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Wisconsin Assembly, District 1/Asamblea de Wisconsin, Distrito 1

Wisconsin Legislative BranchWisconsin’s legislature makes state laws. The legislature has two houses: the Wisconsin Senate and the Wisconsin Assembly. Proposed laws (bills) can originate from either the state senate or assembly. Both houses must approve the bill before it is passed on to the governor for signature or veto. The legislature can override a veto with a two-thirds majority vote in each house. The legislature controls the spending of state funds through appropriation.Wisconsin AssemblyThe Wisconsin Assembly has ninety-nine representatives. Voters elect representatives to represent their assembly district for a two-year term. There is no term limit.__________Poder Legislativo de Wisconsin La legislatura de Wisconsin produce las leyes estatales. La legislatura consta de dos cámaras: el Senado de Wisconsin y la Asamblea de Wisconsin. Las propuestas de ley pueden originarse tanto en el Senado estatal como en la Asamblea. Ambas cámaras deben aprobar el proyecto de ley antes de transmitirla al gobernador para su firma o veto. La legislatura puede anular un veto con un voto mayoritario de dos tercios en cada cámara. La legislatura controla el gasto de los fondos estatales a través de las leyes de asignación. Asamblea de WisconsinLa Asamblea de Wisconsin tiene noventa y nueve representantes. Los votantes eligen representantes para representar a su asamblea de distrito por un término de dos años. No hay límite de términos.Nota: Las respuestas de los candidatos que aparecen en español se tradujeron de las respuestas originales de los candidatos en inglés.

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  • Candidate picture

    Joel Kitchens
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Renee Paplham
    (Dem)

Biographical Information

Please describe your priorities for your term in office and your specific qualifications to effectively address those issues.

What do you see as the most pressing housing-related issue in Wisconsin, and what policies, if any, would you support to address the issue?

What redistricting process, if any, do you believe the legislature should put in place before the next national census to ensure fair representation for voters?

What initiatives, if any, would you support to promote environmental sustainability in Wisconsin?

What, if anything, will you do to ensure our schools have the resources to improve outcomes for its students, including those with disabilities?

WisEye Interview (If Available)

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Campaign Phone # (920)857-6434
Campaign Mailing Address 1117 Cove Road
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Website http://www.joelkitchens.com/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/joelkitchens1
Campaign Twitter Handle @joel_kitchens
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Campaign Email renee@paplhamforassembly.com
Campaign Mailing Address N2317 State Highway 42
Kewaunee, WI 54216
Website http://www.paplhamforassembly.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/paplhamforassembly
Instagram http://www.instagram.com/paplhamforassembly
Education B.S. Human Development UW Green Bay
Personal Pronouns She/her
Campaign Announcement http://www.paplhamforassembly.com/#about
My priority is to improve the economic security of working families. I will work to ensure: affordable health care, child care, and housing; safe drinking water; protect natural resources; and improve support for public education and special education. I also want to make sure that women’s reproductive health care decisions are made between women and their doctors. I am a mom, wife, caregiver and mediator. I worked as a trained caregiver for adults and children with special needs. I have seen firsthand, the decline in support for special education, as state funding increased for vouchers. As a mediator working with clients in the court system, I see the impact of issues that are rooted in economic insecurity including: medical debt, high cost housing and child care. As a mediator, I recognize that compromise is critical for resolving problems. While I could promise to fix all the issues above, I pledge to work in the spirit of compromise with ALL my colleagues to achieve change.
The biggest housing related issue is the rising cost of housing and the lack of access to safe, affordable housing for working families. This problem requires multifaceted approaches that would increase the supply of homes accessible or available for working families, and provide affordable housing. The recently passed affordable housing provisions for loans to developers and rental owners for housing rehabilitation and for infrastructure improvements are a step in the right direction. In addition, I would support some targeted grant funding to rural communities for Main Street revitalization of housing. I also believe that state tax credits for first time homebuyers and lower interest loans for working families who renovate and restore existing housing are needed. Local governments also should have more authority for zoning and planning decisions that can address the increasing number of short term rentals that impact housing supply in communities.
Wisconsin needs a fair, independent and nonpartisan redistricting process that provides more competitive districts so that voters can decide the people who represent them and the priorities their representatives should address. The process should ensure that no party can gerrymander the districts, that districts are compact and contiguous, represent diverse populations and have equality in population. The process should also include public hearings and ensure citizen involvement at all levels and steps of the process. This process should be enshrined in law as soon as possible.
I believe it is important to safeguard our natural resources for future generations. Everyone should have safe drinking water, breathe clean air and live where their community is free from pollutants. This also benefits the overall health of communities and ensures their economic vitality. I will support water quality initiatives that address: pfas contamination, high nitrates, and efforts to help rural water systems replace lead pipes. I also support long term funding of the Knowles Nelson Stewardship program to ensure that public lands are preserved, protected and managed for recreational use and environmental protection. I also believe that funding decisions for the Knowles Nelson Stewardship program should be transparent to the public.
I support transparency in funding for education and believe that Wisconsin tax dollars should be used to support public education not private education. I support efforts to address and fix the funding formula for school districts, as the formula fails to support public education in too many districts. Efforts should be made at the state level to equalize education funds across the state to ensure that rural students and students with special needs receive equal access to educational opportunities.
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