Capitol Connection, December 2023

By
December 21, 2023

Director of Public Affairs John Jacobson comments in the December issue of the Capitol Connection, “while most of the news coming out of Madison tends to focus just on the negatives – the disagreements, debates, ideological stalemates – the holidays are about togetherness and we wanted to take a moment to remind you of a few things that were actually accomplished this year through bipartisanship, collaboration, and yes, even compromise.”

 

Video transcript

 

Hi, I’m John Jacobson, Director of Public Affairs at Ruder Ware.

2023 was a big year in the State Capitol. Another legislative session commenced, another biennial budget was introduced, debated, and thankfully passed…now it’s the time of year again when another tree adorns the Capitol rotunda, it’s decorated with ornaments made by little kids all over the state of Wisconsin.

While most of the news coming out of Madison tends to focus just on the negatives – the disagreements, debates, ideological stalemates – the holidays are about togetherness and we wanted to take a moment to remind you of a few things that were actually accomplished this year through bipartisanship, collaboration, and yes, even compromise.

In June, Wisconsin Act 12 was signed into law, which provided the largest financial boost to local governments in a generation, through the shared revenue program, required also new dollars be invested by those local governments in infrastructure, emergency services,  law enforcement and other critical needs of the community. That same piece of legislation also repealed Wisconsin’s oldest tax – the personal property tax – that will now save businesses hundreds of millions of dollars every year moving into the future.

Later in June, Wisconsin Acts 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 became law. All of those bipartisan bills were aimed at providing a boost in workforce and senior housing across the state through new grant programs, rehabilitation incentives, loan programs and more.

In July, Wisconsin Act 20 was signed into law. That completely overhauled the way reading is taught in Wisconsin schools. With our state’s kids’ reading proficiency levels at historic lows, a bipartisan initiative looked at how other states have reversed the same trend, and tailored that program to fit the needs of our state’s students.

As we close the book on this calendar year – we’re hopeful for more collaboration and positive results in the months ahead. 2024 will be an active year – the legislature will conclude its businesses and the session will be adjourned. Legislative boundaries may be redrawn and new maps may be implemented. And of course, the campaign season will commence.

Ruder Ware will keep you informed of all the latest developments. But as always, feel free to reach out to me anytime, I look forward to hearing from you.

No matter your plans this holiday season, warmest wishes to you and your family. We’re proud to be your Capitol Connection. See you next year.

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