MADISON, Wis. – Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) is honored that the Wisconsin State Assembly passed four of his bills during Tuesday’s floor session.
The four bills do the following:
- AB 113 – Reduces the amount of contaminants in Wisconsin’s waterways by creating a system for buying and selling pollution credits through a third-party central clearinghouse. The bill can now be sent to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
- AB 487 – Modernizes the state’s psychology laws by removing barriers that make it challenging for health care organizations to hire psychologists, for psychologists to enter the workplace and for residents to receive mental health services. The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law.
- AB 796 – Establishes a nitrogen optimization pilot program where the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will award grants to farmers or producer-led watershed groups in targeted areas for the purpose of implementing projects that limit nitrogen loading, thereby reducing nitrates in Wisconsin’s drinking water. The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law.
- AB 797 – Prohibits the sale and use of coal tar-based sealant products and sealants that contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). As amended, AB 797 also addresses lead in school drinking water by mandating testing and, if necessary, requiring that contaminated water sources be taken offline and replaced with clean water sources while incentivizing long-term remediation. The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law.
“I am extremely grateful that the entire Assembly has recognized the importance of these legislative proposals and all the hard work my colleagues and I put into them,” Rep. Kitchens said. “Whether it be protecting our water or improving mental health services for our citizens, my legislative priorities reflect those of my constituents. I am proud these bills focus on the concerns of my district and will benefit Wisconsin as a whole.”
