Dear Friends,

Congratulations to Menomonee Falls Girls Softball team for advancing to the final four at the WIAA State Softball Tournament tonight. They play number one ranked Sun Prairie at 7:00 pm. Good luck ladies!

Wisconsin leads the Midwest Economy Index for the fourth month in a row! The index is compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago . It measures growth in manufacturing, construction, mining, services, and consumer spending. Wisconsin dominated the Index last year, leading the Midwest in six of nine reports.

There's more great news for our state! The Trump Administration is providing $160 million to help us speed up the improvements to I-94 south of Milwaukee. This corridor is crucial to our economy. More than $100 billion in freight travels through it each year.

I'm very glad to see the feds recognizing the importance of this project. I want to thank Governor Scott Walker and President Trump for getting this done!

As always, if you have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our great state, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 608-266-5830 or by email at Sen.Darling@legis.wi.gov .

On, Wisconsin!

Alberta
Wisconsin Tax Burden Lowest in Decades
In the last budget, state funding for K-12 education reached an all-time high in actual dollars at $11.5 billion! However, I am always looking for ways we can improve how schools receive funding so that more money goes directly into the classroom.

I'm a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding. This week, we met in Madison and heard testimony from members of the public, school administrators, and other education professionals. Their testimony will be extremely helpful as we continue our work in the committee to find ways to more efficiently fund our schools.

If you have thoughts or comments on how we can improve how we fund our schools, please feel free to email me at Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov.
Investing in Innovation
This week, I joined emeritus faculty member at the UW-Madison campus, Professor Rock Mackie, to write an opinion piece on the important role our universities can play in encouraging innovation in Wisconsin.

Rock is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded five startup companies in Wisconsin.
I love Rock's enthusiasm about Wisconsin and innovation. He and I believe the secret to success lies in the Wisconsin Idea.

Here's a sample of our column.

... today Wisconsin is struggling to keep our young people from leaving for better jobs elsewhere. We believe it’s time to channel the Wisconsin Idea and once again apply the brilliance of our universities to invigorate new industries.

We come to this view as a State Senator who is also a proud alumna and as an emeritus faculty member who is also a serial entrepreneur. In our view, the Wisconsin Idea is as much about helping businesses grow, supporting entrepreneurs and creating jobs as it is about inspiring government or bolstering our family farms. It is about working together, strategizing openly and creating solutions with voices from both academia and industry. As our state continues to transition toward a 21st century economy, we believe our universities are again poised to play a transformational and supporting role in driving innovation and economic success in communities across Wisconsin.

Read the rest here.
Child Sales Tax Rebate Sign-up Continues
Parents with a child aged 18 or younger can claim a Child Sales Tax Rebate! Families who qualify are eligible for a $100 rebate per child for sales and use tax paid in 2017.

So far, more than 420,000 have signed up for the rebate. Click on the picture above to sign up!
Wisconsin Proud!
  • Construction wages in Wisconsin are up 7.5% from 2016-2017.
  • Wisconsin ranks 7th in #manufacturing job creation from 2016-17 and wages are up 15% since 2010.
  • Unemployment in Wisconsin is at an all-time low. (2.8% April 2018 preliminary rate)
  • Employment is at an all-time high. (3,078,100 March 2018)
  • Over 85 percent of our population in the state in the prime age group of 25 to 55 is employed.
  • Wisconsin leads the nation in manufacturing jobs gained in 2018.
Around the 8th...
Donges Bay Elementary School in Mequon visited the Capitol on Tuesday.
Oriole Lane Elementary School in Mequon visited the Capitol on Wednesday.
Wilson Elementary School in Mequon visited the Capitol on Tuesday.