One-Hundred and Sixth Regular Session
2:03 P.M. TUESDAY, January 3, 2023
The Senate met.
The Senate was called to order by Senate President Kapenga.
The Senate stood for the prayer which was offered by Pastor Perrie Dralle from the Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Brookfield.
The Colors were presented by the VFW Day Post 7591 Color Guard Unit of Madison, WI.
The Senate remained standing and Senator Agard led the Senate in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
The National Anthem was performed by the St. Francis Xavier High School Orchestra.
Pursuant to Senate Rule 17 (6), the Chief Clerk made the following entries under the above date. _____________
Remarks of Majority Leader LeMahieu
“Mr. President, Chief Justice Ziegler, Minority Leader Agard, fellow colleagues, distinguished guests, friends and dear family members:
At this time, I return the floor to the President, who will now begin the proceedings.”
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State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Elections Commission
December 12, 2022
The Honorable, the Senate:
I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the official canvass of the November 8, 2022 General Election vote for State Senator along with the determination by the Chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission of the winners.
With this letter, I am delivering the Certificates of Election for the winners to you for distribution.
If the Elections Commission can provide you with further information or assistance, please contact our office.
Sincerely,
MEAGAN WOLFE
Administrator
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Statement of Canvass
for
State Senator
GENERAL ELECTION, November 8, 2022
I, Commissioner Don M. Millis, chairperson of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, certify that the attached tabular statements, as compiled from the certified returns made to the Wisconsin Elections Commission by the county clerks of the several counties of the state, contain a correct abstract of the total number of votes given for the election of candidates for State Senator at a General Election held in the several towns, villages, cities, wards and election districts in said counties on the Eighth day of November, 2022.
I DO, THEREFORE, DETERMINE AND CERTIFY that the following candidates, having each received the greatest number of votes in their respective senatorial districts, are duly elected State Senator:
Senate District Elected
1st District André Jacque
3rd District Tim Carpenter
5th District Rob Hutton
7th District Chris Larson
9th District Devin LeMahieu
11th District Steve Nass
13th District John Jagler
15th District Mark Spreitzer
17th District Howard Marklein
19th District Rachael Cabral-Guevara
21st District Van H. Wanggaard
23rd District Jesse James
25th District Romaine Robert Quinn
27th District Dianne H. Hesselbein
29th District Cory Tomczyk
31st District Jeff Smith
33rd District Chris Kapenga
Done in the City of Madison, this 30th day of November 2022.
DON M. MILLIS
Commissioner, Chairperson
Wisconsin Elections Commission
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In the Chair
President Pro Tempore Testin in the chair.
2:12 P.M.
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With unanimous consent, the party leaders introduced their newly elected respective members.
Senator LeMahieu Introduced Senator Jacque
“André Jacque was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and graduated from Green Bay Southwest High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin– Madison, as well as a graduate certificate from the UW’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. André lives in De Pere with his wife Renée and their 6 children and has worked as an environmental consultant and communications director.
André is active with a number of charitable causes in the community and has served as a longtime board member of Green Bay Area Crime Stoppers and the Van Handel Foundation for Families of Children with Special Needs, as well as board Vice President of Family & Childcare Resources of Northeast Wisconsin. André was recently elected chair of the nonpartisan, bi-national 8-state, 2-Canadian province Great Lakes Legislative Caucus on water quality and has been recognized as legislator of the year by numerous groups advocating for public safety, veterans, and vulnerable populations. Sen. Jacque was first elected to the State Assembly in 2010 and will now begin serving his second term in the Wisconsin State Senate.”
Senator Agard Introduced Senator Carpenter
“Senator Tim Carpenter represents the 3rd Senate District which covers the South Side of Milwaukee, West Milwaukee, and portions of West Allis and Greenfield. The district is home to AmFam Field, the Harley-Davidson Museum, St. Josaphat’s Basilica, the Mitchell Park Domes, Zablocki Veterans Hospital, the Milwaukee County Zoo, and also includes the largest Latino population of any senate district in the state.
Senator Carpenter is entering his sixth term and is a lifelong resident of his district. He graduated from the Milwaukee Public School system and earned a Bachelor’s degree from UW - Milwaukee in Political Science & History and a Master's degree from UW-Madison’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Senator Carpenter was first elected to the State Assembly in 1984 at the age of 24 where he served nine terms. Counting years served in both the Assembly and Senate, Senator Carpenter is now the 2nd longest serving Wisconsin State Legislator with 38 years, following Senator Rob Cowles.
Tim is a loyal Milwaukee Brewers fan and long-time season ticket holder at AmFam Field, which is just 3 miles from his house. A proud dad to three cats - Rufus, Logan and Perseus, who have served as unpaid interns in his office- Tim is especially interested in policies promoting the humane treatment of animals. The institutional knowledge that Tim brings to our caucus is invaluable and I deeply admire his commitment to the constituents of the 3rd Senate District and to the people of our state.”
Senator LeMahieu Introduced Senator Hutton
“Rob was born in Milwaukee, grew up in Brookfield and is a graduate of Brookfield East High School where he met his wife Patti. He earned a history degree from UW-Whitewater and pursued a career in business with a Fortune 500 company. He then owned a logistics firm in Milwaukee, which provided national trucking and warehousing services for key Wisconsin industries.
He now owns two industrial coatings firms that serve Wisconsin’s manufacturing industry, employing over 75 people. Rob is also a partner in a metal fabricating firm in southeastern Wisconsin.
Rob served as a Waukesha County supervisor from 2005-2012. In 2012, he was elected to the State Assembly where he served for eight years representing the 13th District. In the Assembly he served on the Small Business, Corrections, and Education committees. He was elected to represent the 5th District in the State Senate in November 2022.
Rob and Patti have four grown children and two daughters-in-law. They reside in Brookfield and enjoy spending time together with family, serving in their church, and are active with various community organizations.”
Senator Agard Introduced Senator Larson
“Senator Chris Larson represents the 7th Senate District, which stretches from the Upper East Side of Milwaukee east of the Milwaukee River all the way south through St. Francis, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, and parts of Franklin. The district is home to world-class higher education, our state’s flagship airport, the Port of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s premier museum campus, the unmatched natural beauty of Milwaukee County Parks and Lake Michigan, and the Summerfest Grounds - home not just to the country’s largest music festival, but several ethnic festivals celebrating Milwaukee’s diverse cultural heritage.
Senator Larson is starting his 4th term in the State Senate. His tenure began as a member of the “Wisconsin 14” who fought vigorously to protect collective bargaining rights for our state’s dedicated public employees. He spent his first 12 years in the Senate fighting for high-quality public education, campaign and ethics reforms, and an end to drunk driving, among many other progressive priorities.
Senator Larson previously served as a County Supervisor with the Milwaukee County Board after graduating from the UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Finance. He has private-sector experience as a business manager for a local running store and is a dedicated marathon runner. He has overcome asthma to run 45 marathons in 28 states with the goal of running a marathon in all 50. He has lived in Milwaukee County all of his life and currently resides with his wife Jessica, children Atticus and Stella, and dog Donut in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee.
I continue to be inspired by Senator Larson's fierce advocacy for Wisconsin’s progressive values and his ability to make the impact of these policies understandable through effective messaging.”
Senator LeMahieu Introduced Senator Nass
“Steve Nass was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin and graduated from Whitewater High School. He attended UW-Whitewater and received both his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Education in School Business Management from that university. Steve has one adult daughter who also resides in Whitewater with her husband.
Steve is the owner of a rental property business and previously worked as a payroll benefits analyst and negotiator.