Welcome, everybody, to Midday Magazine for this Friday, February 21st, 2025.
Have your host, James Jamail, off here.
At 4.30 today, we're going to talk to Mitch Wayne about Tri-City Curling Club.
Get to know a little bit more about what they're doing over there and what they have upcoming.
Right now, joining us monthly on the phone line right now, Wisconsin State Senator Patrick
Teston, good afternoon, sir.
How are you doing?
I'm doing great, James, yourself.
Doing good.
I was looking forward to this conversation all week.
One of the things that I was looking forward to talk with you about is your listening sessions.
You've been doing a bit of these, a little bit more getting out there and shaking some
hands and hearing some questions from people.
How has that been going?
It's been going great.
In fact, earlier today, or some crew and I hosted a Wilson Session at McMillan Library
at noon and now it's the opportunity for individuals to come out and give us your input
as we gear up for the state budget that the governor introduced on Tuesday.
And then also, as a member of the Joint Finance Committee, although it hasn't been made official
yet and hasn't been hammered, all the details haven't been hammered out yet, I'm really
hoping that I can get the Joint Finance Committee to come to the 24th Senate district, either
Steven's point or Wisconsin Rapids to allow individuals to come out and tell us what they'd
like to see in the budget, what they don't like, make changes, edits, and it's just now
is the time for folks to give us input on legislation, the budget and everything else and everything
in between.
We're going to get into the budget in a moment, but regarding the listening sessions and
the importance of this, I, you know, long-time listeners will know you and I, we will have
fun, we'll laugh, we also butt heads sometimes, but we have open and dialect and open conversations
with each other and open respect and I want to just, I don't think we do this nearly
enough with our representatives, with our politicians, I respect this so much and I appreciate
this so much.
I appreciate you, Representative Krug and other individuals doing things like this in
our communities, not just here in Wisconsin, but around the country.
We need more of this, I admire it and I appreciate it, sir.
Thank you for doing these things.
I know it's part of your job and you're just, you're probably just saying, why is he thinking
me?
It's part of my job.
Enough of this anymore and I value this in our society.
Well, and I do too and, you know, obviously not everyone's always going to agree and sometimes
people will be very passionate about issues and sometimes emotions get a little robbed,
but I think it's critically important because one, it gives us a good feel and tenor for
where the general public is at and also, I mean, it's an opportunity for us to think
in ways that maybe we wouldn't necessarily do ourselves.
So getting perspectives from other individuals, I think, is critically important because
you know, that's often a very powerful tool when we start having conversations with our
colleagues because the truth of the matter is oftentimes, and I've done it myself where
when we have discussions down in Madison on key policy proposals and the hot button topics
of the day, it's very, very easy for us to fall into this trap where all we think about
is what occurs under that dome or that bubble in Madison and we oftentimes can lose sight
of the bigger picture of how, you know, what we're discussing down in Madison impacts
people back home, both directly and indirectly.
And now let's fight.
No, I'm joking.
The governor, the other day, addressed the budget and you've touched on this a little
bit already.
So can you give your reaction to that and let's talk about the work that's going to be
done to put this together?
Yeah.
So Tuesday night, the governor gave his budget address and, you know, we're still paging
through it.
This was actually sort of a unique circumstance because typically we normally get the budget
in brief, usually a day or two in advance of the budget address, just so we can start
kind of perusing the highlights.
We actually didn't receive the budget in brief until the day after the governor gave
his speech.
So for many of us, the reactions that we gave were based on, you know, his speech and for
my standpoint, I'm a tad bit concerned because the governor laid out roughly a 20% increase
in government spending wants to increase the government workforce by 1300 workers, which
is an astronomical amount, wants to increase taxes.
And so my initial thoughts and concerns are a lot of this is going to be likely dead
on arrival.
So what the Joint Finance Committee is going to do is similar to what we've done both
under Governor Evers as well as Governor Walker is that we are going to strip out all of
the policy provisions within the budget.
We are going to start from the base budget, which is operating under the current state
biennial budget right now, and then we're going to build upon that.
Because this is the one number I really want to stress home because a lot of attention
and conversation has circled around our roughly $4.3 billion surplus.
Now roughly 1.85 billion of that surplus is new money, money that we think we can reinvest
without creating a fiscal cliff.
And the rest of that is one time money from things that we tried to get done in the last
biennium as well as collections of sales revenue and things that have been on the up primarily
because of inflation.
And so when we talk about the state budget at large and the state surplus, just know
that roughly half of that $4 billion is only new revenue that can safely be reinvested.
And this is one of those ones too that we, I think that everybody needs some time with
to assess.
And given that I think most of us understand the game by now, it's, you know, bartering,
it's kind of, hey, how about this much for it?
No?
How about this much for it?
You guys are going to go back and forth on this one until we kind of get a set decision
on it.
We'll see how that one develops.
I'm sure we'll be talking about it probably next month as well.
But I would like to take some time to talk about Senate Bill 23 with you.
This is one that has already happened.
And this is one that is a, I think going to take a big effect on a lot of people.
Is that regarding the school test scores?
Nope.
I apologize.
That is the act to amend 4946.
It's basically related to extension of eligibility under the medical assistance program
for a postpartum women.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
This was a bill that we heard in the Senate committee about a week ago now.
And this is legislation that has essentially passed the state Senate last session unanimously.
It has a major obstacle in state assembly and that's primarily with the speaker who
has some concerns there.
But we think it's vitally important.
48 other states have extended postpartum coverage to 12 months.
And so the testimony that we heard from individuals and a lot of it was from moms themselves
who came down and talked about some of the challenges and the struggles that they faced
after they gave birth to their kids.
And so from our standpoint, it's the right thing to do.
And I'm hoping at some point we can convince folks in the assembly to get this done.
And so by and large, I think we're interacting once again here in the state Senate to pass
it with broad bipartisan support.
My guess is it's likely going to be a unanimous vote in our house, but we still have some
work to do with a key individual over in the assembly.
And I'm hoping that we can make a strong case.
And this is one that can get signed into law because the only other state in a country
that doesn't extend postpartum coverage to 12 months is Arkansas.
It was kind of a comical in the Senate committee hearing and health committee.
We seem like we're picking a lot on Arkansas, which isn't necessarily the case, but I hope
we can get it done.
Well, you know, Brett Bealum, I go in there and everything, I mean, that kind of started
the truck.
No.
Yeah.
No kidding.
Well, I joke a little bit about this one, this subject in particular, not because there's
anything to joke about, but in part that it's hard to imagine anybody pushing against
this.
This feels like one of the more, and I don't want to say any bill is easy to get forward.
And certainly you're touching on some of that, but this does seem like one of those
ones that takes care of something that catches us up with the rest of the union.
And to that point, I, you know, with the lack of economy and the way that we have been
affected the last couple of winters, especially our friends up north, I'm curious about these
things that it does feel like we are lagging a little bit behind on when we look at neighboring
states or we just look at the union in general.
There's a couple of topics that are like that.
I imagine that you and your colleagues are noticing this as well and trying to address
this to some degree.
Yeah.
I mean, this is, you know, going back to the postpartum discussion that, you know, the primary
role block that we've hit and run into and the speaker has raised concerns and, you know,
he is very much concerned that this is an expansion of the welfare program, which I suppose
there is maybe a potential aspect or lens that you can see that through, but when you've
got everyone coming to the table, private insurance companies, organizations that historically
have been diametrically opposed to one another from both the left and the right who are saying
that this is right for the do.
You know, my hope is that we can continue to make in month that case, but as you alluded
to, there are other issues out there that, you know, we have been slow to change.
And, you know, one being things like medical marijuana, which I am currently in the process
of drafting the bill.
It's not going to be likely as expansive as I would have liked or the bill that I had
offered back in 2019, but we're having conversations with stakeholders and seeing what is
palatable that we think we can get done, because again, as you referenced, we are an outlier
on this front.
And so, I'm hoping we can, we're going to craft a bill that will create a framework for
a medical cannabis program here in the state.
We're speaking with Senator Petra Teston right now, and sir, this, I think, that's last
conversation ties into this next one I feel, and I wanted to direct people to a great
article by Terry Barrett, civicmedia.us about why farmers are facing an uncertainty with
contracts being suspended.
Dairy farmers across the state are struggling with questions after a government and some
others have impacted environmental agreements, other Wisconsin farmers are facing significant
uncertainty with some of the more recent suspensions that have happened.
One farmer quote has already estimated that $30,000 loss following the governor's decision
but the breaks on specific contracts meant to support environmental sustainable farming
practices.
There's a lot of, there's a lot of layers to this one, and we only have so much time.
So I don't mean to take too much time on this one, but given what we're just talking about,
and we all understand how difficult it is for farmers in our ag industry and how vital
the ag industry is in this state in particular, more than most, this has got to be something
that you again, you and your colleagues are aware of, and I'm curious how much conversation
you do, how much you do representing of this?
Yeah, I mean, that's a great segue, in fact, I just have the Department of Agriculture
Trading and Consumer Protection Secretary in my office to discuss some of the channels
that are being faced by our farmers, and it's no question that our farmers, they take
lumps every single year, and some of them are deep bruises, and some of them are not so
bad, but it's always a challenge, right?
And so one of the things that we continue to have conversations about, and I give Secretary
Romance, who's actually a Wisconsin rapid native, a lot of credit because he has come to
the table with innovative ideas, and he's done a great job in working with our eight community
and as well as the legislature to support programs and initiatives that help increase exports.
In fact, my conversation with folks over at the Farm Bureau and the Wisconsin-Berry Business
Association, we actually saw an increase in our exports for dairy products here in the
state, which was sort of an outlier compared to some of our other states that we can keep
within the dairy industry, but even though it was a decent year, there still are challenges.
I mean, I think as we take a look at the demographics of our farmers, the average age of our dairy
farmer here in the state is now approaching over 60 years old, and trying to find that
next generation to take up that mantle.
I certainly don't want to ever find ourselves in a position where we were kids in the classroom
open up textbooks, and they see, well, Wisconsin used to be the dairy land of the United States,
and I just want to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to position all
of our farmers, not just dairy, but our potato and vegetable growers, our cranberry growers,
and everything in between, that we are continuing to do what we can to support our egg economy,
which is one of the cornerstones of our state's economy.
You mentioned meeting recently with local members of the Wisconsin Future Farmers of America.
Is this a big part of the discussion of what we're talking about right here?
It certainly was, it was actually fun because prior to meeting with the FFACE students,
I did, I sat down for an interview with an egg publication, and one of the questions
that they asked me was, well, what do you try and teach the kids that come down?
I started a little after, and I said, I think they normally teach me something new that
I didn't know every time these students come down, because they really are just, they
are virgin and leaders within their peers, and I learned something from one of the students
who grows a specialty crop by sunflowers, and her and her dad pressed little sunflowers
into oil and other types of products, and they're great out of the Amherst area, and so
it was, it's always fun, and they had great questions, but more importantly, the interaction
that they had, and the questions that they asked were really impressive, and so as long
as we have students like that who are actively engaged, and have an interest in agriculture,
I know the future is bright for the state.
The other morning you had a positive meeting with several students from Midstate Technical
College talking about the future of our state, how did that go?
It went great as well, I mean, I think any time we can have students come down with their
middle school, high school and college, and engage in the legislative process, I think
that's awesome.
So we had a good conversation as far as what the technical colleges are looking for in
the state budget, whether it's educational resources, open educational resources, which
are a great tool that we funded in the last budget, and we want to keep going because
this helps lower the cost for students as it relates to some of their textbooks and
other sort of training materials that are shared throughout the entire tech colleges,
and what makes ask like that so easy is when you have great institutions like Midstate
Technical College, I mean, I am truly, truly blessed to have such a great institution in
our backyard, and with the work that President Monday has been doing with her leadership
team, it makes it a really easy sell when we get into those negotiating rooms with our
college and the finance committee to make the case as to why we need to continue these
investments because ultimately the way I view it, our technical colleges, they are ones
closest to what they're ear to the ground, talking to our employers, making adjustments
as far as the programs that they offer, and they are kicking out some of the best talent
that we have with great education through the doors in two years or less, with less debt
where the demand is through the roof where recent graduates can start off making 80 to
100 grand a year, so from my standpoint, the tech colleges give us some of the best
pain for our buck, and certainly the students that came down to advocate for what the tech
colleges are looking for in this next day budget, where a prime example of that.
And we'll wrap up with you on the job series in a moment, but I did want to take a second
to highlight Pamela Severson.
You recently had her down and she had a legislative citation in the U.S. flag that was flown
over the state capital for this.
Well, after I got to go up and visit Pam, so Pam Severson just retired from Fort
McCoy and talked about a tremendous career public service nearly 30 years, and she essentially
ran all of the logistics, the planes, trains, trucks, helicopters at Fort McCoy, and so
she was responsible for all the logistics, for all the different divisions and regiments
that come in from around the states that Fort McCoy services, and what was so great
talking to not just Pam and her family, but many of her co-workers who've known her
for years, just talked about just what an incredible person that she was was always
happy and positive and was really about building the team, and more importantly, making sure
that everyone understood their mission at Fort McCoy, which was a service in our men and
women, making sure that they had the resources that they need.
So as they trained and got ready for their deployments, whether in different parts of the
country or around the globe, and even in conflict areas, that they would be able to do so safely
in a timely manner, and so it was a great celebration, and a lot of tears were had by
Pam and her family, from some of the stories that were shared and retold, but truly a great
opportunity to highlight someone who has basically given her life to public service and
serving her country, and wish her and her husband the best.
I think she had mentioned that in retirement, her hope is to refurbish an old school bus,
that her and her husband can travel the country. So I wish her the best luck and God bless
her for her service. Yeah, I thought it was definitely worth noting, and thank you for sharing
that, sir. And wrapping up, you had your recent on the job series, you were in Toma.
I was, this was a fun one, so I spent the day at Strike Zone, which is in downtown
Toma in Superior Avenue, can't miss it, it takes up a whole city block, and I got to work
alongside Ty, who was the GM and part owner, and it's a, a facility as far as he knows has
been around since like 1912 or 1914, they've got 12 lanes, and let me tell you something about Ty.
He is a much better bowler than I am back that when we sat down. I asked him, so how's your
bowling game? And he said, well, I average about 225 to which I think my draw at the floor,
because if I can break 100 on a good day, that's a banner day for me.
But you and me both. Yeah, it was, it was really neat. I got to help oil the lanes, which
has a really advanced robot that does that, and which I've been knowing for the bulk,
got to go behind the scenes and see how the pin, the pin setters operate and do some repairs there,
and and what's always fun for me, you know, one of my first jobs back in high school, I worked
at a family restaurant in Monomony, Michigan, and you know, start off as a busboy, work my way as a
prep cook and then eventually a line cook. So it's always fun when I can get back into a kitchen
and work the line and and help cook orders and and wait and serve tables. And then probably the
most interesting thing at the end of the day, I actually got to do, I got to drill some holes
in a in a bowling ball, which, you know, I think in how technical can this be, right? It's three
holes. You got two fingers of thumb. There, there was an absolute science behind this, which,
it was really impressive because it was neat. Yeah, yeah, ton of fun, but again, this is why we have
done this program now for going on eight years. It's just such such an incredible value to me to go
out and not just highlight some of our great employers throughout the district, but I always come
back learning something new and and just gives me such such a better perspective. So as I always do,
it's a shameless plug. If you're an employer here in the 24th Senate district and you want me to
come out and work for a day, just reach out to my office and as I always joke, the best part is
at the end of the day, you get to fire me. So we need to work and give me a pink flip at the end
of the day. I always appreciate the time, sir. And you know, just to touch on, we started full
circular. We started talking about listening sessions and very similar with the on the jobs here
as you being able to talk to constituents, talk to people right on the ground level. I appreciate
that. If people have fault questions, they'd like to know more reach out to you. How can they do that?
Yeah, if anyone needs to get in touch with my legislative office, reach out. Our phone number is
608-266-3123. You can shoot us an email at sen.my last name testin at legis.wi.gov. You can
follow us on social media, Facebook, X, Instagram, the whole works. And of course, if you ever want to
meet in person, just reach out, give us a call. I'm more than happy to do that. And now is really a
critical point to be in contact with your elected officials, Donald Madison. As we have just now, we
are out of the starting gate for the state budget. So myself and others are going to be going around
a respective district to receive feedback and input from our constituents. And so I would just
encourage people to be engaged and you know, share your thoughts, your ideas. And even if we don't
necessarily always agree, that's okay. That's how this process works. And it's just such a huge
advantage when we receive as much public input as possible. So stay tuned and it's going to be a
busy next couple of months. Appreciate the time as always, sir. Safe travels out there. We'll talk
next month. Look forward to it. More coming up here at WFHR.
