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83rd - Scott L. Gunderson
123 North 2nd Street
Waterford 53185
Republican
84th - Mark Gundrum
5239 South Guerin Pass
New Berlin 53151
Republican
85th - Donna Seidel
807 South 20th Street
Wausau 54403
Democrat
86th - Jerry Petrowski
720 North 136th Avenue
Marathon 54448-9580
Republican
87th - Mary Williams
542 Billings Avenue
Medford 54451
Republican
88th - James R. Soletski
496 Menlo Park Rd
Green Bay 54302
Democrat
89th - John A. Nygren
1224 Carney Boulevard
Marinette 54143
Republican
90th - Karl Van Roy
805 Riverview Drive
Green Bay 54303
Republican
91st - Barbara Gronemus
36301 West Street
P.O. Box 676
Whitehall 54773
Democrat
92nd -Terry M. Musser
W13550 Murray Road
Black River Falls 54615
Republican
93rd - Jeffrey E. Smith
P.O. Box 8186
Eau Claire 54702
Republican
94th - Mike Huebsch
419 West Franklin
West Salem 54669
Republican
95th - Jennifer Shilling
2608 Main Street
La Crosse 54601
Democrat
96th - Lee Nerison
S3035 CTH B
Westby 54667
Republican
97th - Bill Kramer
P.O. Box 2097
Waukesha 53187
Republican
98th - Rich Zipperer
N24 W26419 Bucks Island Court
Pewaukee 53072
Republican
99th - Don Pridemore
2277 Highway K
Hartford 53027
Republican
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Oath of Office
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 28 of the Wisconsin Constitution, the Honorable Justice David Prosser, Jr. of the Wisconsin Supreme Court administered the oath of office to the members en masse.
The attendance roll was called by the clerk, and the members, as their names were called, came to the desk to sign the Oath of Office book.
The roll was taken.
The result follows:
Present - Representatives Albers, Ballweg, Benedict, Berceau, Bies, Black, Boyle, Colon, Cullen, Davis, Fields, J. Fitzgerald, Friske, Garthwaite, Gottlieb, Grigsby, Gronemus, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hahn, Hilgenberg, Hines, Hintz, Hixson, Honadel, Hraychuck, Hubler, Huebsch, Jeskewitz, Jorgensen, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kessler, Kestell, Kleefisch, Kramer, Kreuser, Krusick, F. Lasee, LeMahieu, Lothian, Mason, Meyer, Molepske, Montgomery, Moulton, Mursau, Murtha, Musser, Nass, Nelson, Nerison, Newcomer, Nygren, A. Ott, J. Ott, Owens, Parisi, Petersen, Petrowski, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Pridemore, Rhoades, Richards, Roth, Schneider, Seidel, Sheridan, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Staskunas, Steinbrink, Stone, Strachota, Suder, Tauchen, Toles, Townsend, Travis, Turner, Van Akkeren, Van Roy, Vos, Vruwink, Vukmir, Wasserman, A. Williams, M. Williams, Wood, Young, Zepnick, Ziegelbauer and Zipperer - 97.
Absent with leave - Representatives Hebl and Wieckert - 2.
Vacancies - None.
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Representative Honadel asked unanimous consent for a leave of absence for today's session for Representative Wieckert. Granted.
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Representative Staskunas asked unanimous consent for a leave of absence for today's session for Representative Hebl. Granted.
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Election of Speaker
Representative Vos nominated Representative Huebsch for the position of Speaker of the Assembly for the Ninety-Eighth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Kreuser nominated Representative Kessler for the position of Speaker of the Assembly for the Ninety-Eighth Regular Session of the Legislature.
There being no further nominations, the chair declared nominations closed.
The roll was taken.
The result follows:
For Representative Huebsch - Representatives Albers, Ballweg, Bies, Davis, J. Fitzgerald, Friske, Gottlieb, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hahn, Hines, Honadel, Huebsch, Jeskewitz, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kestell, Kleefisch, Kramer, F. Lasee, LeMahieu, Lothian, Meyer, Montgomery, Moulton, Mursau, Murtha, Musser, Nass, Nerison, Newcomer, Nygren, A. Ott, J. Ott, Owens, Petersen, Petrowski, Pridemore, Rhoades, Roth, Stone, Strachota, Suder, Tauchen, Townsend, Van Roy, Vos, Vukmir, M. Williams, Wood and Zipperer - 51.
For Representative Kessler - Representatives Benedict, Berceau, Black, Boyle, Colon, Cullen, Fields, Garthwaite, Grigsby, Gronemus, Hilgenberg, Hintz, Hixson, Hraychuck, Hubler, Jorgensen, Kessler, Kreuser, Krusick, Mason, Molepske, Nelson, Parisi, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Richards, Schneider, Seidel, Sheridan, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Staskunas, Steinbrink, Toles, Travis, Turner, Van Akkeren, Vruwink, Wasserman, A. Williams, Young, Zepnick and Ziegelbauer - 46.
Absent or not voting - Representatives Hebl and Wieckert - 2.
Representative Huebsch was elected Speaker of the Assembly for the Ninety-Eighth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representatives Ballweg and Murtha escorted Representative Huebsch to the rostrum.
The oath of office was administered by the Honorable Justice David Prosser, Jr. of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Speaker Huebsch in the chair.
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Remarks by the Speaker
"Majority Leader Fitzgerald, Democratic Leader Kreuser, Justice Prosser, Pastor Corey, Colleagues, friends and family. Thank you very much. And welcome to the People's House. Welcome to the Wisconsin State Assembly. Each of you is here today because you won something. I hope you realize what you won was not merely an election. No, you have won something much more. You have won an opportunity to make a difference, to grapple with the great issues of the day, to touch history, to make people's lives better. It is our task to work together to make Wisconsin the best place in the nation to live, work, raise a family and retire.
It is a high honor and a humbling experience to be elected as your Speaker today.
One of the reasons it is so humbling is because of the guests who have joined us today. The families and friends who fill the aisles and the galleries around us. Whether it is a parent who helped plant a dream in us, friends who spent their year working so we could follow our vision, or a spouse and children who reminded us that we were loved regardless of the title before our name or the number of votes we received, every one of us in this chamber has reached the heights we have only because we have had the help of so many others. Some of those special people are here with us today. Many are with us in spirit only, but are not far from our thoughts.
I think those of us who were elected should take a moment to thank those whose hearts and hands have helped bring us to this special place and who celebrate with us today.
I also want to take a moment to thank my Pastor, Corey Sateren for opening us in prayer and Sara Honadel for sharing her beautiful voice with us again today. Thank you both!
If you will permit me, I would like to personally recognize the very special people to me who are here today.
I think being a politician's wife is the toughest job in the world. They are asked to bear all the same scrutiny and put in much of the same work as a candidate, and all for a title they will not own and job they did not seek. And if in the end their husband wins, the wife's reward is to be forced to share him with 55,000 constituents demanding his time and attention. My wife Valerie has stood by my side since I started chasing my political dreams, and I'm pleased to have her by my side to share this special day with me.
I want to also recognize my sons Ryan and Brett. They are my reality check and make life worth living. I know they're as proud of me as I am of them. And they are a constant reminder that nothing that ever happens in the statehouse will ever be more important than what happens at our house. Speaker of the Assembly is a nice title, but it doesn't hold a candle to the title of being Ryan and Brett's dad. I love my boys.
My Mom, who since I was 6 years old has been telling anyone who would listen that I was going to be President someday, and my dad who, since I could remember has been proud of even my smallest accomplishments. I would never have done any of them without your love and faith in me. My dad has the flu and is unable to attend, but I'm proud to have my mom here today.
My oldest friend, the one who has been there the longest is my sister, Wendy. Her husband and their family are also here from Illinois. Wendy, Andy, Meghan and Hannah, thank you for being here today.
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My mother-in-law, Elinor is truly a rare woman. A mother-in-law who likes her son-in-law. And I feel the same.
I want to mention someone who isn't here today, but without whom I would not be standing here. 12 years ago, when the people of the 94th District first elected me, some of them were voting for Mike Huebsch. But I'm convinced that more of them were voting for Doc Johnston's son-in-law. Valerie's dad, and Elinor's husband Ken was an extraordinary man. He spent a lifetime as a vet, working farm to farm all throughout the Coulee Region. In that first election, Tommy Thompson's endorsement was nice to have, but it was Ken Johnston's seal of approval that got me elected. Ken went home to be with the Lord 6 years ago, and I miss him, but especially on a day like today.
Finally, I want to thank the people of the 94th District who for 7 terms now have given me the privilege to be their voice in this chamber.
This is a special day. And this is a special place. You've probably heard that before, and if you're here long enough to hear some of your colleagues' farewell speeches you'll hear that again. But it is true.
I believe the State Assembly is a snapshot of Wisconsin. Spend some time in the different communities around our great state and you will never be surprised by the person sitting in this chamber representing that area.
From downtown Milwaukee to outside Oconto. From way up by Bayfield and clear over to Prairie du Chien. Our hometown, our background, our political ideology may be as different as you can imagine.
But in the wisdom of the men who founded our state nearly 160 years ago, these extremely different people are all thrown together in this beautiful building and told to work out the common good of our great state.
That is as amazing and visionary an idea today as it was 160 years ago, that our state's strength will not be born out of some sameness of race, geography, gender, or background, but rather out of our diversity. It is through the interaction of those different traits that groundbreaking ideas arise.
Each of us was sent here to represent the ideas and interests of our constituents, yes. But we were not sent here to represent those ideas in a vacuum. We were sent here to represent them in the context of the needs of the entire state.
In this election, the people of the state saw fit to split control of the houses between Republicans and Democrats. But they did not tell us to grind to a halt. They expect us to lead, to govern. And together we will!
That's the power of this place. That's the magic of this place. Those one-on-one interactions, multiplied by all 99 of us here, all 33 of our colleagues in the Senate, and by our partner in the East Wing are the individual bricks with which our state's future will be built.
We've seen that power in action in the past, as Wisconsin leaders working together led the nation in everything from creating the nation's first Kindergarten in Watertown in 1856 to workman's compensation in 1911. In this chamber we invented School Choice and our welfare reform not only became the model for the nation, but the model for the world. Wisconsin has always been ready to meet challenges with innovative and unique ideas.
Today I am confident that we can see that power in action again as we work to confront the challenges of today: From reining in Wisconsin's high tax burden and runaway health care costs to attracting and creating new jobs and preparing a workforce ready to fill those jobs. From providing wings on which the strongest in our society can soar to providing compassionate arms on which the neediest in our society can lean.
I believe it is within our grasp to meet these challenges and solve these problems if we are willing to work together- individual by individual - to do so. Our system allows it. Our history demonstrates it. Our constituents demand it. It now falls to us to have the will to do it. What legacy will we leave as future generations look back on our brief time here?
President Ronald Reagan said "There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."
When we, in this special place, use partisan or parochial battles to tear each other down, all the people of this state lose.
When we focus on our own personal, political fortunes rather than the collective good of the entire state, even what we may call "success" rings hollow in the ears of the individuals and families looking to us for real leadership.
I spoke earlier about an opportunity to make a difference. Let us resolve today to enthusiastically seize that opportunity, and conduct ourselves in such a way that two years from now, whether I'm still standing here or you're still sitting there, or whether we are home reflecting on a political career that was, we will all be able to look back with pride on the work we did here and say we made Wisconsin a better place.
Now let's get to work...together!
Thank you all very much."
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Election of Speaker Pro Tempore
Representative Honadel nominated Representative Gottlieb for the position of Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the Ninety-Eighth Regular Session of the Legislature.
There being no further nominations, the speaker declared nominations closed.
Representative J. Fitzgerald asked unanimous consent that a unanimous ballot be cast with all members of the Assembly recorded as voting for Representative Gottlieb for Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore. Granted.
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For Representative Gottlieb - Representatives Albers, Ballweg, Benedict, Berceau, Bies, Black, Boyle, Colon, Cullen, Davis, Fields, J. Fitzgerald, Friske, Garthwaite, Gottlieb, Grigsby, Gronemus, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hahn, Hilgenberg, Hines, Hintz, Hixson, Honadel, Hraychuck, Hubler, Jeskewitz, Jorgensen, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kessler, Kestell, Kleefisch, Kramer, Kreuser, Krusick, F. Lasee, LeMahieu, Lothian, Mason, Meyer, Molepske, Montgomery, Moulton, Mursau, Murtha, Musser, Nass, Nelson, Nerison, Newcomer, Nygren, A. Ott, J. Ott, Owens, Parisi, Petersen, Petrowski, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Pridemore, Rhoades, Richards, Roth, Schneider, Seidel, Sheridan, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Staskunas, Steinbrink, Stone, Strachota, Suder, Tauchen, Toles, Townsend, Travis, Turner, Van Akkeren, Van Roy, Vos, Vruwink, Vukmir, Wasserman, A. Williams, M. Williams, Wood, Young, Zepnick, Ziegelbauer, Zipperer and Speaker Huebsch - 97.
Absent or not voting - Representatives Hebl and Wieckert - 2.
Representative Gottlieb was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the Ninety-Eighth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representatives M. Williams and A. Ott escorted Representative Gottlieb to the rostrum.
The oath of office was administered by Speaker Huebsch.
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Remarks by the
Speaker Pro Tempore
"Mr. Speaker, members, distinguished guests and visitors: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as speaker pro tempore for the 2007-2008 legislative session.
