This week, I chaired a public hearing for the Committee on Local Government. We heard testimonies from the bill authors and citizens from the public on Assembly Bill 379 and Assembly Bill 314.
Assembly Bill 379, authored by Representative Sortwell (R- Two Rivers) and Senator Jacque (R-DePere), relates to local government regulation of vegetable gardens. This bill would prohibit a municipality from requiring a permit for or prohibiting of a vegetable or flower garden on residential property not owned by the municipality.
Assembly Bill 314, authored by Representative Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Senator Ballweg (R-Markesan), relates to state aid for prizes awarded at local fairs. Under current law, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection provides state aid to counties, agricultural societies, associations, and boards that hold local fairs to cover the cost of prizes paid out to exhibitors, up to $10,000 per fair. This bill increases that maximum to $20,000 per fair.
Current law also provides that an entity operating a fair may impose restrictions on the total number of fairs at which an exhibitor may participate in order to be eligible, at that fair, for a prize that is paid for with state aid. This bill keeps this provision but provides that DATCP may not impose such restrictions.
I want to thank the bill authors and stakeholders who came to testify on these bills. We had a great discussion and conversation on the bills. The committee will meet for an executive session on recommending floor passage of AB 379 and AB 314.
Capitol Meetings/ District Meetings
This week, I had the opportunity to meet with members of the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Richland County, along with Representative Travis Tranel. We had a great conversation with members of ADRC on how their programs and services are helping enhance and provide assistance to those in need of service.
I have always been a proud supporter of ADRC and supported helping ADRC in this year’s state budget. The Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network (WAAN) is a collaboration of individuals and associations working with and for Wisconsin’s older adults to shape policy and improve the quality of life for older people. During the meeting, we discussed ways to make investments that support older adults to improve their health and well-being. Thank you to John Grothjan, Regional Director of ADRC, for meeting with us.
I also had the opportunity to meet with Erik Huschitt (Monroe) from Badger State Ethanol in Monroe, during the Wisconsin Biofuels Association Capitol Day. Erik and I had a great conversation on legislative priorities, and he updated me on what is happening at Badger State Ethanol.
Badger State Ethanol (BSE) is a dry-mill ethanol production facility in Monroe. The Limited Liability Company (LLC) was founded in May of 2000 with the primary intent to produce a mix of products, placing it in two distinct industries with attributes that would be commodity in nature — fuel component and livestock feed. The plant began production in October of 2002 with an annual name-plate capacity of 40 million gallons of ethanol and 128,000 tons of animal feed known as distiller grains.
Today, BSE is the second-largest producer of ethanol in Wisconsin. They also produce 100 million gallons of ethanol a year and purchase 38 million bushels of corn every year from southwest Wisconsin. Wisconsin farmers produce 670 million gallons of ethanol per year, which provides about $2.6 billion to Wisconsin’s economy. Thank you to Erik for meeting with me and talking with me about BSE.
2023-2024 Blue Books
A reminder that new Blue Books for the 2023-2024 session are here! Please contact my office if you would like to request a State of Wisconsin Blue Book.
Nominations for First Responder of the Year
A reminder that I am accepting nominations for the 51st Assembly District’s 2023 First Responder Award.
Nominations could include a police officer or sheriff’s deputy, a firefighter, or any level of EMS provider (paramedic, EMT, first responder) and can be either a paid or volunteer public servant.
Previously, Al Michek of Highland and Ron Weigel of Shullsburg, were honored with the First Responder Awards in our district. Over his 32 years of service, Ron has held various leadership roles within the ambulance service, including the title of crew chief for 14 years. At the time of Al’s award in 2019, Al was the longest-serving EMT in Wisconsin, with over 48 years of service.
You can nominate a deserving person for a variety of reasons, including:
● A specific heroic action;
● A significant professional achievement;
● Something special they do for the community during the course of their work;
● His or her body of work over time; and/or
● His or her length of service.
To have your local hero be eligible, please submit all nomination forms no later than Friday, September 29th, 2023. Nomination forms are available at RepNovak.com, by calling (608) 266-7502, or by emailing Rep.Novak@legis.wisconsin.gov.
A first responder from within the Assembly district will then be selected in October, and they will be invited to a Hometown Heroes recognition in the Assembly Chamber on October 17th.
UW-Platteville Enrollment Growth
It’s exciting to hear about the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s growth in enrollment. This is an overall increase for the university for the first time in seven years. Estimates show an increased enrollment of 30% in new freshmen for the second year in a row and a 10% increase in new transfer students on the main campus and online programs. Their commitment to excellence and innovation is truly commendable. Their focus on science, technology, agriculture, and engineering aligns well with the demands of the job market. This growth reflects the university’s ability to adapt and provide students with the skills they need for the future.
I have always been a strong supporter of supporting UW-Platteville, as supporting the university is crucial for the advancement of education, research, and community development. This helps create numerous opportunities and drives innovation for students to succeed in the workplace. The university has a huge impact throughout southwest Wisconsin. Congratulations to UW-Platteville, and wish everyone a great year!
— Rep. Todd Novak represents Wisconsin’s 51st Assembly District. He can be reached at 608-237-9151 or email rep.novak@legis.wisconsin.gov.
