I am vetoing Assembly Bill 56 in its entirety. This bill restricts state and local governments from bringing civil actions against firearms importers, manufacturers, dealers or trade associations, as well as against gun club or sport shooting range owners or operators. Assembly Bill 56 also grants, with certain exceptions, these same groups immunity from civil liability in any action for an injury or death caused by a firearm.
The President granted the gun industry sweeping immunity this past October when he signed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, Public Law No. 109-092. Under the federal law, no civil actions may be filed in federal or state court by individuals or governmental entities seeking relief for injury or death resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm.
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Assembly Bill 56 unnecessarily extends these protections beyond the new federal law, by granting immunity irrespective of whether there is an injury resulting from a criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. The bill also extends the immunity to gun club or sport shooting range owners or operators, even though Wisconsin has never seen any such lawsuits filed here. Although I honor the long tradition of hunting and shooting sports in Wisconsin and the value this tradition brings to our state, this bill is not about protecting hunters and other sportsmen and women.
Since President Bush and Congress have already given the gun industry sweeping immunity that no other industry enjoys, I can see no need for the State of Wisconsin to give the gun industry even more protection. It is unfortunate that the Legislature is spending its time protecting the gun industry instead of protecting the environment or taking meaningful steps that would actually enhance the wilderness experience for hunters and other sportsmen and women. It is just one more example of a Legislature that is out of touch with Wisconsin families.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Doyle
Governor
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Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
Madison
To Whom It May Concern:
Acts, Joint Resolutions and Resolutions deposited in this office have been numbered and published as follows:
Bill Number Act Number Publication Date
Assembly Bill 787103January 20, 2006
Assembly Bill 436104January 20, 2006
Assembly Bill 184105January 23, 2006
Sincerely,
Douglas La Follette
Secretary of State
__________________
December 15, 2005
Patrick Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street, Suite 208
Madison, WI 53708
Dear Representative Petrowski:
This is to inform you that Representative Marlin Schneider will replace Representative Pedro Colon as a member of the Assembly Committee on Highway Safety, effective immediately.
Please forward all communications relating to the Committee on Highway Safety to Representative Schneider. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jim kreuser
Assembly Democratic Leader
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Revisor of Statutes Bureau
Madison
DATE: January 1, 2006
TO: Patrick E. Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
Robert Marchant
Senate Chief Clerk
FROM: Gary L. Poulson
Assistant Revisor of Statutes
SUBJECT: Rules published in the December 31, 2005,
Wisconsin Administrative
Register, No. 600.
The following rules have been published:
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
Madison
December 27, 2005
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Section
565.45, Wisconsin Statutes, requires the Department of Revenue to submit a biennial report to the legislature regarding the impact on lottery operations of the 10% expense limitation under s.
25.75 (3)(b).
Sincerely,
michael Morgan
Secretary of Revenue
Referred to committee on State Affairs.
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
December 30, 2005
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by s.
20.002(11)(f), Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172(3), Wisconsin Statutes), and confirms that the Department of Administration has found it necessary to exercise the "temporary reallocation of balances" authority provided by this section in order to meet payment responsibilities and cover resulting negative cash balances during the month of November 2005.
On November 1, 2005, the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund cash balance closed at its intramonth low of a negative $9 thousand. This negative balance continued until November 3, 2005, when the fund's cash balance closed at zero. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
The Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund shortfall was not in excess of the statutory interfund borrowing limitation and did not exceed the balances of the funds available for interfund borrowing.
The distribution of interest earnings to investment pool participants is based on the average daily balance in the pool and each fund's share. Therefore, the monthly calculation by the State Controller's Office will automatically reflect the use of these temporary reallocations of balance authority, and as a result, the funds requiring the use of the authority will effectively bear the interest cost.
Sincerely,
Stephen E. Bablitch
Secretary
Referred to committee on Ways and Means.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
December 30, 2005
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Please find enclosed the Length of Service Award Program (LOSA) 2005 Annual Report. The Length of Service Award Board developed the report with support from Department of Administration staff. The report provides an overview of the program and outlines the accomplishments for the program year.
Wisconsin State Statute 16.25(6) requires the Department to submit the report to the Chief Clerk of each house annually describing the activities of the board.
If you have any questions regarding the report, please contact Terri Lenz at the Department of Administration, Division of Enterprise Operations, at (608) 261-6580.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Farley
Division of Enterprise Operations
Referred to committee on Urban and Local Affairs.
