NOTICE OF REFERENDUM
PORTAGE COUNTY
November 4, 2014
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at an election to be held in the County of Portage, on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, the following proposed Resolution of the County Board will be submitted to a vote of the people:
RE: PLACING HEALTH CARE ADVISORY REFERENDUM ON THE NOVEMBER 4, 2014 PORTAGE COUNTY BALLOT
WHEREAS, the State of Wisconsin has yet to take advantage of billions of new federal Medicaid dollars which would have improved the state’s BadgerCare program, and that these federal funds are available at any time and upon acceptance would provide access to BadgerCare to 84,000 people as estimated by the State’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau: and
WHEREAS, 19 counties passed resolutions urging Wisconsin to utilize these federal funds, a position that has been reiterated by the Wisconsin Counties Association, and that these federal funds would bring in an estimated $24,580,000 into the local economy by 2021 and would help over 900 parents and childless adults in Portage County access BadgerCare: and
WHEREAS, being underinsured and uninsured impacts the County Human Services Departments because it can lead to untreated mental health or substance abuse and lack of preventive health care that can lead to loss of jobs, the inability to function and loss of self-sufficiency.
Fiscal Note: The approximate cost to place this referendum on the ballot would be $367.50 of County Tax Levy
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Portage County Board of Supervisors hereby directs the County Clerk to place the following advisory referendum question on the countywide ballot at the election to be held on November 4, 2014:
“Shall the next State Legislature accept all available federal funds for BadgerCare to ensure that thousands of Wisconsin citizens have access to quality and affordable health coverage?”
BE IF FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Portage County legislative delegation, Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Counties Association.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the next State Legislature accept all available federal funds for BadgerCare to ensure that thousands of Wisconsin citizens have access to quality and affordable health coverage?”
Explanation:
A “YES” vote means that you are in favor of the next State Legislature enacting laws which would then require the State of Wisconsin to accept all available federal funding for the Medicaid and BadgerCare Health insurance programs for low income Wisconsin residents.
A “NO” vote means that you are not in favor of the next State Legislature enacting laws which would then require the State of Wisconsin to accept all available federal funding for the Medicaid and BadgerCare health insurance programs for low income Wisconsin residents.
Done in the County of Portage, Wisconsin, this 3rd day of November, 2014.
SHIRLEY M. SIMONIS, Portage County Clerk
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM
PORTAGE COUNTY
November 4, 2014
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at an election to be held in the County of Portage, on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, the following proposed Resolution of the County Board will be submitted to a vote of the people:
RE: SUPPORTING AN ADVISORY REFERENDUM QUESTION TO INCREASE THE STATE MINIMUM WAGE
WHEREAS, it is one of our most cherished values that there is dignity in work, and that everyone in Wisconsin should have the opportunity to work their way into the middle class, not fall out of it; and
WHEREAS, we are not short of work ethic in Wisconsin, we are short of good jobs that enable working families to begin to work their way up; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin workers are working harder and harder for less and less, every year the minimum wage stays the same workers take a pay cut, and wages are now so low that millions of full time workers are below the poverty line and qualify for food stamps; and
WHEREAS, if people don’t earn enough money to pay for the basics, like food, rent, and transportation, the economy stalls, weakening our communities and damaging local businesses; and
WHEREAS, nearly 9 in 10 Wisconsin workers who would benefit from a minimum wage increase are 20 years of age or older, nearly two-thirds are women, and 234,000 Wisconsin children would see their families’ income increase; and
WHEREAS, our government’s role is to maintain a wage and benefit floor to guarantee all work is valued, and that no Wisconsin worker is denied an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work; and
WHEREAS, the great American middle class is not something that just happened, we built it brick by brick, and
WHEREAS, a $10.10 minimum wage would bring our wage floor to roughly the same level as it was in the 1960s, adjusted for inflation; and
WHEREAS, the most important thing we can do to generate shared prosperity and build an economy that works for everyone, not just the powerful, is to create more economy-boosting jobs; and
WHEREAS, a $10.10 minimum wage would raise wages for 587,000 Wisconsin workers by $816 million, and generate over $500 million in additional economic activity in Wisconsin in the next three years, resulting in nearly 4,000 new jobs; and
WHEREAS, it’s time Wisconsin worked again for people who work for a living;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that an advisory referendum be placed upon the November 4, 2014 ballot to advise the State of Wisconsin as to the level of support within the Portage County population for an increase in the minimum wage; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said advisory referendum read as follows:
Should the State of Wisconsin increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour?
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Corporation Counsel’s Office shall fulfill its statutory obligations with respect to drafting an explanation of the above referendum question and that the Clerk be directed to place said question and explanation on the November 4, 2014 ballot.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
Should the State of Wisconsin increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour?
Explanation:
A “YES” vote means that you are in favor of the State of Wisconsin increasing the state minimum wage from the current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour.
A “NO” vote means that you are not in favor of the State of Wisconsin increasing the state minimum wage from the current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour.
Done in the County of Portage, Wisconsin, this 3rd day of November, 2014.
SHIRLEY M. SIMONIS, Portage County Clerk
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM ELECTION
STATE OF WISCONSIN
NOVEMBER 4, 2014
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at an election to be held in the several towns, villages, wards, and election districts of the State of Wisconsin, on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, the following question will be submitted to a vote of the people pursuant to law:
2013 ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION 1
To renumber section 9 of article IV; and to create section 9 (2) of article IV and section 11
of article VIII of the constitution; relating to: creation of a department of transportation, creation of a transportation fund, and deposit of funds into the transportation fund (second consideration).
Whereas, the 2011 legislature in regular session considered a proposed amendment to the
constitution in 2011 Senate Joint Resolution 23, which became 2011 Enrolled Joint
Resolution 4, and agreed to it by a majority of the members elected to each of the two
houses, which proposed amendment reads as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 9 of article IV of the constitution is renumbered
section 9 (1) of article IV.
SECTION 2. Section 9 (2) of article IV of the constitution is created to read:
[Article IV] Section 9 (2) The legislature shall provide by law for the
establishment of a department of transportation and a transportation fund.
SECTION 3. Section 11 of article VIII of the constitution is created to read:
[Article VIII] Section 11. All funds collected by the state from any taxes or fees
levied or imposed for the licensing of motor vehicle operators, for the titling, licensing,
or registration of motor vehicles, for motor vehicle fuel, or for the use of roadways,
highways, or bridges, and from taxes and fees levied or imposed for aircraft, airline
property, or aviation fuel or for railroads or railroad property shall be deposited only into
the transportation fund or with a trustee for the benefit of the department of
transportation or the holders of transportation−related revenue bonds, except for
collections from taxes or fees in existence on December 31, 2010, that were not being
deposited in the transportation fund on that date. None of the funds collected or received
by the state from any source and deposited into the transportation fund shall be lapsed,
further transferred, or appropriated to any program that is not directly administered by
the department of transportation in furtherance of the department’s responsibility for the
planning, promotion, and protection of all transportation systems in the state except for
programs for which there was an appropriation from the transportation fund on
December 31, 2010. In this section, the term “motor vehicle” does not include any
all−terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, or watercraft.
SECTION 4. Numbering of new provision. If another constitutional amendment
ratified by the people creates the number of any provision created in this joint resolution,
the chief of the legislative reference bureau shall determine the sequencing and the
numbering of the provisions whose numbers conflict.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the foregoing
proposed amendment to the constitution is agreed to by the 2013 legislature; and, be it further
Resolved, That the foregoing proposed amendment to the constitution be submitted to a vote of the people at the election to be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2014; and, be it further
Resolved, That the question concerning ratification of the foregoing proposed amendment to the constitution be stated on the ballot as follows:
QUESTION 1: “Creation of a Transportation Fund. Shall section 9 (2) of article IV and
section 11 of article VIII of the constitution be created to require that revenues generated by use of the state transportation system be deposited into a transportation fund administered by a department of transportation for the exclusive purpose of funding Wisconsin’s transportation systems and to prohibit any transfers or lapses from this fund?”
EXPLANATION
In general, funds collected in fees and taxes may be appropriated for any public purpose determined by the Legislature. Wisconsin’s transportation fund, which currently exists under statute, is designed to be the source of funding for all modes of transportation in the state. Wisconsin law requires that specific revenue streams such as taxes or fees related to motor vehicles, aircraft, and railroads be deposited into the transportation fund.
At times, the Legislature has transferred moneys initially deposited into the transportation fund to programs with non-transportation-related purposes. Such transfers have typically been to general revenue funds, which are used for state programs such as education, health care, and shared revenue. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suggested that these transfers are permissible under current law.
In essence, the proposed amendment would change the Wisconsin Constitution to require that revenues generated by specified uses of the state transportation system be deposited into a transportation fund and expended only for transportation-related purposes.
A “yes” vote on this question would establish a department of transportation and a transportation fund in the state constitution. The current Department of Transportation and transportation fund exist only under statute. A “yes” vote would mean that all funds collected from taxes or fees in existence after December 31, 2010 for the licensing of motor vehicle operators, for the titling, licensing, or registration of motor vehicles, for motor vehicle fuel, or for the use of roadways, highways, or bridges, and from taxes and fees levied or imposed for aircraft, airline property, or aviation fuel or for railroads or railroad property would be deposited in the transportation fund or with certain authorized parties, such as a trustee for the benefit of the department of transportation. Funds in the transportation fund may not be lapsed, further transferred, or used for any program that is not directly administered by the department of transportation in furtherance of the department’s responsibility for the planning, promotion, and protection of all transportation systems in the state (except for programs with an appropriation from the statutory transportation fund as of December 31, 2010). The proposed amendment does not define “transportation systems.”
A “no” vote would mean that the Department of Transportation continues to be a statutory agency. It also would mean that monies collected from motor vehicle, aircraft, and railroad fees and taxes could be appropriated by the Legislature for transportation systems or for other programs as determined by the Legislature.
DONE in the County of Portage, Wisconsin,
this 3rd day of November, 2014.
SHIRLEY M. SIMONIS
PORTAGE COUNTY CLERK
