73rd - Nick Milroy
2706 North 17th Street
Superior 54880
Democrat
74th - Gary E. Sherman
P.O. Box 157
Port Wing 54865
Democrat
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75th - Mary Hubler
P. O. Box 544
Rice Lake 54868
Democrat
76th - Terese Berceau
4326 Somerset
Madison 53711
Democrat
77th - Spencer Black
5742 Elder Place
Madison 53705
Democrat
78th - Mark Pocan
309 North Baldwin
Madison 53703
Democrat
79th - Sondy Pope-Roberts
4793 Delmara Road
Middleton 53562
Democrat
80th - Brett Davis
1420 Raven Oaks Trail
Oregon 53575
Republican
81st - Kelda Helen Roys
2215 North Sherman Avenue
Madison 53704
Democrat
82nd - Jeff Stone
5535 Grandview Drive
Greendale 53129
Republican
83rd - Scott L. Gunderson
P. O. Box 7
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
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 - Chris Danou
23951 8th Street
Trempealeau 54661
Democrat
92nd -Mark Radcliffe
376 North 12th Street
Black River Falls 54615
Democrat
93rd - Jeffrey E. Smith
P.O. Box 8186
Eau Claire 54702
Democrat
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
2005 Cliff Alex Court South
Waukesha 53189
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
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Pursuant to Article IV, Section 28 of the Wisconsin Constitution, the Honorable Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson 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 Ballweg, Barca, Benedict, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Bies, Black, Brooks, Clark, Colon, Cullen, Danou, Davis, Dexter, Fields, J. Fitzgerald, Friske, Garthwaite, Gottlieb, Grigsby, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hebl, Hilgenberg, Hintz, Hixson, Honadel, Hraychuck, Hubler, Huebsch, Jorgensen, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kessler, Kestell, Kleefisch, Knodl, Kramer, Krusick, LeMahieu, Lothian, Mason, Meyer, Milroy, Molepske Jr., Montgomery, Mursau, Murtha, Nass, Nelson, Nerison, Newcomer, Nygren, A. Ott, J. Ott, Parisi, Pasch, Petersen, Petrowski, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Pridemore, Radcliffe, Rhoades, Richards, Ripp, Roth, Roys, Schneider, Seidel, Sheridan, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Spanbauer, Staskunas, Steinbrink, Stone, Strachota, Suder, Tauchen, Toles, Townsend, Turner, Van Akkeren, Van Roy, Vos, Vruwink, Vukmir, A. Williams, M. Williams, Wood, Young, Zepnick, Ziegelbauer, Zigmunt and Zipperer - 99.
Absent with leave - None.
Vacancies - None.
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Election of Speaker
Representative Mason nominated Representative Sheridan for the position of Speaker of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Parisi seconded the nomination of Representative Sheridan for the position of Speaker of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
There being no further nominations, the chair declared nominations closed.
Representative Nelson asked unanimous consent that a unanimous ballot be cast with all members of the Assembly recorded as voting for Representative Sheridan for Speaker of the Assembly. Granted.
For Representative Sheridan - Representatives Ballweg, Barca, Benedict, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Bies, Black, Brooks, Clark, Colon, Cullen, Danou, Davis, Dexter, Fields, J. Fitzgerald, Friske, Garthwaite, Gottlieb, Grigsby, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hebl, Hilgenberg, Hintz, Hixson, Honadel, Hraychuck, Hubler, Huebsch, Jorgensen, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kessler, Kestell, Kleefisch, Knodl, Kramer, Krusick, LeMahieu, Lothian, Mason, Meyer, Milroy, Molepske Jr., Montgomery, Mursau, Murtha, Nass, Nelson, Nerison, Newcomer, Nygren, A. Ott, J. Ott, Parisi, Pasch, Petersen, Petrowski, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Pridemore, Radcliffe, Rhoades, Richards, Ripp, Roth, Roys, Schneider, Seidel, Sheridan, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Spanbauer, Staskunas, Steinbrink, Stone, Strachota, Suder, Tauchen, Toles, Townsend, Turner, Van Akkeren, Van Roy, Vos, Vruwink, Vukmir, A. Williams, M. Williams, Wood, Young, Zepnick, Ziegelbauer, Zigmunt and Zipperer - 99.
Absent or not voting - None.
Representative Sheridan was elected Speaker of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representatives Pocan and Seidel escorted Representative Sheridan to the rostrum.
The oath of office was administered by the Honorable Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Speaker Sheridan in the chair.
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Remarks by the Speaker
"Welcome friends and colleagues, esteemed guests, and all others who gather here today as the members of the 99th Wisconsin State Assembly are sworn into office. Thanks go to Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, for presiding. I'd like to personally thank former Democratic Speakers Wally Kunicki and Tom Loftus who have been mentors and friends, and who join us here today.
I must thank my lovely wife, Sarah, for her constant support. I'm grateful to also be joined here today by my children: Jason, my oldest, and his fiancee, Amy, my son, Aaron, their children - Sam and Ella - and my youngest, my daughter, Hannah. Thanks also go to my Mom and Dad - of course, I wouldn't be here today without you.
It is my honor to be here today, both as a representative of my friends and neighbors, the people of the 44th Assembly district, and in my new role, as the Speaker of this legislative body.
This is a body of varied talents and experiences. We are mothers, fathers, and grandparents. We are veterans, police officers, industrial workers, business owners, teachers, farmers, doctors, and lawyers. We hail from rural and urban districts. We represent areas with decidedly more conservative or liberal views of the world. It is in these differences that we draw strength and gain greater perspective.
While we may come from diverse backgrounds, we are also a body of shared values. We feel motivated to serve others - to help them grow and thrive, and to solve problems.
To be sure, how we approach a problem or attempt to solve it may be different, but more often than not, what we see as "important" is the same: a strong economy, the good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, an accessible and affordable health care system, excellence in education, public safety, and a just system of law enforcement.
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These common values mean we have common challenges. We know that in this session, we face a budget deficit of historic proportions. Bridging that historic gap cannot be done without historic collaboration between the federal and state governments, between the executive and legislative branches, between the Senate and the Assembly, and, most importantly, between Democrats and Republicans.
Rebooting our economy will also be a challenge. Right now, we know that so many people are hurting. According to figures from DWD, in just the last year, more than 736,000 Wisconsinites filed for unemployment and initial claims are up 40 or 50 percent from this same time last year. The facts and figures are overwhelming and the personal stories, even more so.
Many of you know, before I served in the State Assembly, I manned the assembly line at the General Motors plant in Janesville. I come from a long line of hard workers: my father worked at GM for more than 40 years and my mother worked at Parker-Penn for more than 30 years. Following in my father's footsteps, I worked at GM for 31 years and last week, whole lifetimes and generations of that work came to a halt. With production on hold at the plant, thousands of people whose livelihoods depended on the American auto industry were put in jeopardy.
Their stories - this experience is playing out across our state. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin business giants like Midwest Airlines, Harley-Davidson, and Miller are cutting jobs. To our North, paper mills are closing, leaving hundreds without work.
We are given the ability and charged with the duty to take action.
Increased support for worker training and retraining programs, the encouraged growth of emerging industries - like green technologies - which hold the potential for thousands of family-supporting jobs, and a focus on buying locally - buying American - will be on our economic agenda, but there is room for innovative ideas from all members of this body, as we work to turn things around.
If you believe, as I do, that everyone's voice should be heard, that the tough times we are in require a different kind of politics and a return to civility - a path former Speaker Huebsch and Minority Leader Kreuser began walking down in the last session, and if you believe that the value of our success for the people we serve is greater than the value of our own individual or partisan interests, we can and we will work well together. In doing so, I believe that we can overcome the challenges we face in this state.
We have just taken our oaths of office. With those words, we pledge to serve the people we represent, to the best of our abilities. Today and throughout this session, I ask you not only to serve your constituents, but to truly serve with your colleagues.
I do not expect that we will always agree. In fact, I will be disappointed, if we do. As president of UAW Local 95, I saw that pushback in negotiations often led to the best product - the best outcome. I believe that healthy discourse is important, as we consider solutions to our biggest concerns. But let us not lose sight, in those debates, of the strengths of others, our shared values, and the challenges and opportunities that lay before us all.
Together, we can make this, the 99th congress of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the most efficient, industrious, and productive, ever. That should be our ultimate shared goal and I pledge to do my part. Thank you."
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Election of Speaker Pro Tempore
Representative Colon nominated Representative Staskunas for the position of Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Berceau seconded the nomination of Representative Sheridan for the position of Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
There being no further nominations, the speaker declared nominations closed.
Representative Nelson asked unanimous consent that a unanimous ballot be cast with all members of the Assembly recorded as voting for Representative Staskunas for Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore. Granted.
For Representative Staskunas - Representatives Ballweg, Barca, Benedict, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Bies, Black, Brooks, Clark, Colon, Cullen, Danou, Davis, Dexter, Fields, J. Fitzgerald, Friske, Garthwaite, Gottlieb, Grigsby, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hebl, Hilgenberg, Hintz, Hixson, Honadel, Hraychuck, Hubler, Huebsch, Jorgensen, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kessler, Kestell, Kleefisch, Knodl, Kramer, Krusick, LeMahieu, Lothian, Mason, Meyer, Milroy, Molepske Jr., Montgomery, Mursau, Murtha, Nass, Nelson, Nerison, Newcomer, Nygren, A. Ott, J. Ott, Parisi, Pasch, Petersen, Petrowski, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Pridemore, Radcliffe, Rhoades, Richards, Ripp, Roth, Roys, Schneider, Seidel, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Spanbauer, Staskunas, Steinbrink, Stone, Strachota, Suder, Tauchen, Toles, Townsend, Turner, Van Akkeren, Van Roy, Vos, Vruwink, Vukmir, A. Williams, M. Williams, Wood, Young, Zepnick, Ziegelbauer, Zigmunt, Zipperer and Speaker Sheridan - 99.
Absent or not voting - None.
Representative Staskunas was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representatives Cullen and Hraychuck escorted Representative Staskunas to the rostrum.
The oath of office was administered by Speaker Sheridan.
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Remarks by the
Speaker Pro Tempore
"Fellow Members and Honored Guests:
I would like to sincerely thank my fellow members for electing me to serve as Speaker Pro Tem for the 2009-2010 Session of the State Assembly. I recognize that the office of Speaker Pro Tem, along with the office of Speaker of the Assembly, are the two positions who owe a duty to more than just a political party. The Speaker Pro Tem also has a responsibility to the institution of the State Assembly; a responsibility to guard the integrity, reputation, history and traditions of the Assembly. I will do my best to honor and respect the institution of the State Assembly.
In addition to the oath of office that we have just taken, each one of us as members of the State Assembly has a duty to respect this institution. We owe this duty to the members who came before us, to the public and to our constituents. We have 25 members who are now in their first or second term in the State Assembly. This is a great opportunity to chart a new direction of civility and statesmanship in this body. I would like to thank Speaker Huebsch and Minority Leader Kreuser for the great efforts they made last session in restoring civility to this body.
This promises to be an extremely difficult session. For the first time in 15 years control of the State Assembly has passed from one political party to the other. The State Assembly is by its nature a political institution. Our constituents have elected us to pursue competing agendas and often times these agendas are at odds. As Speaker Pro Tem, I will work hard to make sure that each member has the opportunity to air their views and that they do so in a dignified manner and in accordance with the rules of the State Assembly.
It has been my great honor to serve in this body for 12 years. I know that there are some days, particularly when we are in session, when it feels as though we are simply going to work. However, on this momentous Inauguration day, January 5, 2009, I would ask us all to reflect for a few moments on what a great privilege it is to serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Even as we have disagreements in the coming months, I am hopeful that all 99 members will respect the dignity of the institution, so that each member can say at the conclusion of this session that we left the State Assembly a better place than we found it.
Thank you."
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Election of Chief Clerk
Representative Toles nominated Patrick E. Fuller for the position of Chief Clerk of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Roth seconded the nomination of Patrick E. Fuller for the position of Chief Clerk of the Assembly for the Ninety-Ninth Regular Session of the Legislature.
