Steve Hilgenberg

A Fine State of Affairs:

Periodic reports to the faithful, from Steve Hilgenberg

Dear friends,

Greetings to all my supporters from the campaign trail. Here we are in an election race again. Two years ago, when I ran for Assembly for the first time, most of us were new at this business. I started out with complete confidence that I could win, never fully realizing what a big challenge it was to beat an entrenched incumbent. Now I am the incumbent, though not particularly entrenched. My immediate challenge is simply (!) to hold onto my seat (people are always telling me that anyway, in one form or another) But of course we want to accomplish much more than that. I’m counting on your help to keep the 51st Assembly seat Democratic so we can continue to return the state to its progressive roots.

First, let’s look at what has happened during the past two years. It was not a term filled with great deeds and triumphant trumpet blasts, but we did pave the way for some good things coming up.

We passed an ethics reform bill

Ethics reform was one of my campaign issues, and my opponent didn’t take it seriously enough. When I took office, one of the things the Legislature dealt with and passed was an ethics reform bill (creating a Government Accountability Board). I voted Yes on SB1. The Republican leadership understood the issue cost them a number of seats in the Assembly. I thought, good, we’ll be moving right along and taking care of business. We addressed a few more minor bills as we went along in January and then....

The governor’s budget came out

The proposed biennial budget came out for deliberation and stopped all forward motion, (like a fourth helping of cheese fondue). Approving a budget is the only thing the Legislature is really required to do, and we didn’t do a very good job of it. The Republicans had a majority in the Assembly, the Democrats had a majority in the Senate and the Guv is a Democrat. All three branches had to agree.

We were in a bind (there’s the fondue again) because 25 Assembly Republicans had taken a ‘Grover Norquist’ pledge that they would not raise taxes under any circumstances. That pretty much rules out any serious attempt to reach a compromise.

They’re not concerned about how we might adjust spending or how we are going to address people’s needs. Their only option is to cut programs and services. Another tendency the conservative caucus has is a willingness to borrow to cover budget shortfalls. Apparently putting present obligations off into long term debt is not a tax to the no-tax gang, even if it is a tax we are laying on the backs of future generations. If we need to spend more to provide vital services to people, we need to be honest about it and bite the bullet.

Budget and other successes

There were a number of victories in the last budget that we can be happy about. The reauthorization of the Stewardship Fund (SB 40) was a huge success. The fund for the previous 10-year period provided $60 million per year. The governor asked for $105 million for the next 10-year period. The Assembly Republicans countered with an embarrassing $25 million. The final vote on the budget put the authorization at $85 million. Realizing that this was a popular Wisconsin program, the Republicans agreed to this higher figure, as they were showing signs of voting with their eye on the 2008 election.

Another success story was the expansion of Badger Care (SB 40). Through Badger Care Plus, 98% of all children in Wisconsin can receive health care coverage. The Governor continued his baby-step approach to health care reform but it is a great step in the right direction.

The budget also included increases in school funding for special education, the SAGE program and high poverty districts.

During the budget stalemate I joined an effort with other legislators to promote Senior Care, a popular Wisconsin prescription drug program. The federal government was about to pull the plug on the program, but through a petition campaign, the effort did not go unnoticed in Washington. We saved Senior Care! Now efforts must be taken to ensure that the extension becomes permanent.

Wisconsin did its part when it ratified the Great Lakes Compact on May 14th. This will set up a program to manage the waters of the Great Lakes, which contain 20% of the fresh water of the world.

More work to do

Health Care

In addition to Badger Care Plus, the Senate unveiled a truly bold and comprehensive plan which fell into the ‘giant step’ category. Healthy Wisconsin was added to their version of the budget. It was a compromise plan that included parts of three different plans that were competing for public support. Once the compromise plan became public, it received a lot of attention and we found it had much wider appeal than anyone had predicted, especially among the business community.

But it did have its drawbacks, its flaws. It was argued that the plan was put into the budget at the last minute and Republicans didn’t have enough time to study it. That may be true but its presence in the budget forced it onto the table where it couldn’t be ignored, it had to be discussed. The reception the plan received guarantees its revival in the upcoming session. The Republicans will have to present more than “ Health Savings Accounts” and “Transparency” to address the seriousness of this problem to our economy. We have come up with several plans more like the successful systems in the rest of the developed world. We have access to facilities and doctors, but many people cannot afford the costs of health care.

The Health of our Planet

Our health depends on the health of our planet and an example of this is the recent situation at the Olympics in Beijing. The air pollution over the city is so bad that the athletes had to practice hundreds of miles away and then come to Beijing only when it was time to compete. The situation there is not unique and cannot be blamed solely on the behavior of a particular city. Although cities emit huge amounts of pollutants, much of the problem originates in other environments. And it all contributes to our planet’s health and climate change.

The challenge of climate change must be met by reducing our use of fossil fuels, developing “clean” energy sources and responsibly implementing sustainable practices. I supported AB157 to establish statewide standards for realistic, environmentally sound reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Unfortunately this bill went nowhere; the Assembly Republicans refused to bring it out of committee for debate. An attempt was made through a “pulling” motion to have the bill go directly to the Assembly floor, but it was once again voted down along straight party lines.

Now is the time to introduce legislation to educate all citizens regarding practices that can be implemented to promote sustainable living. In the budget I voted to create a renewable energy grant and loan program and voted against a bill to lift the prohibition on energy companies building new nuclear power plants in Wisconsin. I continue to support grants for renewable energy to decrease our usage of fossil fuels. I simply will not sit back and let the future happen when there are steps that can be taken to address the effects of climate change now.

School Funding Still Needs Fixing

We talked during the last campaign about rural districts being hurt by revenue limits and the QEO (Qualified Economic Offer) that were put in place in 1993. The built-in gap between revenues and costs continues to expand each year with the remedy offered by the state being local referendum to exceed the revenue limit and add the increase to our local property tax levy. This cycle of repeating referenda continues to shatter communities and poison the educational environment in local public schools for our children. I support plans that will make state funds more equitable and reduce the reliance on homeowner property taxes by closing corporate loopholes and expanding sales taxes.

Election Funding, Not There Yet

It’s obvious with the two most recent Supreme Court races, that we have a long way to go in the way we fund these elections. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the largest lobbying body in the state, spent more than $2 million in each of the two races, and in my opinion, determined the outcome. They bought those seats and cast a shadow of doubt on the impartiality of the state’s highest court. Newly elected justice Annette Ziegler, after receiving more than $2.5 million from WMC in campaign support, wrote the court’s decision in favor of an appeal by the Menasha Corporation. The Corporation’s appeal in the case was funded by none other than WMC. Conflict of interest? Coincidence?

In any case, the way to resolve this conflict is to get special interest money out of judicial races. Rep. Gordon Hinz, from Oshkosh, and I wrote AB250 last session to limit campaign spending and proposed a way to cut down on outside expenditures. There’s really no reason this shouldn’t eventually apply to all state races. It’s not that radical a proposal. We’re trying to make the districts fairer, get the special-interest money out, limit spending, limit campaigns and make candidates run competitive races.

Politicians Must be Answerable to Voters

We need to take the temptation to fix districts out of the hands of political parties. Redistricting should be done by non-partisan, objective bodies. Creating safe seats also can create incumbents who can take radical, uncompromising positions. Voter turnout is suppressed and interest in outcomes is diminished. Power becomes centralized and decisions are put in the hands of fewer and fewer voters. This may seem comfortable but leads to the great partisan divide most of us are unhappy with.

The Smoking Ban

Twenty-three states have passed a comprehensive smoking ban. 69% of all Wisconsinites favor a statewide ban. It is time for the legislature to get on board!

One ending note…

I am so looking forward to my next term in office, when I can introduce legislation and don’t have to hear someone say, “Why should I bring this bill up for a hearing? I know it’s good, but he’s a Democrat and a freshman.”

Vote Hilgenberg !!

We have just under 100 days left in this campaign. I am knocking on doors, attending parades, fundraisers and other events. Sometimes it is difficult to be a “campaigner” when the houses I’m knocking on have hoses running out of them as their basements are flooded. Sometimes it is difficult when I can’t find a dry path to get to their door! Campaigning then seems downright trivial. But it is the face-to-face experiences that give me the best opportunity to listen to people’s concerns about their lives and what direction they believe the state should be taking. It is through these experiences that my commitment to serve the people of the 51st is renewed. I thank you all for your previous support and ask you once again to grant me the privilege to serve you in 2008.

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Don’t hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns. I need to know what you’re thinking in order to act on your behalf.

For all official business,

you can call me toll-free at 1-888-534-0051;

send email to rep.hilgenberg@legis.wi.gov;

or write to: Representative Steve Hilgenberg, PO Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708.

For personal or campaign-related correspondence,

use my personal email: mayohil@countryspeed.com

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