With July as the deadline to pass a state budget, State Senator Andre Jacque hopes to hear your thoughts at an upcoming listening session. Governor Tony Evers introduced his version of the budget on February 24th, with some proposals already being considered non-starters by Republicans, such as his prison reform plan and fee hikes for hunter and vehicle registrations.  Ahead of a daylong ordeal with the entire Joint Finance Committee in Kaukauna on Wednesday, Jacque has already made stops in Valders and Chilton this month with sessions in Kimberly (3/31 3 p.m.), New Franken (4/4 noon), Egg Harbor (4/14 noon) and Kewaunee (4/14 4 p.m.) on the calendar. Jacque says there are several different topics already getting some heavy discussion early on in his listening session circuit.
Unlike what has been seen at listening sessions for federal legislators, Jacque says his have been calm and respectful thanks to the conversational tone he tries to adopt and the time he allots to ensure all residents can share their thoughts. In addition to his listening sessions, he hopes to join listening sessions hosted by the members of the Assembly within his Senate district. Rep. Joel Kitchens says he has not set his listening session dates yet, but he hopes to be able to do so in the near future.