On Tuesday, November 7th, three bills that I co-authored passed the Senate.  On Thursday, November 9th the Assembly passed seven more. 
 
The highlight of these bills was Senate Joint Resolution 53, otherwise known as "Marsy's Law". Too often, victims are shoved to the back of the criminal justice process, and their rights are ignored. Victims deserve the right to be heard in court proceedings and to be informed throughout the justice process. Marsy's Law strengthens Wisconsin's crime victims' rights by adding new rights to our constitution, and putting those rights on a level playing field with a defendant's constitutional  rights. As a constitutional amendment, Marsy's Law will have to pass again next session, before heading to the voters for approval. 

I'm happy the following bills I've co-authored also passed this week:
 
Senate Bill 135- Revocation of operating privileges for certain offenses related to drunk driving.
Senate Bill 310- Operating a motor vehicle after revocation.
Senate Bill 177- relating to drainage districts and regulating the removal of material from certain drainage ditches.
Senate Bill 300- solicitation of an intimate representation from a minor.
Assembly Bill 601- length of contracts for GPS devices for tracking sex offenders.
Senate Bill 128- allowing court commissioners to issue search warrants for certain civil violations.
Senate Bill 202- adults knowingly permitting or failing to take action to prevent the illegal consumption of alcohol beverages by underage persons.
Senate Bill 258- preserving and transferring dental patient health care records.
Senate Bill 325- regarding underage sexual activity.

On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) board, approved a $3 billion contract with Foxconn Technology Group.  The contract is set to be signed on Friday in Racine.

Among the many provisions in the final contract are:
-A personal guarantee of up to $500 million from Foxconn CEO, Terry Gou, if Foxconn does not live up to the agreement.
-Foxconn must hire at least 260 workers next year, and at least 5,200 by 2022, and at least 10,400 by 2027.
-A minimum $9 billion investment by the company to be eligible for tax credits.
-Jobs must pay at least $30,000 per year and average $53,875 annually.
- Foxconn must hire an indpendent accounting firm chosen by the state to verify it's spending on construction and worker salaries. 
-State can reclaim any credits if the company provides false information, leaves the state or ceases operations (not restarting within a year).
-If the company employs fewer than 6,500 workers the state can reclaim credits on a sliding scale ranging from $965 million in 2023 to $386 million in 2032.
 

On Veterans Day, November 11th, we honor our veterans and take time to thank them, even though they deserve our gratitude every day.  Many of them have sacrificed time away from careers and families in order to serve our country.  Their service, both during times of war and peace, protect the freedoms we enjoy.   

I was honored to adjourn session this week in honor of my father, Lt. Col. Herluf Wanggaard who served 5 years in WWII, 5 years in the Korean Conflict and 18 years in the Reserves and National Guard 32nd Division; I also adjourned in honor of all of our current and past veterans on this year's Veterans Day.  Thank you.

Come out to Malicki's Piggly Wiggly on Saturday November 18th from 10-3pm. There will be pre-packaged bags of food to purchase for $5 or $10. They will also accept any non perishable items and monetary donations. All food and proceeds will be donated to the Racine County Food Bank and Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin. Help Stuff the Squad for those in need!

I'm proud to have received an Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. Award from Reesman Excavating and Feiner Plumbing.

WEC sends 343,000 postcards to registered voters as part of voter list maintenance



According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), postcards are in the process of being sent to 343,000 registered voters who may have moved within Wisconsin or to another state.  As part of 2015 Wisconsin Act 261, Wisconsin participates in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which requires WEC to reach out to voters who ERIC has flagged as having potentially moved.  ERIC obtains information from a variety of sources, including Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), voter registration and DMV records from other states, and the National Change of Address database from the U.S. Postal Service.  Approximately 282,448 voters have been identified by ERIC as having moved within Wisconsin, and 59,292 voters have been flagged as having moved out of state.

Postcards are being mailed to these voters to confirm whether they have moved:

Voters who receive a postcard from the WEC and wishes to continue his or her active registration, should sign and return the Continuation of Registration postcard by December 15th.

Burlington High School girls volleyball team won the Division 1 State Championships last weekend.  Congratulations! 

Racine Horlick High School has qualified for the WIAA State Boys Volleyball Tournament which will be held this weekend at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee. 

Congrats and good luck teams!

For more information on this and the WIAA visit: www.wiaawi.org

Earlier this week, I joined Representative Samantha Kerkman and others at the 127th year of Red Kettle Season at the Woodmans in Kenosha.  The goal this year is to raise $200,000 for the Salvation Army in Kenosha.



I was also honored to attend and present a Legislative Citation at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the  James A. Patterson Veterans Village. There was a great turn out for a great cause.

Signing Blue Books with Representative Samantha Kerkman.  Blue Books are free and still available.  Simply email your interest and mailing address to: Sen.Wanggaard@legis.wi.gov.  (Sorry- we can not mail to P.O. Boxes).