Messaged.
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Senator Fitzgerald, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate recess.
12:00 P.M.
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Recess
1:32 P.M.
The Senate reconvened.
Senate President Roth in the chair.
Senate Bill 3
Relating to: project labor agreements and public contracts.
hist64049Senator Vukmir moved that Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3 be laid on the table. The question was: Tabling of Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3?
The ayes and noes were demanded and the vote was: ayes, 19; noes, 13; absent or not voting, 1; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Cowles, Craig, Darling, Feyen, S. Fitzgerald, Harsdorf, Lasee, LeMahieu, Marklein, Moulton, Nass, Olsen, Petrowski, Roth, Stroebel, Testin, Tiffany, Vukmir and Wanggaard - 19.
Noes - Senators Bewley, Carpenter, Erpenbach, Hansen, Johnson, C. Larson, Miller, Ringhand, Risser, Shilling, L. Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 13.
Absent or not voting - Senator Kapenga - 1.
Tabled.
hist64053Senator Vukmir moved that Senate Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 3 be laid on the table. The question was: Tabling of Senate Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 3?
The ayes and noes were demanded and the vote was: ayes, 19; noes, 13; absent or not voting, 1; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Cowles, Craig, Darling, Feyen, S. Fitzgerald, Harsdorf, Lasee, LeMahieu, Marklein, Moulton, Nass, Olsen, Petrowski, Roth, Stroebel, Testin, Tiffany, Vukmir and Wanggaard - 19.
Noes - Senators Bewley, Carpenter, Erpenbach, Hansen, Johnson, C. Larson, Miller, Ringhand, Risser, Shilling, L. Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 13.
Absent or not voting - Senator Kapenga - 1.
Tabled.
hist64063Senator Fitzgerald, with unanimous consent, asked that the rules be suspended and the bill be given its third reading. Read a third time.
The question was: Passage of Senate Bill 3?
The ayes and noes were demanded and the vote was: ayes, 19; noes, 13; absent or not voting, 1; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Cowles, Craig, Darling, Feyen, S. Fitzgerald, Harsdorf, Lasee, LeMahieu, Marklein, Moulton, Nass, Olsen, Petrowski, Roth, Stroebel, Testin, Tiffany, Vukmir and Wanggaard - 19.
Noes - Senators Bewley, Carpenter, Erpenbach, Hansen, Johnson, C. Larson, Miller, Ringhand, Risser, Shilling, L. Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 13.
Absent or not voting - Senator Kapenga - 1.
Passed.
Senator Fitzgerald, with unanimous consent, asked that all action be immediately messaged to the Assembly:
Messaged.
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Announcements, Adjournment Honors, and Remarks Under
Special Privilege
Senator Wanggaard, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of his son-in-law John Allen Jensen on the 26th Anniversary of his 21st Birthday.
Senator Craig, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of Steve Spencer, voice of New Berlin West Football and Basketball.
Senator Wirch, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of Brady Wirch. We took a step towards helping him today. Let’s hope that we will have the eventual full legalization of CBD oil.
Senator Marklein, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of Cletus “Clete” Ring, a WWII veteran that served on the USS Gambier Bay. Mr. Ring survived 54 hours in the water after his carrier was hit by the Japanese in Leyete Gulf in the Philippines Sea. Clete died last week.
Senator Stroebel, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of Ryan Moyer. Ryan was a firefighter for the Waldo and Cascade Fire Departments. Ryan passed away on Saturday, February 4 as a result of a motor vehicle accident. Ryan’s accident occurred following a day of promoting a fundraising event for the Waldo Fire Department.
Senator Ringhand, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of grandson, Matt Dunphy, who will be graduating from Army basic training.
Senator Larson, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of the newest Larson: Winston Irving Larson. Born to his brother, Dave, and Dave’s wife, Kristen. Born at 5:47 a.m. on Monday, 2/6/2017 after 30 hours of labor.
Senator Darling, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of her grandson, Charlie Winkeljohn, who turns 11 on February 10, 2017.
Senator Erpenbach, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of former Badger Hockey Coach Jeff Sauer who recently passed away.
Senator Harsdorf, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of former Congressman Alvin J. Baldus of Menomonie, a devoted public servant of Wisconsin.
Senator Taylor, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of Wisconsin Eye and their 10 year birthday so that Wisconsinite’s can see all that we do. Adjourn in honor of Mr. Scott and in his death we honor his life. We honor the students in the black history program Maurice Willis; someone who has struggled with needing a kidney, Terynn Erby-Walker; who spoke clearly and eloquently, Yasmeen Atta; 12th grade who spoke about inclusion due to her dress and religion, and Amillia Bell; who said she was going higher than Rep. Fields.
Senator Shilling, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate adjourn in honor of black history month and the impact African-Americans have had in the 32nd District.
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President Roth appointed Senator Feyen and Senator Taylor to escort his Excellency, the Governor, to the Joint Convention.
Senator Fitzgerald, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate recess until 3:30 P.M. for the purpose of awaiting the Governor’s Budget Address in Joint Convention in the Assembly Chambers at 4:00 P.M., and further, that the Senate stand adjourned, pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, upon the rising of the Joint Convention.
3:02 P.M.
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Recess
The Senate proceeded in a body to the Assembly Chamber to meet in Joint Convention to receive the Budget Address.
3:30 P.M.
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In Assembly Chamber In
Joint Convention
Senate President Roth in the chair.
The Committee to wait upon the Governor appeared with his Excellency the Honorable Governor Scott Walker, who delivered his message as follows:
4:00 P.M.
_____________
“Speaker Vos, Speaker Pro Tern August, President Roth, Majority Leader Fitzgerald, Minority Leader Shilling, Minority Leader Barca, Supreme Court Justices, Constitutional Officers, tribal leaders, members of the Cabinet, members of the Legislature, distinguished guests, and most importantly, fellow citizens of the great State of Wisconsin, it is an honor to appear before you this afternoon to report on our state budget plan.
Before we get started, I would like to recognize the Commander of the Wisconsin National Guard, Major General Donald Dunbar. Thank you to you and the 10,000 strong members of the National Guard from Wisconsin. A special thanks to those deployed, including members of units from Madison and West Bend who departed since the State of the State Address. God be with you and your families until you safely return home.
The state of our state is strong, and the state of our budget is outstanding. We are Working and Winning for Wisconsin.
This budget includes historic investments in our priorities. We're putting more money into public education than ever before, making college even more affordable, caring for the truly needy, building a stronger infrastructure, rewarding work, and cutting taxes to the lowest point in decades.
This is very good news. But first, let me first tell you how all of this is possible.
Common sense reforms led to a strong economy and wise fiscal management led us to a positive budget outlook.
Specifically, lowering the burden on hardworking taxpayers helped put more money into the economy. Reducing excessive regulations and frivolous lawsuits helped improve the business climate so employers could add more jobs and offer higher wages.
Just look at the results. During the past year, more people were employed in Wisconsin than ever before. Unemployment is now down to the lowest levels since January of 200 1. And the percentage of people working in Wisconsin is among the best in the country.
In other words, our economic refo1ms have been successful. We are Working and Winning for Wisconsin.
In addition, we put in place reforms that helped the government be better stewards of the taxpayers' money. We are able to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in state government. Independent studies show our Act 10 reforms have saved schools, local and state government some $5 billion. They note that the savings from these reforms more than cover the budgetary changes in the past.
This year, the budget is projected to end with a higher than expected ending balance. Our rainy day fund is the largest in state history - 165 times bigger than when we took office. Our state pension system is one of only a few in the country that is fully funded. And our long-term outstanding debt is one of the lowest (meaning the best) in the nation.
In other words, our fiscal reforms have been successful. We are Working and Winning for "Wisconsin.
Overall, our common sense reforms brought us here - to the point where we have a significantly better budget outlook. We call this the Reform Dividend. And wow, as the fiscal bureau pointed out, that's a whole lot of money.
People tell us the reforms were necessary. Now, they want us to move ahead. And we listened. This budget moves Wisconsin forward.
Our priorities fall into three categories: Student Success, Accountable Government, and Rewarding Work. Our budget includes major new investments in each of these areas.
To help improve student success, we are investing more money into education than ever before in the history of Wisconsin. We are putting $11.5 billion of state support for K-12 education. Specifically, this budget includes a more than half-a-billion dollar increase in per pupil aid for public education.
Let me repeat that - We are investing more money into public education than ever before. Last November, the state Department of Public Instruction requested an increase of $200 per student in the first year and a $204 increase per student in the second year of the budget.
At the time, some suggested that we could not get close to that request. Well, this budget provides a $200 per student increase in the first year and a $204 increase per student in the second year. Ironically, I don't remember critics saying the budget request from the Department of Public Instruction wasn't enough last fall - which is probably why school leaders are saying good things about our budget proposal.
And because of our Act 10 reforms, these significant new dollars for education will overwhelmingly go into the classroom. In the past, our reforms allowed schools districts to achieve substantial savings. Our budget, however, is not about the past, it is about looking forward to addressing the workforce needs of the future.
In this budget, we used the Reform Dividend to invest more into public schools. We put more into rural schools with unique needs. We do more to improve schools in Milwaukee. We do more to expand programs that help students get early college credits. We do more to expand career and technical education. We do more to help recruit and retain excellent teachers.
