Voters chose Scott Walker to be Wisconsin’s new governor, while Ron Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate. Two new U.S. Representatives were elected, Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble, in northern Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the State Legislature changed from Democratic to Republican control, with Republican majorities in the State Senate of 19-14 and in the State Assembly of 60-38-1.
Following the election last week, Senate Republicans met to elect new leadership for the 2011-12 legislative session that will begin in January. Governor-elect Walker stopped by our meeting to discuss his plans and priorities for the session, including calling the Legislature into emergency session after he is sworn in to pass legislation to promote job growth. The message sent by voters that jobs and the economy must be job one was heard by those that were elected on November 2. Enacting policies to encourage job creators to expand and locate in Wisconsin is the top priority of the State Legislature and Governor-elect Walker.
The State Legislature will also be charged with addressing the state’s budget deficit, which is currently estimated to be nearly $3 billion. After years of raiding funds, federal bailouts, and shifting spending to balance the state budget, there are no more easy fixes… Read more here.
Sheila Harsdorf is the State Senator representing WI-10. Read Harsdorf columns online, take surveys, and read blogs at: www.harsdorfsenate.com or follow Sheila on FACEBOOK
