Forward
Janesville Unveils 2007-08 Legislative Action Agenda
On
Thursday, January 18, Forward Janesville’s Board of Directors unanimously
endorsed the organization’s 2007-2008 Legislative Action Agenda.
This document, which will serve as a guidepost for FJI’s government
division in the coming years, contains position statements on many issues
affecting Janesville’s business community, including transportation, health
care, tax policy, and government spending.
“I am really proud of the work done by (FJI’s) Government Relations
Council and Board of Directors to produce such a comprehensive document,” said
Steve Werner, the chairman of FJI’s Government Relations Council.
“I look forward to talking to our legislators about these issues, and
about ways we can work together to
ensure
the continued health and prosperity of Janesville’s business community.”
Among
the highlights of FJI’s 2007-2008 Legislative Action Agenda are:
Governmental
Advocacy - FJI
supports the identification and election of qualified candidates for local city
and county governmental office; individuals who will support the
advancement of issues that are consistent with the interests of our
members.
Transportation
- We support regional transportation
infrastructure improvements that are consistent with the present and future
needs of Janesville and Rock County, including the Highway 11/14 corridor study;
the improvement of State Highway 26 to multi-lane freeway status from Janesville
to Interstate 94; and plans to expand Interstate 39/90 to six or more lanes
through Janesville. We
support continued improvements in air and rail infrastructure, and urge
the Legislature and Governor Doyle to protect the integrity of the state’s
transportation fund.
Health Care -
Year after year, employers cite access to affordable health care coverage as the
top concern facing their businesses. FJI
supports innovative ways to help the business
community address this growing concern, including:
·
Continued promotion of health
savings accounts (HSAs), and legislation
that would allow a state tax deduction for individuals contributing to a health
savings account;
·
Federal reform of our nation’s medical
liability system; and
·
Legislation to expand the availability of health coverage for employees
of America’s small businesses by allowing employers to join together
associations to buy health coverage under a small business health plan (SBHP).
Tax
Policy - We support
tax policy that reduces the overall business and personal tax burden.
To that end, we believe that Rock County should study all aspects of
county government, including tax structure, state mandates, and ways to
consolidate or privatize services. FJI
believes that such an examination could lead to lower taxes.
We also urge county leaders to dedicate revenue generated from
the one-half percent sales and use tax
solely to capital expenditures, not to county operating expenditures.
Government Spending - We
support responsible government spending, and feel that decision-makers should
make measured, reasonable investments in our city and state’s infrastructure
while maintaining fiscal discipline.
We urge the
state and federal government to minimize the enactment of un- or under-funded
mandates on local city and county government, and will continue to
closely monitor the budgets of the State of Wisconsin,
Rock County, the City
of Janesville, the School
District of Janesville, and Blackhawk
Technical College.
Government
Regulation - FJI
believes that excessive layers of government create inefficient public services,
and urges government at all levels
to eliminate unnecessary, duplicative, inefficient, and outdated agencies
and programs. We
support efforts to maintain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliance
status of air quality in Rock County, and will continue to and encourage all
state agencies to accelerate the permitting process.
To
read the complete FJI 2007-2008 Legislative Action Agenda, please visit the
“political activity” section of www.ForwardJanesville.com.
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