Speaker's Briefing: Assembly Honors Oak Creek Officers, Addresses FoodShare Fraud

I’m State Representative Robin Vos and this is the Speaker’s Briefing.

This week’s tragedies in Boston and in Texas remind us that there are people who run toward danger to protect us. On Tuesday the Assembly honored two such people, Oak Creek police Lt. Brian Murphy and police officer Sam Lenda, for their actions responding to the Sikh temple shooting last August. While they may not consider themselves heroes, I was proud that the Assembly honored them as Hometown Heroes.

The Assembly swore in our 60th Republican member, Representative Adam Neylon from Pewaukee who won a special election earlier this month.

This week’s floor sessions consisted of lively debate on many important state issues. Among the highlights was a bill that will give Milwaukee County residents a say on the size and scope of their government. Advisory referenda have shown overwhelming support for the idea. Milwaukee County is a major economic driver for the state of Wisconsin. Our reforms will mean a more effective government that will lead to positive impacts statewide. That bill received preliminary approval and the final vote is scheduled for next month.

We also approved a change to how the state handles fraud in the FoodShare system. Under current law, only the federal government can prosecute people for engaging in willful misconduct, like selling their FoodShare benefits and claiming that the card was lost or stolen. The problem was that prosecutions weren’t happening and the practice was continuing unchecked. By cracking down on fraud we can make sure the program remains solvent for families who truly need it.

Finally, I want to hear from my constituents on the job we’re doing this session. Please fill out my 2013 spring survey at SpeakerVos.com.

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