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Health & Fitness

Rep. Robin Vos Wants Your Input on State Government

State Rep. Robin Vos discusses the process of crafting the state budget and the importance of gathering public input to make the best decisions for Wisconsin.

Your input is important.

This is, by far, the most important time in the process of crafting the state budget.  It’s your chance to give input on how state government spends your tax dollars. The time for public input goes by fairly quickly.  The Wisconsin State Legislature will vote on the budget in June and the budget goes into effect July 1st.  There are many ways that you can share your opinions on the direction of the state and I hope that you take the opportunity to examine the budget, AB 40, and let me know your thoughts.

I know that it’s best to talk to people face-to-face.  That’s why I’ve set up three listening sessions in the 63rd Assembly District, which includes the communities of Rochester, Burlington, Town of Burlington, Yorkville, Dover, Union Grove, Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant.  The community town halls are scheduled for Monday, May 6th at the Mt. Pleasant Village Hall, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.; Union Grove Village Hall, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; and Burlington City Hall, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.  I hope you can make it to one of those listening sessions.

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Also, next week my constituents will be getting my spring questionnaire in their mailboxes.  My biennial survey asks questions about important legislative initiatives as well as questions concerning the budget.  The inquiries range from what you think about the proposed decrease in the bottom three income tax brackets to questions pertaining to your views on the ideal role of state government.  Your answers are important to me.  If you don’t receive a survey and live in the 63rd Assembly District, please go on-line to speakervos.com and fill the survey out there.

I’m fortunate that hundreds of my constituents take the time to fill out the survey and I would like to thank them for that input.  Two years ago, I found that the questionnaire gave me good insight into what my constituents felt about the major reforms that we passed last session.  For instance, about 70% of those surveyed said they wanted us to cut state spending, which we did in order to eliminate a $3.6 billion dollar deficit. An even larger amount (77%) said they support a property tax freeze and we capped property taxes which resulted in the first drop in property taxes in 12 years for the median value home.  More than 8 out of 10 respondents wanted us to restore the Governor's cut to SeniorCare, which I'm happy to say that we did. Roughly two-thirds said they supported an expansion of school choice scholarships. We extended the Parental Choice Program to Milwaukee County and Racine County.

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I have always said that the most important part of my job is to listen to my constituents. If you like to speak with me directly, please call my office at (608) 266-9171 or e-mail me at Rep.Vos@legis.wi.gov.  I’m honored to be your voice in Madison and I hope to hear from you soon.

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