Will Wisconsin Voters Tip the Scale on Feb. 19?

Thursday, February 14, 2008 1:17 PM CST

Joan Sanstadt, News Editor

In Wisconsin, Primary Election Day is Feb. 19.

For the first time, perhaps since 1960, major Democratic and Republican candidates are already n or soon will be n in the state advancing their messages.

For citizens of a state, whose Primary is usually pretty much ignored, it’s encouraging to see the attention being lavished on us as individual voters. What makes it all the more impressive is the amount of cold, wind, ice and snow the candidates must put up with just to be on hand for live interviews and perhaps even a debate.

Marquette University has offered to host a debate sometime over the weekend n an offer Senator Clinton has already accepted. (On Monday, the time of the debate had not been announced.)

Wisconsin voters will find their ballots still list the names of candidates who have already given up the race n names such as Edwards, Romney and Giuliani etc. They had not yet dropped out at the time the ballots were printed.

Running neck-to-neck for the Democratic nomination are former first lady and now U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton from New York and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Because other state primaries/caucuses will be held during the interim until this paper reaches its readers, it is impossible to say which candidate will have the most delegates by the time next Tuesday rolls around.

On the Republican ballot, Senator John McCain of Arizona, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, a U.S. Representative from Texas, are still in the running. McCain has more delegates than Huckabee but the former governor has said he intends to stay in the race all the way to the convention.

Election officials are predicting Wisconsinites will turn out in impressive numbers n up to 35 percent is one estimate. (Personally, I find it hard to cheer when fewer than half of the electorate in a freedom-loving country votes in a free election.)

We’re hearing a lot these days about “super” delegates. Wisconsin’s Democratic Party has 18 super delegates and they will go to the national convention and can vote for the candidate of their choice. These super delegates are elected officials n current and former, as well as current and former party officials. Gov. Jim Doyle is a super delegate, as is U.S. Rep. Ron Kind and Senator Russ Feingold. There’s even a UW student and a Marquette University student who have attained “super” status.

Counting both super delegates n and those not so “super” n Wisconsin Democrats will be sending a total of 92 delegates to the National Democratic Convention.

Incidentally, the other 74 delegates are apportioned according to voting results in each of the state’s congressional districts.

The 40 Republican delegates come from each of Wisconsin’s congressional districts n three delegates from each of the eight districts. The candidate with the most votes statewide gets 13 and there are three delegates that can support the candidate of their choice. For some reason I don’t understand, those three are not called “super.”

Because Wisconsin has what is called an “open primary” system, voters can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican race n and they don’t have to declare their party preference in order to make their ballot request.

Final word n Be sure to vote on Feb. 19.

REMC

The Rural Energy Management Council (REMC) met on Feb. 7 and decided to recommend its meeting schedule be changed from quarterly to annually n with room for an additional meeting should the need arise. This recommendation will come before the DATCP board later this spring.

Beata Kalies from the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives reported on the status of AB 294 and SB 167. These identical bills would require that persons working as an electrician or as an electrical contractor be licensed by the Dept. of Commerce or registered as a beginning electrician by Commerce beginning five years the measure(s) have passed both houses of the legislature, signed into law by the governor and been published.

Kalies and council members expressed concern that the legislature was nearing the end of its floor session and that this bill, which has had near unanimous support from affected parties (industries) and lawmakers would not get scheduled for floor action. If that happens, the process would have to begin all over again because bills die at the end of the legislative session in which they have been introduced.

Dave Jenkins, director of commercialization and market development at the Office of Energy Independence (OEI) -and a former REMC member - described the work of the OEI. That work includes developing energy independence policy options for consideration by the governor.

The goal of OEI is to generate 25 percent of electricity and transportation fuels from renewable resources by 2025 and to capture 10 percent of the emerging bio-industry and renewable energy market by 2030. Research in Wisconsin is already looking at capturing real energy from sugar water, Jensen said.

Assembly Ag Committee

When the DATCP Board meets on Feb. 13 it will follow an amended agenda allowing it to consider possible modifications to the final draft rule on Food and Dairy License Fees. This rule affects ATCP 60, 69, 70, 71, 80, 81, 82 and 95.

Increases in food and dairy license and reinspection fees had been discussed at a Jan. 10 public hearing held by the Assembly Agriculture Committee, chaired by Rep. Al Ott (R-Forest Junction).

At that time officials and staff from the DATCP explained why the increases were needed, while representatives of the affected industries (grocers, cheese makers, dairy and dairy products) told why their members could not afford the proposed increases.

Also at the Jan. 10 hearing, Yvonne Onsager from the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) told the committee the bureau was in the process of preparing an audit of the DATCP’s food safety program and its fee structure. Reacting to the importance of the audit to both the committee and the DATCP, the LAB accelerated key sections of its report and on Feb. 7 the committee was able to again discuss the DATCP’s proposed increases in licensing and inspection fees.

According to the LAB report, the percentage of the food safety division’s program revenue (from fees) has risen at the same time the percentage of general purpose revenue (GPR or tax money) for food safety has declined.

In an interview with Agri-View, Ott indicated he didn’t see Wisconsin fees as being “out of whack with other states.” (In the LAB’s comparison with food and dairy safety program budgets of other states, Wisconsin ranked near the middle.)

Recognizing food safety is “an important core program at DATCP,” Ott said the committee is planning to meet again and vote on modifications to the increases proposed by the DATCP. He indicated the committee would “likely” favor reducing by 25 percent the fee increases requested by the DATCP.

“We recognize the DATCP has to deal with fluctuating numbers n both in milk supply and in the number of re-inspections that are needed,” Ott said.

More than a temporary fix, Ott would like to see the food safety program at the DATCP placed higher on the department’s priority list and have its cost supported by a greater percentage of GPR money.

However, Ott said he doesn’t think the DATCP alone should have to push for more state money for food safety. “I think we need to challenge the private sector folks to step in and help the department ask the governor to include more money for food safety programs in his next budget,” the lawmaker said.

Other bills

There’s no shortage of ag-related bills before legislative committees and also awaiting floor action.

Here are some of them:

- AB 732 n would provide an investment income and franchise tax credit for meat processing facilities. An executive session before the Assembly Ag Committee is planned for Feb. 12.

- AB 763 n Would allow dairy cooperative to claim the dairy manufacturing facility investment credit. Rep. Ott said this bill will provide “a far and equal effort for co-operatives to modernize.” Assembly Ag Committee will vote on Feb. 12.

- SB 445 n Currently a drainage board may enter into contracts to have work done in a drainage district. The drainage board is required to advertise for bids by publishing a Class 2 notice for work that will cost more than $10,000. Generally, the board is required to let the contract to the lowest responsible bidder. Under this bill, the minimum contract at which a drainage board is required to advertise a bid by publishing a Class 2 notice is increased from $10,000 to $20,000.

- SB 380 n Would require specific percentages of renewable fuel, including ethanol, to be used in gasoline by specific dates. Beginning in 2010, motor vehicle fuel would be required to be comprised of at least 10 percent renewable fuel and by 2025 that same fuel would have to contain at least 25 percent renewable fuel. The DATCP is authorized to promulgate rules on the measures in this bill.

- AB 703 n Requires that beginning in 2014, at least one member of the DNR have an ag background.

- AB 504 n Would have the DNR board appoint the DNR Secretary. This bill is waiting to be scheduled for a vote in the Assembly.

Livestock siting

The Livestock Siting Review Board (LSRB) has cancelled its Feb. 15 and Mar. 21 meetings.

However, the LSRB will be meeting on March 7 at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) headquarters in Madison. At that meeting its main order of business will be a discussion with the DATCP staff members who work out in the field with siting issues.

The board is expected to hold its regular third Friday of the month meeting on April 18.

Another farmer in race

David Kuhle, Hazel Green, has announced his candidacy for the 49th Assembly District seat. He is a seventh-generation Wisconsin dairy and grain farmer. He and his wife, Lois, operate Da-Lo-Ke Dairy which includes a milking herd of 110 registered Holsteins and 800 crop acres.

Weather and roads

As this column is being written on Monday morning, the state is poised to break its seasonal snowfall record of 76.1-inch record set in the winter of 1978-79. Snow accumulations of four to six inches are predicted in the southern part of the state, with a little less further north.

On Sunday, it didn’t take the State Patrol long to act when a semi jackknifed and cars were sliding off the Interstate just south of Madison.

No doubt the quick reaction was due to criticism earned last week when estimates indicated 2,000 vehicles were stranded on the Interstate between Madison and Janesville for more than 12 hours. Gov. Jim Doyle didn’t hear of it until 7 p.m. when DNR Secretary Matt Frank phoned him. He immediately ordered emergency measures including sending in the National Guard.

Most importantly, he ordered a complete report on how, what, who and why so many motorists could have been left stranded on the road without meaningful help provided. The report is due to Doyle by Feb. 15.

It doesn’t sound as though the governor is looking for excuses n he’s looking for reasons.

Meanwhile some school districts have run out of “snow days” and are asking the Department of Public Instruction for leniency in making them up.

Some cities and municipalities are extremely low on salt (which doesn’t work well in cold temps anyway) and are looking to an ag commodity for the answer. The solution is something called Geomelt which uses left over juice from sugar beets. Sounds a little like producers using distillers grain n one of the “leftovers” in the ethanol production process.

The beet juice reportedly has been successfully used in Beloit for some time n and Madison is about to try it.

BadgerChoice and FHCW

Will the governor’s BadgerChoice health care proposal, first mentioned in his State of the State address, impact the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives (WFC) health care plan that will soon be noting its one-year anniversary?

For the answer, we asked Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of WFC and Minnesota Association of Cooperatives, for some comparison comments. Here’s what he had to say:

“I don’t know if BadgerChoice will impact Farmers’ Health Care of Wisconsin (FHCW) because no details of the new plan have yet been released. If there are 800,000 people without insurance, and the state is going to put $100 million into the fund, it will be a pittance for what will be needed if the state is going to take on a portion of the risk.

“It is one thing if the new program assumes catastrophic liability n but different if it assumes a broader health insurance obligation. We appreciate the governor continuing to look at health insurance options and that he places a high priority on this issue,” Oemichen emphasized.

“As FHCW membership continues to grow, the risk pool looks very solid,” he added.

(Farmers’ Health Cooperative of Wisconsin is a Co-Op Care product developed by the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, in conjunction with Agri-Services Agency and Aetna. The 2003 Co-Op Care law allows farmers and agribusiness to join together through a cooperative program to purchase affordable, quality health care coverage. For more information about FHCW, call 800-539-9370.)

Capitol Notes:

- Madison’s newest school on the west side still doesn’t have a name. One suggestion is to name it after Richard Bong, the U.S. fighter pilot ace who is credited with downing 40 enemy aircraft in the Pacific War Theatre during WWII. Bong grew up on a farm in Douglas County.

- Sometime in April, Madison’s 90-year-old afternoon newspaper The Capital Times, will shift its focus to its website and to two weekly inserts in the Wisconsin State Journal. Madison is one of the last cities in the country to have had two daily newspapers.

- The Wisconsin Agribusiness Council will hold its Annual Meeting on March 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. It will run in conjunction with PDPW’s annual conference.

- The Public Service Commission (PSC) is going to take a comprehensive look at the commission’s level of regulation of telecommunication providers in the state. Commissioner Mark Meyer will lead the investigation that will study current law, PSC rules and current regulations. The in-depth look is needed because of the advent of new technologies, the explosion of wireless providers and changing modes of service options such as those of the major cable companies.

- With the state facing a $300 million to $400 million shortfall, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem) has instituted a freeze on new hires and all out-of-state travel for members of the Assembly until further notice.

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