Ayes - Senators Breske, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, Kreitlow, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Lehman, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Sullivan, Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 32.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senator Leibham - 1.
Confirmed.
Dilweg, Sean,
of Madison, as Commissioner of Insurance, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor.
Read.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 32; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 1; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Breske, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, Kreitlow, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Lehman, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Sullivan, Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 32.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senator Leibham - 1.
Confirmed.
Ebert, Dan,
of Madison, as chair of the Public Service Commission, for the term ending March 1, 2009.
Read.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 32; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 1; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Breske, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, Kreitlow, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Lehman, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Sullivan, Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 32.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senator Leibham - 1.
Confirmed.
Hayden, Kevin,
of Madison, as Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Services, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor.
Read.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 32; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 1; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Breske, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, Kreitlow, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Lehman, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Sullivan, Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 32.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senator Leibham - 1.
Confirmed.
__________________
Relating to nutrient management on farms and affecting small businesses.
Submitted by Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Report received from Agency, January 29, 2007.
Referred to committee on Agriculture and Higher Education, January 30, 2007.
Relating to implementing a woman-owned business certification program, and affecting small business.
Submitted by Department of Commerce.
Report received from Agency, January 26, 2007.
Referred to committee on Commerce, Utilities and Rail, January 30, 2007.
__________________
Senate Joint Resolution 6
Relating to: the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin.
Read.
Adopted.
Senator Robson, with unanimous consent, asked that all action be immediately messaged to the Assembly.
Messaged.
__________________
President Risser appointed Senators Lasee and Lehman to escort his excellency, the Governor, to the Joint Convention.
Senator Robson, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn until Thursday, February 1, upon the rising of the Joint Convention.
Senator Robson, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate recess until 6:30 P.M.
1:14 P.M.
__________________
6:30 P.M.
The Senate reconvened.
The Chair, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate recess for the purpose of awaiting the Governor's State of the State Address in Joint Convention in the Assembly Chambers at 7:00 P.M.
The Senate stood recessed.
6:35 P.M.
The Senate proceeded in a body to the Assembly Chamber to meet in Joint Convention to receive the State of the State Message.
__________________
Senate President Risser in the Chair.
The Committee to wait upon the Governor appeared with his excellency the Governor, who delivered his message as follows:
__________________
“Speaker Huebsch, Speaker Pro Tem Gottlieb, President Risser, Majority Leader Robson, Lieutenant Governor Lawton, Constitutional Officers, Supreme Court Justices, members of the Legislature, tribal leaders, members of the Cabinet, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens of Wisconsin.
Let me begin by congratulating the new leadership in the Assembly and Senate. It's a new day in our state...and I believe we do can great things for Wisconsin.
Three months ago, we were entrusted with a sacred responsibility by the people of Wisconsin. On November 7th, they issued a mandate not for any party, but a mandate for action. They want us to end the divisiveness and partisan fighting, and focus instead on making progress for middle class families. Democrats, Republicans...let us pledge tonight: we will come together...to get things done.
In the past year, we've added tens of thousands of new jobs, made new breakthroughs in medical research, and expanded our manufacturing base while other states faced a decline. We changed the minimum wage to give working families a raise, we changed laws to keep sex predators away from our kids, and we changed lives by protecting and investing in our schools.
Today, we're safer, stronger, and ready to seize the opportunities of our time...
The opportunity to lead the nation in renewable energy - using our resources - smartly - to power our cities and power new jobs...
The opportunity to revolutionize medical science with stem cell research, pioneered right here in Wisconsin.
The opportunity to make health care affordable for every Wisconsin family...
The opportunity to fulfill a promise to the next generation - to make college affordable and available to every kid willing to do the work and make the grade.
Yes, in 2007 Wisconsin is a place where anything is possible. And over the next four years, let's make it our number one priority to expand the opportunities available to every citizen of Wisconsin.
There's one challenge we have to address head-on: the middle class squeeze. From filling up the tank to paying the health care premium, it's still too hard for many families to make ends meet.
Wisconsin must remain the state of opportunity for all. We must fight to ensure that middle class families thrive.
Two weeks from tonight, I'll present a budget designed to do just that, while putting our fiscal house in order. It will cut waste and yes, cut taxes for hardworking Wisconsin families.
Fiscal Responsibility
We must always stay true to a basic Wisconsin value: living within our means. In the 1990's, state government created a huge financial mess for us. It was a ticking time bomb of runaway commitments and excessive spending that exploded four years ago, and we are still cleaning up the wreckage.
We've cut the size and cost of government, eliminated overhead, balanced two straight budgets, and cut the so-called structural deficit in half. Yet we still have more work to do, or we'll face a growing imbalance between what we spend and what we take in. In my budget, we'll make some tough choices, and take the next steps to put our state on a permanent path of fiscal responsibility.
We'll work on behalf of middle-class families on many fronts, from producing clean and affordable energy to creating new, high paying jobs. But two priorities stand out above the rest: first, making quality health care affordable to all, and second, preparing our kids for the jobs of tomorrow.
Health Care
