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Here are a few highlights from Cabinet on the Road events on Monday:
 Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Secretary Ben Brancel was welcomed by students and staff at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. While there, he met with an agribusiness class to speak with students about the value of Wisconsin agriculture and the many career opportunities available in the industry.
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Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Eloise Anderson and Department of Health Services (DHS) Deputy Secretary Tom Engels met with several organizations whose efforts are making a positive impact on the lives of families in their community. They were joined in Dodgeville by leaders from multiple nearby counties for a roundtable discussion of the community’s children’s crisis response efforts. They also traveled together to tour Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program (SWCAP), which included a dental clinic for low-income families.
Leadership from the Department of Administration (DOA), including Secretary Scott Neitzel, attended various sessions with bankers, county and school officials, business leaders, and chamber of commerce members. Participants discussed issues concerning them in their local communities, such as expanding broadband service to rural communities, a need for growing export markets, and the need for a skilled workforce.
Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Jon Litscher and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch visited Nu-Pak in Boscobel, where they thanked Nu-Pak for their commitment to hiring individuals with criminal records, which enables offenders to transition into society as productive citizens. DOC’s re-entry initiative partners with educational institutions, workforce development boards, and employers to identify opportunities for offenders to receive vocational training and transition from prison into workplaces throughout the state. Research suggests offenders who are employed upon their release are less likely to commit a new crime and more likely to thrive.
 Curious
George Saves His Pennies! According to Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Secretary Lon Roberts,
that was the highlight of the day.
Secretary Roberts read the book by Margaret and H.A. Rey to students
from two second grade classes at Cuba City Elementary School. The students are learning about the
fundamentals of finance and its importance.
In addition to the school visit, Secretary Roberts held a discussion at
People’s State Bank in Prairie du Chien and Farmers Savings Bank in Mineral
Point, where he heard directly from the front lines about the successes and
challenges of Wisconsin’s financial institutions.
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 While Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Ray Allen
visited Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (SWTC) in Fennimore to meet with
SWTC leaders and tour facilities, Deputy Secretary Georgia Maxwell visited
Rockwell Automation in Richland Center where she met the company’s first Youth
Apprentice (YA). Rockwell noted that the
company has had many interns over the summer months, but YA gave a better
timeline for training and delivering a company-wide experience, providing the
maximum benefit to the apprentice and the company. The Youth Apprentice, Lindsey, said she was
planning to major in finance, but after her experience with YA, she has decided
to pursue civil engineering at UW-Platteville.
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Department
of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Secretary Dave Ross, Deputy Secretary Eric Esser, Assistant
Deputy Secretary Jeff Weigand, and DSPS Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
(PDMP) Manager Chad Zadrazil spoke to members of local law enforcement, as well
as healthcare practitioners on the new changes to the monitoring program. Good questions were asked about how the program
works and what changes are coming, and a few good new ideas were discussed
about giving prescribers new tools in helping to fight prescription drug abuse.
Office
of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI)
Commissioner Ted Nickel and Deputy Commissioner Dan Schwartzer visited with
town mutual insurance companies and an insurance agency, spanning four
counties. The visits with managers and
board members of the town mutuals provided a first-hand opportunity to hear
about success stories, as well as the challenges faced by small town mutuals on
a daily basis in our competitive insurance market. Topics of discussion included market
regulation and the roll-out of the new State Based Systems regulatory system.
 Wisconsin
Public Service Commission (PSC)
Chair Ellen Nowak and her staff visited local elected officials and
representatives of CenturyLink in Ferryville.
The Village of Ferryville, Crawford County Economic Development
Corporation, and CenturyLink formed a public-private partnership and secured a
$125,000 broadband expansion grant in 2014.
The public-private partnership completed the six-mile fiber in the fall
of 2015. Officials thanked us for
creating the program through which grant dollars have already served as a
catalyst in home sales and business development in a rural area that otherwise
would not have sufficient broadband.
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 Wisconsin
Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
CEO Mark Hogan joined Department of
Revenue (DOR) Deputy Secretary Jack Jablonski and representatives of the
two agencies in touring Darlington. DOR
and the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center also hosted a
free business tax seminar in Platteville, which helped new businesses better
understand basic tax information and provided existing businesses with a
refresher.
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 Secretary Mark Gottlieb of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
(WisDOT), Deputy Secretary Sarah Klavas of the Department of Tourism, and Secretary Cathy Stepp of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
joined state and local officials in Boscobel to announce the first phase of a
planned bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting Boscobel, Woodman, and
Wauzeka. The first phase of the planned
20-mile trail represents a state and local collaborative effort that involved
three state agencies, Boscobel area elected officials, and local citizens.
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 Wisconsin
Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA)
Secretary John Scocos met with veterans and local veteran leadership in
Richland Center at the American Legion Post.
Attendees included veterans, municipal leaders, veterans service
organization leadership, and the county veterans service officer for Richland
County. Topics of discussion included
delivery of veterans programs, benefits and services, and how the WDVA can best
serve Wisconsin veterans. The Secretary
also recognized a group of Vietnam Veterans, thanking them for their service as
part of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
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Wisconsin
Housing and Economic Development Association (WHEDA) Executive Director Wyman Winston
toured Innovations Kitchen in Mineral Point to discuss specialized workforce
housing needs tied to economic and workforce development. This facility employs and supports people
with disabilities through Hodan Community Services.
Our thanks go out to those who took the
time to discuss issues important to you with our Cabinet members. Cabinet on the Road is a valuable opportunity
for everyone involved, and we look forward to visiting a community near you
soon!
We’d also like to thank the legislators
who participated in Cabinet on the Road events, including Representatives
Brooks, Novak, Nerison, and Tranel, as well as Senators Shilling and Marklein.
It has been a pleasure communicating with you. It is an honor to serve as your Governor and represent the residents of Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
 Governor Scott Walker
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