One-Hundred and First Regular Session
2:00 P.M. MONDAY, January 7, 2013
The Senate met.
The Senate was called to order by Senate President Risser.
The Senate stood for the prayer which was offered by Reverend Monseigneur Joseph Diermeier of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Marathon.
“Holy God, on the occasion of this Inauguration ceremony, we praise our name just as women, men and children have praised you from the dawn of creation.
Those who have faith in you also believe that their lives are under your providential care.
May all among us that are guided by the gift of faith, acknowledge your eternal presence with us here in this very moment.
We thank you, Almighty God, for being the source of life, of liberty, and the source of the pursuit of happiness, which the founders of this nation sought to protect.
May the women and men who have been elected to lead our state and its government, carry on the work of safe guarding these same principles.
Under your providential care, we ask that our nation, and specifically, that our state, will continue to prosper in ways that are pleasing to you.
May we work for justice and for a moral order that discerns right from wrong, based on the natural law, which you have planted in our hearts.
Lord, you know that we are a people comprised of various races and creeds. We pray that we may work together and unite our efforts to build a culture that promotes the obligation to love, and advances the obliteration of discrimination and prejudice.
Help us, Lord, to build a culture of life, through ways that are truly life giving.
We believe that with your guidance and under your inspiration that this goal can be achieved.
Lord, this land has a great history where the works of mercy and charity have abounded. May they continue to flourish in this present age, so that current and future generations can experience the magnitude of goodness that surrounds us.
On this Inauguration Day, we ask for your blessing and guidance upon all who have accepted a call to serve their communities and our state as state senators.
Guide their minds and hearts in all that they do; may their efforts be a reflection of your truth.
We ask these things, Almighty God, through your bountiful goodness.
Amen.”
The Colors were presented by the VFW Day Post 7591
Color Guard Unit, the Black Knights of Madison, WI.
The National Anthem was performed by the Brodhead Cardinal High School Band.
The Senate remained standing and said the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
_____________
State of Wisconsin
Government Accountability Board
December 7, 2012
The Honorable, the Senate:
I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the official
canvass of the November 6, 2012 General Election vote for
State Senator along with the determination by the designee of the Chairperson of the Government Accountability Board of the winners.
With this letter, I am delivering the Certificates of Election and transmittal letters for the winners to you for distribution.
If the Government Accountability Board can provide you with further information or assistance, please contact our office.
Sincerely,
KEVIN J. KENNEDY
Director and General Counsel
_____________
Statement of Canvass
for
State Senator
GENERAL ELECTION, November 6, 2012
I, David G. Deininger, Chairperson of the Government Accountability Board, certify that the attached tabular statements, as compiled from the certified returns made to the Government Accountability Board by the county clerks of the several counties of the state, contain a correct abstract of the total number of votes given for the election of candidates for State Senator, at a General Election held in the several towns, wards, villages and election districts in said counties on the Sixth day of November, 2012.
I DO, THEREFORE, DETERMINE AND CERTIFY that the following candidates, having each received the greatest number of votes in their respective senatorial districts, are duly elected State Senator:
Senate District Elected
2nd District Robert L. Cowles
4th District Lena C. Taylor
6th District Nikiya Harris
8th District Alberta Darling
10th District Sheila Harsdorf
12th District Tom Tiffany
14th District Luther S. Olsen
16th District Mark Miller
18th District Rick Gudex
20th District Glenn Grothman
22nd District Robert W. Wirch
24th District Julie Lassa
26th District Fred A. Risser
28th District Mary Lazich
30th District Dave Hansen
32nd District Jennifer Shilling
Done in the City of Madison, this 29th day of November, 2012.
DAVID G. DEININGER
Chairperson
Government Accountability Board
_____________
In the Chair
Pursuant to Senate Rule 2 (1), Senate President Pro Tempore Carpenter in the chair. _____________
With unanimous consent, the party leaders introduced their respective members as they came before the bar to be sworn in.
Senator Fitzgerald Introduced Senator Cowles
“Senator Cowles represents the people of the 2nd Senate District, and lives in the Village of Allouez just south of the City of Green Bay.
Senator Cowles will be the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and the Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Audit.
When Senator Cowles previously held the position of Co-Chairman of the Joint Audit Committee, he was a key player in numerous state audits, such as the audit of Medicaid, the fleet audit, and the IT audit. Along with Senator Cowles’ invested interest in his committees, he has a long standing history of being a strict fiscal conservative. He has always been willing to take a stand against government spending.
With that said, I would like to welcome Senator Cowles back to the Wisconsin Senate for the 2013-2014 Legislative Session.”
Senator Larson Introduced Senator Taylor
“Senator Lena Taylor is beginning her third term in the State Senate representing the 4th Senate District. Senator Taylor serves the north side of Milwaukee, including the historic Riverwest, Harambee, and Rufus King neighborhoods, as well as the communities of Shorewood, Glendale, and Wauwatosa.
Senator Taylor served her district and the Senate in her first two terms on the Joint Committee on Finance and on the Committee on Judiciary. The Senator has fought hard to secure funding for Milwaukee and the priorities of education accountability, transit systems, health care access and affordability, and improved capital opportunity for minority and local business. Senator Taylor has been an outspoken advocate for the civil liberties of all people, including working to maintain the right to vote unimpeded and reforming the corrections system.
Senator Taylor previously served in the State Assembly and continues her private law practice outside the Senate. She lives in the Rufus King neighborhood on the block on which she grew up, with her son, Isaiah.”
Senator Larson Introduced Senator Harris
“The newly elected Senator Nikiya Harris represents our neighbors in the 6th Senate District, which is comprised of the City of Milwaukee. This thriving metropolis plays a vital role in the success of our state and our economy. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Senator Harris is deeply connected to her community.
Prior to being elected to the Legislature, Senator Harris helped support our quality universities as a pre-college coordinator for UWM’s College of Health Services. She also strived to continue Wisconsin’s tradition of environmental stewardship by working at Milwaukee’s Urban Ecology Center as a special events coordinator and membership manager. In May 2010, Senator Harris was elected to the Milwaukee County Board as a supervisor, where she served until her election to the State Senate.
Senator Harris also understands the challenges of raising a family in Milwaukee County, as she took guardianship over her three younger siblings while still very young after the passing of her mother. This personal experience has helped her to truly understand what her community values so she can better represent them. It has also shaped Senator Harris’ priorities on the County Board and now as a senator. Senator Harris has been a strong voice for her neighbors by advocating for quality education statewide, increasing access to public transit, and protecting some of our most sacred rights, such as the right to vote.
Joining Senator Nikiya Harris today is her grandmother Josephine Montgomery, her sister Kenya Johnson, her aunt and uncle George and Karen Harris, her aunt Nicole Buckley, and her cousins Brittany Cullen, LaTisha Terry, and Tamara Walker.”
Senator Fitzgerald Introduced Senator Darling
"Senator Alberta Darling was elected to the State Senate in 1992 after previously serving in the State Assembly. The 8th Senate District includes portions of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee Counties.
