Republican state representative Joan Ballweg of Markesan says the goal of the Rural Wisconsin Initiative is to bridge the rural-urban gap in Wisconsin. Two bills have been signed into law and Ballweg says six more bills remain priorities for next year’s budget. One bill signed by the governor last week forgives 25 percent of state higher education board loans annually as long as the teacher doesn’t work in an urban area. Another measure is desgined to connect all of Wisconsin with high speed Internet by making it easier for communities to implement broadband projects. Ballweg says she would like to see all remaining pieces of the Initiative enacted next session either through the budget or as stand alone bills.
