MADISON, Wis. – State Representative Loren Oldenburg (R-Viroqua) is highlighting a number of bills he authored recently that are advancing their way through the legislator. Oldenburg released the following statement on the recent floor session in the State Assembly:
“I am excited to see that legislation I’ve authored, Senate Bill 67 & Senate Bill 687, passed the State Assembly concurred in. Both of these bills have already passed the State Senate and I look forward to the Governor signing them into law” stated Rep. Oldenburg. “Defining decommissioning & ensuring that phase-out utility aid is fairly paid is an important legislative fix our municipalities and utilities need. Senate Bill 67 is a practical piece of legislation that is supported by local units of government, utilities and electric cooperatives.”
“Senate Bill 687 provides uniformity following the merger of Crossroads College and the Wisconsin Christian Missionary Association. If the Church of Christs ever dissolves its assets have a place to go. I’m excited to help our local religious organizations.”
Assembly Bill 419 and Assembly Bill 779 both passed the State Assembly and head to the State Senate today. “Assembly Bill 419 establishes a free carbon calculator. This uniform credit calculation method makes it easier for farmers to engage in new marketplaces, and increase reliability and transparency of these credits on the free market.”
“Assembly Bill 779 will allow students to receive proper credit for their efforts while also removing barriers and accelerating the pipeline of individuals into trades. This proposal creates a tax credit for youth apprentices and focuses on lowering the costs of getting people into trades and clearing pathways for people interested in these careers.” Said Rep Oldenburg
Oldenburg bills already signed into law
The bills currently working their way through the legislature are in addition to four other bills Oldenburg was able to get through the legislature and signed by Gov. Evers recently.
In January Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill 222 co-authored by Oldenburg that establishes a Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grant. The program makes competitive assessment or implementation grants available to flood-prone local governments. Assessment grants (capped at $300,000) support gathering vulnerability data at the watershed, catchment, or stream-reach scale to understand how water is flowing and contributing to flood risks. Implementation grants (capped at $250,000) enable hydrologic restoration projects that reduce flood damage and protect important infrastructure like roads.
Healthy conditions in upstream wetlands, streams, and floodplains offer stable flood storage and
opportunities to slow the energy of flood flows. Erosion into wetlands and along streams has the
opposite effect, leading to rapid and flashy flooding downstream. The projects enabled through an implementation grant restore the landscape’s natural ability to store, infiltrate, and slowly release runoff.
In December the Governor signed Farmland Preservation bill authored by coauthored by Senator Pat Testin, R-Stevens Point and Oldenburg that increased altered farmland preservation to increase participation by farmers, that had started to wane in recent years. Farmland Preservation is a voluntary program started in the 1970s to provide financial incentives for farmers to commit to keeping their land in production and abiding by best practices to preserve soil and water quality. Assembly Bill 133, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 42 provides, among other things:
- Reducing the minimum number of years a farmer would have to commit to the program from 15 to 10 years to provide more flexibility and account for estate planning.
- Increase payments from $7.50 to $10 per acre for land located in a farmland preservation zoning district but not subject to a farmland preservation agreement.
- Increase payments from $5.00 to $10 per acre for land subject to a farmland preservation agreement but not located in a farmland preservation zoning district.
- Increase payments from $10 to $12.50 per acre for land located in a farmland preservation zoning district and are subject to a farmland preservation agreement.
In November of 2023 Senate Bill 35 co-authored by Oldenburg became Wisconsin Act 57. The emergency contact law requires the Department of Transportation to inquire whether a vehicle owner would like to add emergency contact information to their file. Adding this information is completely optional and only law enforcement can access it.
The bill grew out of suggestions from law enforcement locally including Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson.
“It is an honor to have Senate Bill 35 signed into law, and I would like to thank Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson for all of his help on this legislation” said Oldenburg, “This common sense law will help families get in touch with their loved ones who have been involved in an accident in a more timely manner.”
2023 Wisconsin Act 57 brings Wisconsin in line with various other states who already have similar programs in place. Those applying for a driver’s license or going through the renewal process will have the opportunity to add an emergency contact to their file in six months.
In 2021 Oldenburg’s Assembly Bill 220 became Wisconsin Act 83 and requires school districts that operate a high school to provide information about the state’s Youth Apprenticeship program in the packet of information they are already statutorily required to provide to students.
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