NOTICE OF REFERENDUM
Milwaukee County
November 4, 2014
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at an election to be held in the County of Milwaukee, on November 4, 2014, the following questions will be submitted to a vote of the people in an advisory referendum:
BE IT RESOLVED, by the County Board of Supervisors of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, as follows:
The County Clerk is hereby directed to call an advisory referendum election to be held in the County at the regularly scheduled election to be held on November 4, 2014, for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the County the proposition of whether an amendment to the United States Constitution that would continue to guarantee constitutional rights to individual, living persons but not to corporations and would allow governments to regulate political contributions should proceed.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
QUESTION 1
“Shall the United States Constitution be amended to establish the following?
1. Only human beings, not corporations, are entitled to constitutional rights, and
2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.”
Yes No
EXPLANATION
A Yes vote supports amending the U.S. Constitution to clarify that corporations are not entitled to the constitutional rights conferred upon individuals and to allow limits on campaign contributions and spending.
A No vote opposes such an amendment.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors hereby urges the State of Wisconsin to accept all federal funds for BadgerCare available through the Affordable Care Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the County Board of Supervisors of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, as follows:
The County Clerk is hereby directed to call an advisory referendum election to be held in the County at the regularly scheduled election to be held on November 4, 2014, for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the County the proposition of whether the State Legislature shall accept federal funds to expand BadgerCare to provide affordable health care for thousands of Wisconsin residents.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
QUESTION 2
“Shall the next State Legislature accept all available federal funds for BadgerCare to ensure that thousands of Wisconsin citizens have access to affordable health coverage?”
Yes No
EXPLANATION
A Yes vote urges the Legislature to change the State’s past practice and start accepting all available federal Medicaid funds for the BadgerCare health insurance program.
A No vote supports the State’s past practice of accepting less than all available federal funds.
BE IT RESOLVED, by the County Board of Supervisors of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, as follows:
The County Clerk is hereby directed to call an advisory referendum election to be held in the County at the regularly scheduled election to be held on November 4, 2014, for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the County the proposition of whether the State of Wisconsin should raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
QUESTION 3
“Should the State of Wisconsin increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour?”
EXPLANATION
A Yes vote supports increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in Wisconsin, up from the current $7.25 an hour.
A No vote opposes such an increase.
BE IT RESOLVED, by the County Board of Supervisors of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, as follows:
The County Clerk is hereby directed to call an advisory referendum election to be held in the County at the regularly scheduled election to be held on November 4, 2014, for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the County whether they want the Wisconsin Statutes amended to allow Milwaukee County to transition from an elected County Executive to a professional County Administrator.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
QUESTION 4
“Should Wisconsin Statutes be amended to allow Milwaukee County to transition its management and administrative functions from an elected County Executive to a professional County Administrator?”
Y es No
EXPLANATION
A Yes vote supports amending state statute to allow Milwaukee County to move from a County Executive elected by the people to a professional County Administrator appointed by the County Board.
A No vote supports the current statute, which requires a County Executive elected by the people.
The referendum shall be held, noticed, and conducted following the procedures set forth in Section 59.52(25) of the Wisconsin Statutes. The Resolutions calling for the referendums can be viewed on the Milwaukee County Election website, http://county.milwaukee.gov/CountyElectionCommission.
Done in the City of Milwaukee,
this 3rd day of November, 2014.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS
Nancy Penn
Rick Baas
Timothy Posnanski
Joseph J. Czarnezki
County Clerk
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM ELECTION
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 City of Milwaukee,
this 3rd day of November, 2014.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS
Nancy Penn
Rick Baas
Timothy Posnanski
Joseph J. Czarnezki
County Clerk
