 "Throughout her three terms in the state Assembly, Kerkman has been supportive of the very conservative agenda put forward by the Assembly's Republican leaders. In many ways this agenda has been a waste of time while serious problems have gone unaddressed." Kenosha News, November 2, 2006 ------------ You're being ripped off. Our current representative Samantha Kerkman, is Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. She has the power to determine which bills will get to be voted on by this committee so that they can be brought to the Assembly floor for a vote. Samantha Kerkman and the GOP leadership, because they are in the majority, decided that after working a total of 18 days in 2007 and 7 days in 2008, that the work of the Assembly and the State of Wisconsin was done! Our problems were solved and it was time to go home! This lack of work ethic can only be described as blatant arrogance, laziness, incompetant, delusional, and a slap in the face to every working person and child in Wisconsin. How she and other GOP members have the guts to look anyone in the face and say they are an "Assembly Representative" is beyond belief when people learn about this. The Democrats had bills they’d put forth on healthcare, closing tax loopholes for the oil companies to relieve some of your tax burden, and other pressing issues. They were all rejected by Kerkman and her crew, who earned approximately $50,000 for approximately 11 months off from work. A typical representative's schedule in Madison would have a them in the capital for about 150 days. If anyone else had pulled this kind of a stunt at work, they have been fired. You’re the boss. Do you think you’re getting your money’s worth out of Kerkman? If not, fire her on November 4th. We’ve got work to do. HEALTHCARE How would you feel if your 15 year old daughter was raped, and the possibility
SB129/AB377: Kerkman Votes Against Compassionate Care for Rape Victimsof a pregnancy could be stopped by just swallowing a birth control pill? Would you want your family to have the choice? In 2001, there were an estimated 5,292 rapes reported to Wisconsin law enforcement agencies. The average victim age was 15 - some are younger. At the time of this writing, only 1/3 of the emergency rooms in Wisconsin had a policy of dispensing emergency contraception without exception. This bill would have ensured that sexual assault survivors have the tools they need to prevent an unintended pregnancy following an assault. It would make information and access to emergency contraception available in emergency rooms statewide. Emergency contraception, commonly known as the "morning after" pill, drastically reduces the chance of unintended pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of the assault. It is most effective if taken within 12 hours of sexual contact. The fertilized egg is not given the opportunity to implant in the uterine wall. A bipartisan survey of Wisconsin voters in August 2004 found that 82% of voters favored ensuring access to emergency contraception for rape and incest victims. Kerkman was out of touch with the voters by voting against this bill. She would have mandated that people not have the freedom to quickly and easily educate themselves in crisis situation. Quite simply, she felt that people should not be allowed to make their own decisions on a personal issue - rather, someone else who is not even involved with the rape would be allowed to manipulate the outcome. Read the Bill | See the Vote AB499: Kerkman Votes to Criminalize Stem Cell Research.
Stem Cell research holds a great hope to cure many diseases--- from Alzheimer's to multiple sclerosis to cancer. AB499 would have created a new criminal penalty with a fine of at least $1,000,000 and / or up to ten years in jail. Considering the many potential scientific advances that could be acheived through embryonic stem cell research, why would we want to criminalize such research? Kerkman voted to create this criminal penalty, destroying hope for everyone living with a potentially curable disease and their friends and families. Stem cell research holds hope for millions of people--not just those in District 66. Wisconsin is a leader in stem cell research and as your representative in the State Assembly, I promise to protect hope and the potential scientific progress for everyone. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Vetoed by Governor Doyle, veto upheld | Fiscal Estimate If a health employee doesn't want to do their job, it's okay, according to this bill. Under our first amendment rights, Wisconsin law already provides employment protection for health care workers based on their religious beliefs (creed). AB207 would have allowed employees to not perform sterilization procedures, abortions, embryonic stem cell research, organ transplants, and to deny the withholding of life support (even in the case of a court order) if it interferes with their belief system. A logical perspective on this is if they don't want to do the work due to their belief system, find another job that their belief system allows them to perform. A decision a patient makes concerning their body is their decision and should not be under the jurisdiction of another person's belief system. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Vetoed by Governor Doyle, veto upheld | Fiscal Estimate AB285: Denying Prescriptions to Patients This bill would have allowed a pharmacist to refuse to do their job, based on their religious beliefs, by refusing to dispense any medicine if they believe that the drug would be used to: 1) cause an abortion, or 2) may cause the death of the patient. In areas of Wisconsin where pharmacies are in limited supply, this could cause a patient to not be allowed their doctor prescribed medicine. Kerkman supported this legislation. Again, the government does not belong in a doctor's office, interfering with decisions made between a doctor and a patient. The Republican Party didn't push this legislation through for good reason--but Kerkman tried. This is just another instance of how out of touch she is with the mainstream voters of her district. Read the Bill | Republican SJR-1 stopped this bill | No Fiscal Estimate. AB766: Overturning the State Supreme Court's Unconstitutional Ruling of Award Caps for Medical Malpractice. Medical malpractice can seriously alter a person's life. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled that caps on "pain and suffering or for loss of society and companionship" were unconstitutional based on the "equal protection provision of the Wisconsin Constitution". This bill was introduced to override the court, and re-install these caps. The year (2005) that the Supreme Court issued this ruling, the cap was $445,755. This rate increased with inflation, and was enacted in 1995. In lock-step with the GOP controlled legislature, Kerkman was a co-sponsor of this bill, thus wanting to limit your rights in court. Medical malpractice is a serious issue for many families and I believe that the court's opinion in this instance should not have been questioned. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Vetoed by Governor Doyle, veto upheld | No Fiscal Estimate. EDUCATION
You can't have a Democracy without an educated public. AB939: Would Have Required Voucher School Teachers To Have at least an Associates Degree I believe that an educated public is the key to a successful democracy. AB939 would have required teachers in voucher schools, or "choice" schools to obtain only an Associates Degree. Teachers in public schools are required to have at least a Bachelors Degree. Quality teachers are important to our children's education and future. Choice schools should be held to the same standards as public schools. Kerkman voted for low standards for our teachers, and that is unacceptable for our children. Read the Bill | Republican SJR-1 stopped this bill | No Fiscal Estimate. AB58: Reduce per pupil adjustments for Education to less than half. Public Education needs to be protected and enhanced, not destroyed by those who supposedly support it. TABOR would've cut $8M in funding to District 66. This legislation would've decreased per pupil adjustments in teacher's pay from $241 in 2004/2005 to $100 by 2007. Kerkman followed right along party lines despite the fact Wisconsin teachers have been at a near pay freeze for about a decade. It looks good to claim the politicians are cutting taxes, but who does it hurt the most? The children and the teachers. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Vetoed by Governor Doyle, veto upheld | No Fiscal Estimate. LEGISLATIVE DOUBLE TALK
SJR-1: Let's Deceive Public Over Legislative Results. For instance, a bill passed by the Republicans in the Senate and Assembly (834b) makes it so that if the majority party, in this case the GOP, doesn’t like a bill that’s introduced, they have to power to record it as “failed to pass.” We need to stop these frivolous bills from taking up legislator's time and the taxpayer's money. Partisan games get nothing done--they only increase disgust for politics and politicians. The legislature needs to focus on making substantive changes to our laws that will increase the standard of living. Read the Bill | See the Senate Vote | See the Assembly Vote TAXES
"We think Kerkman was wrong to support the Taxpayer Protection Amendment; it's a blunt-object sort of approach." Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, November 2006 AB565 / SB206: "HOPE" Property Tax Reduction. This is the first step to the average homeowner saving $569 annually on property taxes with the second step of closing 30% of business tax loopholes. The homeowners share of the tax burden in Wisconsin has risen from 50% in 1979 to 69% today. At the same time, corporate taxes have been slashed from 14% to 6%. Versus the Republican plan of TABOR, which would threaten the quality of municipal services, cut education funding, and is actually a calculated tax increase, HOPE is a sound tax adjustment that will benefit every homeowner and renter . Unfortunately, Republicans chose not to take up this legislation. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Republican SJR-1 stopped this Democrat Bill | Fiscal Estimate AB798: Reducing Taxpayer Burden / Out of State Waste Dumping. By increasing the solid waste dumping fee for out of state trash from $3 per ton to $10 per ton (which is equivalent to Chicago metro), we can cut recycling costs to near zero for District 66 and save taxpayers money while increasing water quality. Unfortunately, the Republican-controlled legislature chose not to address this in the legislature. I promise to keep protection of the environment one of my top priorities. Read the Bill | Republican SJR-1 stopped this Democrat Bill | Fiscal Estimate SB618: Outsource District Revenue to Expand Milwaukee Voucher Schools. This bill expanded the existing MPCP (Milwaukee Parental Choice Program) by 7,500 students by changing eligibility factors. For every 1,000 students enrolled in a private school (the new limit is 22,500) state taxpayers pay $3.3 million. So, to support the current limit, Wisconsin taxpayers pay $74,250,000. Our district's tax obligations to support this program (not in our district, not our students, not our schools) raises per pupil costs by about $1,000 each. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Signed into law | No Fiscal Estimate. ENVIRONMENT AB 157: Vote Whether to Vote on the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act In our own district, we had 63ºF temperatures in January and a tornado ripped through our community leveling 30 houses. Why? Our atmosphere is retaining heat, our ice caps are melting, thus changing the salinity and temperature of the oceans. This wreaks havoc on the Jet Stream, which in turn has effected massive climatic disasters. The international scientific community continues to demonstrate the massive economic and environmental damage being caused by the human activities that emit greenhouse gases. In the absence of federal action, Wisconsin must do its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. AB 157 requires the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. Other provisions in AB 157 include establishing a reporting system, allowing for the use of market mechanisms, such as permit trading, to achieve greenhouses gas emission reductions at least cost, and creating an emergency provision to halt implementation of the regulation in the case of economic problems or catastrophic events. In what can only be described as the height of ignorance and disregard of her constituents, Kerkman goosestepped in line with her extremist comrades, on whether or not to take a vote on should the legislature even take a vote on the AB157. Their vote? “No,” of course. Read the bill AB204: DNR Secretary Appointed vs. Cabinet Position The bill would have recreated the safegaurd of keeping politicians out of pay to play politics when it comes to the environment. The DNR Secretary is currently appointed by the Governor, and I'd like to see this authority put back into the hands of those who know best...The DNR's Board. Unfortunately, the Republican Party chose not to take up this legislation. Read the Bill | Republican SJR-1 stopped this Democrat bill | No Fiscal Estimate AB205: Reinstate the Public Intervenor This bill would have recreated the public intervenor position, eliminated in 1997, to intervene in DNR related matters, provide counsel and enter into court proceedings where protecting public rights in water and other resources is of importance, among other things. The public intervenor, along with an advisory council, would report to the attorney general and help municipalities in District 66 from powerful special interests. Unfortunately, Kerkman voted against this legislation, once again siding against protecting our environment. Read the Bill | Republican SJR-1 stopped this Democrat bill | Fiscal Estimate ETHICS REFORM
Let's Stop Pay-to-Play Politics! "And she (Kerkman) opposed meaningful campaign finance reform, another demerit in our view." Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, November 2006 SB1: Restoring Ethics in WI Legislators. This bill would have completely restored ethics in our legislative branches at a cost of $570,000 (a small price to pay when you look at the big picture) and guaranteed prosecution for corrupt politicians. Although the Republican controlled Senate passed this bill 28 to 5, Samantha Kerkman rode her rubberstamp to the finish line in denying ethics reform in District 66. I would like to see a return to publically funded elections so that your vote always counts in our "representative" democracy, and I want to hold those elected accountable. Read the Bill | See the Vote | Fiscal Estimate |
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