Your Representatives in the News

State Assembly Representative Garey Bies

Bies weighed in on his proposed changes to room tax. He doesn’t expect Door County to have to change the way it collects, distributes and uses room tax because of the legislation.

He said the proposed three percent kickback on room tax collections will likely be updated in an amendment. The current draft of the bill would allow innkeepers to keep three percent of collections in order to offset credit card fees, but didn’t require them to document credit card use.

“We’ve got a number of things that have come up since the hearing… we’re going to address in an amendment,” Bies said. “[The credit card fee] is one we’re going to take a look at. We’ll work out some ways so [innkeepers] will have to show some proof of what they’re paying so they’re only reimbursed for actual costs.”

To learn more about the legislation, read “Room Tax Reform Proposed” published in the Peninsula Pulse on Oct. 18, 2013.

Source:  The Peninsula Pulse

State Senator Frank Lasee

Lasee sponsored a bill called the Aircraft Improvement and Repair Jobs Act that would exempt aircraft maintenance parts and labor from state sales taxes. The exemption is meant to entice aviation companies to have maintenance work done in Wisconsin.

Source:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Governor Scott Walker

Walker signed a bill to cut property taxes, which will save most homeowners approximately $13 and give $100 million to state schools. School districts won’t be allowed to increase their spending so they’ll be forced to cut property taxes.

The cuts will lower the state’s main account by $120 million and add $180 million to the projected shortfall in the next budget.

Source:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

U.S. Representative Reid Ribble

Ribble was the only Wisconsin GOP representative to vote for the deal that re-opened the government, extended the debt limit and set up a committee to come up with long-term budget agreement.

“This was not an easy vote,” Ribble said. “I had the tear between my emotion and my intellect. My emotion was to vote no; that is the simple vote, that’s the vote that the base would prefer. And that is kind of where, philosophically, you feel about these things because it’s wrapped in emotion.

“However, my intellect says that we need a functioning government, that in fact a lot of our problems in this slow economic growth is because we don’t have a functioning government, we don’t have a budget process, we don’t appropriate on time and we are putting America’s job creators into this Kabuki dance of uncertainty.”

Source:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin was appointed to work on the bipartisan budget conference committee. Baldwin voted for the legislation that created the committee and also ended the government shutdown and lifted the debt ceiling.

“I was proud to support a bipartisan compromise that provides us with an opportunity to break this destructive pattern in Washington of drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next,” Baldwin said. “I also look forward to working across party lines on the budget conference committee to find common ground on a bipartisan budget agreement.”

Source:  Baldwin Press Release

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson

Johnson voted against the measure to re-open the government and raise the debt ceiling.

“America and its future generations suffered a loss today,” Johnson said. “President Obama and Harry Reid may claim a legislative victory, but they have proven, once again, they are more than willing to increase the debt burden on our children and grandchildren. They’re willing to do it without enacting any fiscal discipline or reforms to address America’s long-term debt and deficit problem.”

Source:  The Cap Times, Johnson press release

President Barack Obama

Obama called French president François Hollande to discuss the amount of French phone traffic intercepted by White House intelligence agencies. French newspaper Le Monde reported more than 70 million phone calls had been recorded in a 30-day period.

“The president and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press – some of which have distorted our activities, and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed,” the White House said in a statement.

The president made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share. The two presidents agreed that we should continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels.”

Source:  The Guardian