We must never forget that we are not here to satisfy our personal beliefs or passions; we are here to represent our constituents and their wishes, not simply our own.

So, what will you do with this great responsibility? How will you help carry the mantle of success that this chamber has been known for?

2024 was a challenging year for our country and our state. First, we must all acknowledge that our nation is deeply divided. Ideology for some has become their religion and far too many believe those who don’t agree with them are either evil, stupid, or both.

The idea that some viewpoints in this chamber or on campus or in our classrooms are not worthy of discussion and debate is just plain wrong. A study recently said it was significantly more likely for someone to marry a person of a different race or religion than a different political persuasion. In fact, only 4% of Americans marry someone who supports a different political party. That makes group-think around the kitchen table a danger that we must not ignore.

In this chamber, we will have vigorous debates. We obviously have conflicting ideas, but most importantly, we can demonstrate how listening to those who you disagree with is an inherent part of our democracy.

Finding common ground is a part of our DNA, and I promise you it will continue over the next two years.

While we will always seek to find common ground, rest assured we will never sacrifice our principles. Let me take just a moment to offer a few predictions for the next two years.

One - We will always remember that it’s the hard-working taxpayers who need relief from the crushing burden of rising prices, increasing rents and local governments who refuse to cut spending and just keep increasing local taxes. Therefore, we will pass a tax cut focused on those who pay taxes in Wisconsin. The money that we set aside for that tax cut WILL NOT be spent by this legislature on other wants no matter how many special interests or tax and spend politicians apply pressure.

Two - We will not create new programs to grow the size of government because we know government control over our lives doesn’t make us more prosperous. Government spending doesn’t grow the economy, and socialism doesn’t make us more free.

Three - We will demand accountability and measurable results for any increase in funding we provide. This majority knows every dollar spent by government had to come from the hard work of a taxpayer. They expect us to use every single dollar for a laudable purpose, not just another hair-brained idea.

Four - It seems some parts of state government have stopped innovating and just accepted the status quo as the best we can do. That must change.

Our new Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency will lead the way and I encourage every legislator to be part of these important innovations. And, as always, the majority is open to working with anyone who brings good ideas to the table in a sense of goodwill.

Rather than doing everything the way that we have for the past 20 or 30 years, and just adding more bureaucracy to the top of the pile, I would like us to focus on innovating and have the Assembly be a place where new ideas thrive as we meet the needs of the people of Wisconsin.

And finally like every session while I’ve been speaker, we’ve invited the minority party leaders to sit down with us to draft a Memorandum of Understanding, to serve as a bipartisan guide for the legislative session as we set a path forward for Wisconsin.

Over the course of the past 100 years, the people who sat in this chamber have made things happen.

Today, we celebrate the Badger State. Not as a Republican or a Democrat, but as Wisconsinites.

You are the new members of the 107th Wisconsin State Assembly and it’s time to get things done, during divided government through real leadership.

Let’s get to work.

God bless you and God Bless the state of Wisconsin.”

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Election of Speaker Pro Tempore

  Representative Mursau nominated Representative Kevin Petersen for the position of Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the One-Hundred and Seventh Regular Session of the Legislature.

  There being no further nominations, the speaker declared nominations closed.

Representative August asked unanimous consent that a unanimous ballot be cast with all members of the Assembly recorded as voting for Representative Kevin Petersen for Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly. Granted.

For Representative Kevin Petersen – Representatives Allen, Anderson, Andraca, Armstrong, Arney, August, Bare, Behnke, Billings, Born, Brill, Brooks, Brown, Callahan, Clancy, Cruz, Dallman, DeSanto, DeSmidt, Dittrich, Donovan, Doyle, Duchow, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Franklin, Goeben, Goodwin, Green, Gundrum, Gustafson, Haywood, Hong, Hurd, Hysell, B. Jacobson, J. Jacobson, Joers, Johnson, Kaufert, Kitchens, Knodl, Kreibich, Krug, Kurtz, Madison, Maxey, Mayadev, McCarville, McGuire, Melotik, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Moses, Murphy, Mursau, Nedweski, Neubauer, Neylon, Novak, O'Connor, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Penterman, Petersen, Phelps, Piwowarczyk, Prado, Pronschinske, Rivera-Wagner, Rodriguez, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Snyder, Sortwell, Spaude, Spiros, Steffen, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck, Summerfield, Swearingen, Taylor, Tenorio, Tittl, Tranel, Tucker, Tusler, Udell, VanderMeer, Vining, Wichgers, Wittke, Zimmerman, and Speaker Vos - 98.

Noes - None.

Absent or not voting - Representative Kirsch - 1.

Representative Kevin Petersen was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly for the One-Hundred and Seventh Regular Session of the Legislature.

  The oath of office was administered by Speaker Vos.