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Message from Congressman Scott Fitzgerald
Good afternoon everyone!
The House is back session this week, and I’m headed back to DC today.
While we were out of session last week, we moved through a lot of legislation before breaking for recess that I’d like to catch you up on.
The House passed 17 bills aimed at countering Iran and its terrorist proxies. Since the start of his Presidency, House Republicans have been sounding the alarm on President Biden’s appeasement of Iran. He systematically dismantled the Maximum Pressure strategy imposed during the Trump Administration, and we saw the unfortunate consequences as Iran launched unjustified direct attacks on Israel. Had those missile and drone strikes not been intercepted, hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians could have been killed. This series of legislation was critically important to push back on the regime and support our ally, Israel.
For my part, I introduced two bills which you can read more on below. One of the bills seeks to protect businesses from double income taxation. The other bill was drafted in memory of the Waukesha Christmas Parade victims and aims to toughen up bail policies to keep criminals off our streets.
At the Judiciary and Financial Services Committees, three of my bills passed by vote. These bills covered a range of issues too. We tackled data protection and woke climate policies in banks at the Financial Services Committee. At Judiciary, my bill to make tasers—a safer law enforcement tool--more accessible passed.
Have a great week, and as always, call my office at (202) 225-5101 if you have any questions or concerns.
- Scott
Staff Office Hours
While I’m in DC this week, my staff will be hosting mobile office hours tomorrow to meet with constituents from Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District who may be experiencing problems with a federal agency.
We ask that you please bring copies of documentation related to your issues. Here are more details if you’d like to attend:
Locations:
12:00PM – 1:00PM
Dousman Village Hall
118 S. Main St
Dousman, WI 53118
1:30PM – 2:30PM
Waukesha Public Library
Conference Room 2
321 Wisconsin Ave
Waukesha, WI 53186
3:00PM – 4:00PM
Hartland Village Hall
210 Cottonwood Ave
Hartland, WI 53029
Countering Iran & Its Terrorist Proxies
In response to the unjustified direct attacks Iran launched on Israel, the House took swift action to pass a slate of legislation that holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable.
The House passed 17 bills aimed at countering Iran, including H.R. 5947, which would rescind certain waivers and licenses to Iran that the Biden Administration has used to transfer $6 billion in Iranian funds to restricted accounts in Qatar; H.R. 4691, the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act, which would establish a congressional review process for any Presidential actions to relieve sanctions on foreign persons supporting Iran to prevent bad deals like the JCPOA from being agreed to; and H.R. 6046, the Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act, which would reverse the Biden Administration’s disastrous decision to remove the Iran-backed Houthi’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act
Over two years ago, we tragically lost six beloved community members in the Waukesha Christmas parade attack. This senseless attack could have been prevented had the perpetrator not been let back out onto the streets due to weak bail policies in Milwaukee.
In an effort to ensure an incident like this never happens again, I introduced the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. This bill would combat radical bail policies by ensuring judges and prosecutors know a defendant’s criminal history and bring accountability to bail bonds.
Specifically, the bill would allow state and local jurisdictions to use Byrne grant funding to develop and maintain a public safety report for each defendant charged with a violent offense and report this information to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The legislation would also define bail bonds as an insurance product so that they must comply with federal insurance fraud laws in addition to the same background check requirements.
Interstate Commerce Simplification Act
Last week I introduced the Interstate Commerce Simplification Act. This bill would prevent states from applying their income tax to businesses who sell goods or services into a state but otherwise have no physical presence there.
Specifically, the bill would define the term “solicitation of orders” as “business activity that facilitates the solicitation of orders even if that activity may also serve some independently valuable business function apart from solicitation.”
As things stand now, without clear and concise guidance, overzealous states can pursue tax revenue from business owners simply for having a website. This ultimately leaves business owners with a mess of compliance burdens and vulnerable to double taxation.
My goal is that my bill will promote consistent and uniform compliance that takes the burden off businesses and keeps our economy open for business.
Congressional Art Show THIS WEEKEND in Oconomowoc
Come see our Congressional Art show this weekend outside our district office in Oconomowoc at the Avenue Square Mall featuring submissions from high school artists across the district.
Each year the first place winner’s art piece is sent to Washington, DC to hang at our nation’s capitol building, and the winner is flown out courtesy of Southwest Airlines to see the unveiling of the winning pieces and a celebration gathering. The second and third place winners hang in my respective DC and district offices over the next year as well.
Take the time to see these budding artists and view our local talent on display! Art will be on display from Friday May 3rd through all of Sunday, May 5th during mall hours (6:00 am- 9 pm Friday and Saturday; 6:00 am- 4:00 pm Sunday).
Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program
ICYMI, my office is seeking a veteran for a position in WI-05’s Oconomowoc district office. If you or a person you know are interested, I encourage you to apply!
The person chosen for the special position will work with military and veteran constituents to handle veterans-related casework and act as a facilitator between constituents and federal, state, and local agencies.
The Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program was established by the House of Representatives to provide employment opportunities for veterans within member offices.
The program is limited to veterans who meet all of the following requirements:
- Honorably discharged
- Released from active duty within the last six years
- Terminal pay grades at or below E-5, O-3, or W-2
- Veterans promoted to the pay grades of E-6, O-4, and W-3 within 6-months of separation from active duty are eligible, granted they meet ALL other eligibility requirements.
- Veterans who are in receipt of a 20-year or Temporary Early Retirement Authorization (TERA) retirement are not eligible for the program.
Click here to learn more about the job posting.
That's a wrap for this week's eNewsletter! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on my work for the 5th District of Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Scott Fitzgerald
Member of Congress
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