It has been my privilege to advocate on behalf of the people of the Chippewa Valley throughout this legislative session by supporting bills that will reduce taxes, fix our roads, invest in affordable …
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It has been my privilege to advocate on behalf of the people of the Chippewa Valley throughout this legislative session by supporting bills that will reduce taxes, fix our roads, invest in affordable housing, help our community schools, and boost the local economy. In addition to this, the Assembly considered more than a hundred other bills last week, many of them bipartisan, and we either forwarded them to the Senate or the governor's desk. In this week's column I will discuss several of them that will have an immediate effect on our communities.
Minnesota/Wisconsin tuition reciprocity
Under reciprocity, students that come to school in Wisconsin from Minnesota pay what it costs them to attend a school in Minnesota. Because Minnesota students pay a higher rate for tuition, a surplus of tuition is generated. Under this bill, this surplus would be sent back to the campuses that created that surplus. This simple change will provide UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout each with an additional $2.5 million a year, with UW-River Falls generating $4.3 million to help educate our future leaders.
Helping our disabled veterans and their surviving spouses
The bill, which was approved by the Assembly unanimously, expands eligibility for disabled veterans in our state. This change will allow more veterans to remain in their homes and in our local communities by providing them with a credit if their disability rating is 70% or higher.
Expanding opportunities in Apprenticeship and Youth Apprenticeship
Together with Rep. Loren Oldenburg, we passed a bill that would establish a new Youth Apprenticeship award and allow more adults to participate in the state's existing Apprenticeship Completion Award Program. Encouraging students and adults to gain more work experience during their education will ensure that they have the skills necessary to fulfill their dreams in our state.
Teacher Apprenticeships
The shortage of teachers is an ongoing challenge for our schools. By passing a teacher apprenticeship program, which has proven successful in other states, is one way to assist educators in meeting the increasing expenses of their education. Teachers can pay off their tuition and improve their career readiness by receiving more classroom experience during college (beyond the required one semester under current practice), while providing schools more access to our future educators.
Expanding the Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Our region currently has several communities that take part in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This program encourages children to develop a love of reading by sending books to kids up to the age of five. This bill, which was approved by the legislature with a unanimous vote, will give local nonprofit organizations matching grants to help them defray program costs and support the expansion of this wildly popular initiative.
As always, if there is a piece of legislation that you are especially interested in learning more about, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at 888-534-0093 or rep.petryk@legis.wisconsin.gov.
