Issues

As a mother of three and a former teacher, I know first-hand the importance of education. Access to top quality schools is the best way to ensure that the leaders of tomorrow have the necessary "tools" to be competitive.

While this session saw some difficult budget problems, the state's commitment to education remained strong.

Our state's investment in our public schools will be $5.28 billion in 2003-04 and $5.33 billion in 2004-05. Despite a budget shortfall of over $3.2 billion, we will invest over $188 million more in K-12 than last year. (Act 33)

The Governor eliminated the two-thirds funding of K-12 education to find a new way of supporting our schools. While we have not yet heard a proposal from the administration, they are working overtime to find a new way of doing things in order to meet the needs of our students within the resources available.

ECONOMIC RECOVERY

This session's number one priority was putting fuel back into Wisconsin's economic engine. After hard work and bipartisan compromise, we were able to implement a record number of laws to ignite the state's economy. Some of the proposals of this session were:

Single Sales Factor - By repealing the state tax law that taxed the payroll on jobs created in Wisconsin, we were able to provide an incentive to employers to keep and expand their workforce in Wisconsin. (Act 37)

Job Creation Act - Through a bipartisan process, we were able to implement the greatest regulatory reform in a generation, greatly reducing government "red-tape" and making job creation and retention easier in Wisconsin. (Act 118)

Venture Capital - Using tax credits as an incentive to invest in start-up companies, this program encourages development of the high-tech jobs of tomorrow right here in Wisconsin. (Act 255)

TAXPAYERS DESERVE NOTHING LESS!

Without a doubt, this session has seen a renewed focus on taxes and the taxpayers' ability to pay.

Learning from past budgets, we realized that state spending reductions lead to increases in other taxes such as income or sales tax, and more specifically, property taxes.

Therefore, we proposed a three-year property tax freeze, allowing for increases when new growth occurs or when the voters give their approval.

Governor Doyle vetoed this provision. However, other units of government have heeded the wishes of property taxpayers and ade the necessary choices to hold the line on spending.