Madison, WI – Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) announced that the State Senate passed four of his bills and two important joint resolutions during floor session today.

“I appreciate the support from my colleagues for the important initiatives we passed today,” Marklein said. “It is an honor to work on legislation that was developed by residents of the 17th Senate District. The best legislation comes from those who are living and working in our communities every day.”

“The idea for Assembly Bill (AB) 195 was brought to me by school district leaders in my Senate district,” Marklein said. “Teachers from many rural communities along our border, may go to college out of state, but want to return home to teach after they graduate. As I have talked with the superintendents in my districts, I have learned that there is a shortage of qualified applicants and we should not be discouraging otherwise qualified teaching candidates, because of where they completed their teaching credentials. I am optimistic that Governor Evers will sign this bi-partisan legislation to support our rural schools.”

“We also took time today to recognize the life and service of my friend, the late Representative Ed Brooks,” Marklein said. “I miss Ed very much and this resolution is just one way to honor his service to our community and the state of Wisconsin.”

“Finally, I am proud to be a co-author of the joint resolution to recognize and support the 115th Fighter Wing and our work to base F-35As at Truax Field National Guard Base,” Marklein said. “Getting the F-35 installation in Wisconsin will have significant impact of the 17th Senate District, especially Volk Field in Camp Douglas. Our recognition today is just one more way we can demonstrate the state’s support for the F-35s and the 115th Fighter Wing and hopefully win the approval of the National Guard.”

A summary of each bill passed today follows:

Senate Bill (SB) 304 – Auto Dealer Warranty Work – This bill protects the automobile dealers in our communities when they perform work for warranty repairs on behalf of a manufacturer. Several local auto dealers in the 17th Senate District requested this legislation.

SB 351 – Temporary Storage Rule – Many construction contractors, especially those near the state line, have building materials shipped to their home location, stored temporarily, and then transported across the state line for use in a construction project in another state. Unfortunately, due to Wisconsin’s current tax structure, these temporarily stored materials are assessed Wisconsin sales and use tax. This taxation puts Wisconsin companies at no less than a 5% disadvantage when bidding for projects in tax-free areas in other states compared to companies located in the same state as the project.

This bill will allow construction companies to receive a Wisconsin sales and use tax exemption for tangible personal property that is first shipped to Wisconsin, stored in Wisconsin for less than 120 days, and then used in the fulfillment of real property construction in a tax-free area in another state, such as non-profits, school districts, or Enterprise Zones. It was initiated by local companies, like Precision Drive Controls (PDC) in Monroe, WI.

SB 362 – Delete 19 Pages of Obsolete Statutes – The 2013-2015 state budget sunset seven refundable tax credits, but the statutory language was kept on the books. This language should be deleted because taxpayers cannot file for these credits anymore. This bill helps clean-up the statutes.

AB 195 – Out-of-state Teacher Licensing Reciprocity – This bill creates a reasonable pathway for teachers who are licensed out-of-state to receive a teaching license to teach in Wisconsin.

Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 62 – Honoring the Life & Service of Representative Ed Brooks

SJR 69 – Recognizing the contributions of the 115th Fighter Wing and showing support for basing F-35As at Truax Field National Guard Base in Wisconsin.