For better or worse, the manner in which we work...the manner in which we speak...and the manner in which we act inside the walls of this chamber...places a public face to this process of trust.
We may have different approaches...but we have shared interests...working for the best interest of a representative democracy.
When this day of celebration is done and the music has faded...I hope we will continue to feel the strong, positive energy of this day.
I am honored and privileged to serve as the Senate's Majority Leader. I accept this new opportunity with all the fervor and enthusiasm of my being...and respect.
I ask you to assist in helping Wisconsin be a leader...a place where all people want to live, with good jobs, affordable health care, and a good education for our children.
We proudly call Wisconsin our home.
In conclusion...I would like to quote President Abraham Lincoln. He once said, “the fundamental test of a democracy is its capacity to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial weights from all shoulders, and to clear the laudable paths.. for all."
This is our challenge today and for tomorrow.
During this 98th session of the Wisconsin State Senate let our actions raise the bar of justice.
Let our work set a positive record in history.
Let our legacy plant the seeds for future leaders.
If not us...who?
If not now...when?
On Wisconsin!!"
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With unanimous consent, Senator Fitzgerald addressed the members from the rostrum.
Remarks of Minority Leader Fitzgerald
“Mr. President, Majority Leader Robson, fellow colleagues, Chief Justice Abrahamson, families, friends and guests, good afternoon. I'd like to offer a warm welcome to the Wisconsin State Senate. It is an honor to be here today and to have all of you here to celebrate the start of the 98th regular session of the Wisconsin State Senate.
I'd like to thank my Republican colleagues for giving me the honor of serving them this session as their leader. I appreciate the trust they've put in me and pledge to do my best to represent their interests and priorities during the next two years.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “The enormity of the times in which we live has forced me to commit myself to the boisterous ocean of political passions."
While President Jefferson's words were specific to his acknowledgement that public service is a calling for some, and not simply a passing interest, his words carry gravity for all who pass through this chamber.
Like all of you, I am honored to have been elected by the people of my district to represent them in the State Senate. We are all here because we are drawn to public service, because we want to make a difference for our families, for our children and for our children's children. Regardless of our party, we must all remember that we are here because the men and women of our districts have chosen us. They have placed their trust in the 33 of us, and our first job, always, is to repay that trust by serving with honor and principle.
We must also recognize that it is only under the Lord's hard and good will that we assemble here today. We find ourselves at the start of a new year, with the holidays and the business of the last legislative session behind us. Inauguration day always signifies the beginning of something new. And this session, like those before it and those yet to come will offer unique challenge and opportunities.
Last fall's elections once again changed the make up of this body. This is the third time control of the state senate has changed during my twelve years in office.
As Senate Republican Leader, I pledge to offer assistance to the majority party in measured form to reach common goals that serve the citizens of this great state. We will do our part to ensure that the senate runs smoothly, efficiently and respectfully.
I'll also do whatever I can to ensure we have a good relationship with our colleagues in the Assembly. Please know that I'll always be happy to reach out to a member of the Assembly leadership I've know for a long time, who I consider a good friend and someone I have a great relationship with. And if Speaker Huebsch isn't available I can always call my brother.
But I will also not hesitate to serve as the “loyal opposition" when our goals and our beliefs diverge from those of the majority party or the governor. Our two-party system has served us well and remains necessary to demonstrate that there are different ways to address the important issues that come before this body.
While we have an obligation to find solutions, we also must recognize that compromise does not mean abandoning our core principles. While we all agree on the major issues we must address during the next two years, we may have different solutions in mind.
We cannot and should not shy away from discussing and debating those differences.
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We agree that the tax burden on Wisconsinites is too high. We should have an open debate on whether we address the problem through tax shifting or through meaningful caps on property taxes and tax cuts that benefit us all.
We agree that health care is too expensive and that we must work to make health care more accessible and more affordable for Wisconsin families. I look forward to a vigorous debate on whether the answer to the health care crisis is more regulation and policies that move us closer to socialized medicine or if the solutions lie in promoting private sector innovation and giving more control over health care dollars and decisions to Wisconsin families.
We agree that ensuring our children get the best education they possibly can at both the K-12 level and in our university system is vitally important to keep our economy moving forward. And we will debate whether the best path to achieve these goals is through higher taxes and simply throwing money at the problem or whether fundamental change in the system, how it is funded, and where dollars are directed is the path to a brighter future.
These are important issues, important differences and important debates to have. And I look forward to them.
As we prepare for the session that lies ahead, I call on the senior members of this body from both parties to use their institutional knowledge and command of parliamentary procedure to help guide the operation of the senate. And I challenge you to rekindle your want and will to work with a fresh perspective to help solve the state's problems.
For legislators in leadership roles, take your new charge humbly and seriously. With any shift in political control also comes a shift in responsibility. The majority has many jobs, they must lead, they must articulate and enact an agenda and they must run this body efficiently, effectively and fairly. I hope you will work with both parties to craft a legislative agenda that blends bold strokes with fairness. We must always remember that our job is to leave this state in better shape for the next legislature and the people of Wisconsin.
To the freshmen senators - the gentlemen from the 5th, the 21st and the 23rd and the lady from the 31st - you'll be getting a lot of advice in the next few weeks. Let me offer some of my own. Some may say you should just sit back and listen for your first two years, but only you can judge what you are ready for and when you are ready for it. When you raised your right hand today and took the oath of office you were thrust into a leadership role by the 170,000 citizens you represent. They elected you to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to Madison. Don't let them down.
Former President Gerald Ford, who passed away last week put it well: “A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
As we head into this new legislative session we should bear these words in mind. The money we will debate spending during the next two years is not ours - it belongs to the people of Wisconsin. We must spend it wisely and sparely. We must fight the temptation to be all things to all people. We must focus on key priorities and fund them using real dollars and abandon the past practice of using segregated funds as piggy banks to plug budget holes and duck tough choices.
It's time to get back to basics, to get our fiscal house in order and give the people of Wisconsin who have sent us here to serve a government they can be proud of once again.
We're ready to get to work and look forward to working together with the outer ring, our colleagues in the Assembly and the governor to do the job the people expect from us. I'm optimistic and excited for the next two years.
Thank you very much."
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The joint committee on Legislative Organization reports and recommends:
Senate Joint Resolution 1
Relating to: the session schedule for the 2007-2008 biennial session period.
Introduction.
Ayes, 10 - Senators
Risser, Robson, Hansen, S. Fitzgerald and Leibham; Representatives Huebsch, Fitzgerald, Gundrum, Kreuser, and Richards.
Noes, 0 - None.
Fred Risser
Senate Chairperson
Considered as privileged and taken up.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
Relating to: the session schedule for the 2007-2008 biennial session period.
Introduced by the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization.
Read.
The question was: Shall Senate Joint Resolution
1 be adopted?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 33; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 0; 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, Leibham, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Sullivan, Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch - 33.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - None.
Adopted.
Senator Robson, with unanimous consent, asked that all action be immediately messaged to the Assembly.
Messaged.
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State of Wisconsin
Secretary of State
December 11, 2006
The Honorable, The Senate:
I, DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE, Secretary of State of Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following proposed amendments to the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin have been approved by the regular session of the 2005‐2006 legislature and duly published as required by Section 1 of
Article XII of the Constitution:
Enrolled Joint Resolution 2 (second consideration)
Enrolled Joint Resolution 30 (second consideration)
Enrolled Joint Resolution 39 (first consideration)
Enrolled Joint Resolution 40 (first consideration)
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Enrolled Joint Resolution 46 (first consideration)
Sincerely,
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State
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Senator Erpenbach, with unanimous consent, introduced his guests attending the 2007 inaugural; his parents Bill and Liz Erpenbach, and his kids Joey and Amy Erpenbach.
Senator Erpenbach, with unanimous consent, asked that when the Senate adjourn, it do so in honor his children, Joey and Amy.
Senator Hansen, with unanimous consent, introduced his guest attending the 2007 inaugural; his wife Jane Hansen.
Senator Hansen, with unanimous consent, asked that when the Senate adjourn, it do so in honor of his mother, Clare Hansen, who passed away in October.
Senator Jauch, with unanimous consent, asked that when the Senate adjourn, it do so in honor of his wife Cecelia Jauch of Poplar, their two children, Jessica of Otsego, Minnesota and Christopher of Poplar, his mother Janet Jauch of Lac du Flambeau, his mother-in-law Irene Buraglio of Park Falls, his sister Sue Allen and her family of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, his aunt Harriette Jauch of Vernon Hills, Illinois, his cousin Tom and Tom's wife and children Jeanette, Katie and Tommy Jauch of Wauconda, Illinois, and his cousin Judge Richard Jauch and Richard's wife and children Marilyn, Stephanie and Krista of Castle Rock, Colorado.
Senator Kanavas, with unanimous consent, introduced his guests attending the 2007 inaugural; his wife Mary, and two of his three kids--Nick and Kate, and his mother Min Kanavas.
Senator Kedzie, with unanimous consent, introduced his guest attending the 2007 inaugural; his wife Kerrie Kedzie.
Senator Kreitlow, with unanimous consent, introduced his guests attending the 2007 inaugural; Wife, Sharry Kreitlow, Daughters, Chelsea and Samantha, 4 month old grandson Mason Patrick Kreitlow, Mother, Joan Kreitlow, and Sister, Steph Keenan.
