November 10, 2017
Contact: Hariah Hutkowski
Phone: 608-266-3156
Rep. Thiesfeldt’s four bills pass State Assembly
Strong bipartisan support for each
Madison – Today, Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R – Fond du Lac) applauded the passage of four authored bills during the last session day of 2017. Amongst the four is Assembly Bill 152/Senate Bill 101 (AB 152/SB101), a bill inspired by a Fond du Lac resident, which now heads to the Governor’s desk. The three other bills now advance to the State Senate.
Rep. Thiesfeldt stated, “A great deal of good work has been accomplished in the legislature this year. All four of these bills are bipartisan efforts and involved a great deal of effort and collaboration. It’s gratifying to see them move forward in the process.”
Below are summaries of the four bills that passed on Nov. 9:
- AB 152/SB 101 streamlines the process to close the estates of the deceased who have remaining assets of $50,000 or less in value. It will allow a ‘personal representative’ named in the will for a small estate to use the affidavit procedure to transfer assets. This process will now be able to take place without the need of an attorney or court supervision. Rep. Thiesfeldt and Sen. Feyen co-authored this bill upon the request of a Fond du Lac resident.
- SB 48, ‘Leading on Lead Bill’, provides a funding mechanism for communities to provide financial assistance programs to private property owners to replace their lead service lines using water utility rate money. Lead has proven to be dangerous if ingested, and a significant number of Fond du Lac homes have such pipes.
- AB 300, the ‘Test Transparency Bill’, will make basic information on school standardized testing easily available to families. Districts would be required to provide access at all times to a clear, informational inventory of all standardized assessments required by 1) the federal government, 2) the State of Wisconsin, and 3) the local school district. Among information included would be tested grade levels, dates of test administration, purpose of the tests, duration, and, if available, the process to obtain an opt-out.
- AB 304 will provide equity to the current school standardized testing opt-out provisions in state law. It will ensure the parents and guardians of all students in grades 3-12 have equal ability to opt their child(ren) out of state-mandated testing.
“All of these bills are good for the constituents of the 52nd District. I appreciate the assistance so many have offered in support of their passage. I will continue to watch closely the three bills that are now in the hands of the State Senate. We also now begin preparations for the winter and spring legislative sessions,” concluded Thiesfeldt.
