’re working to reduce those costs and ease the tax burden.”

Source: Walker press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Baldwin applauded the announcement that clean drinking water will be provided by Peninsula Pride Farms, a farmer-led conservation group, to residents of Kewaunee County with contaminated wells. Last month, Baldwin convened a roundtable with federal officials, local leaders and concerned citizens to discuss actions to improve water quality in Kewaunee County. “I applaud Peninsula Pride Farms for taking on this challenge and helping ensure Kewaunee County families have access to clean water,” Baldwin said. “This drinking water supply program is an important step to acting on the recommendations made by the Groundwater Collaboration Workgroup. There is still much work to be done and with the constructive conversations and actions that we’ve had in Kewaunee County, I look forward to further progress.”

Source: Baldwin press release

Senator Ron Johnson

Sen. Johnson joined Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in introducing the Protection from Obamacare Monopolies Act, legislation that would protect Wisconsinites who live in a county with less than two insurers offering Obamacare exchange plans from the individual mandate penalty. Three counties in western Wisconsin had just one health care provider offering health care plans in the Obamacare marketplace in 2016: Polk, St. Croix and Pierce County. In 2017, it is expected that Menominee County will be added to that list. Nationally, according to Kaiser Family Foundation, the number of Obamacare exchange enrollees with only one insurer to choose from is estimated to jump from 2 percent for 2016 to 19 percent for 2017. “Under Obamacare, Wisconsinites can be penalized for not buying a company’s product, even when there is only one company selling it,” Johnson said. “This legislation would help ensure that Wisconsin families won’t have to pay a penalty to help cover the cost of Obamacare’s failed promise of consumer choice.”

Source: Johnson press release

President Barack Obama

President Obama marked the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and paid tribute to the victims, survivors, first responders and those who have served our country. The President said that although a lot has changed over the past 15 years, the core values that define us as Americans have remained the same. As Americans we are resilient, we will never give into fear, and we will always look out for one another. Our strength is in our diversity, our welcoming of all talent, and our fair treatment of everyone – no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, or faith. The President said that’s part of what makes our country great – and if we uphold those values, we will carry on the legacy of those we lost and keep our nation strong and free.

Source: White House press release

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