Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AJR26 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION 26
5	5	April 15, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives ROE, ANDERSON, BROWN, J.
6	6	JACOBSON, ARNEY, BARE, BILLINGS, CLANCY, DESMIDT, DOYLE, FITZGERALD,
7	7	JOERS, JOHNSON, KAUFERT, KRUG, MADISON, MOORE OMOKUNDE, NEUBAUER,
8	8	SINICKI, SNODGRASS, STUBBS, SUBECK, TENORIO and UDELL, cosponsored by
9	9	Senators SPREITZER, CARPENTER, DRAKE, HESSELBEIN, L. JOHNSON, LARSON,
10	10	PFAFF, RATCLIFF, ROYS, SMITH, WALL and WIRCH. Referred to Committee on
11	11	Rules.
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13	13	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
14	14	Relating to: honoring the life and public service of Senator Timothy Francis
15	15	Cullen.
16	16	Whereas, Timothy Francis Cullen was born on February 25, 1944, in
17	17	Janesville, Wisconsin, and passed away on December 23, 2024; and
18	18	Whereas, son of a Teamster and a United Auto Workers Union member, Tim
19	19	was the third generation of his family to work at General Motors in Janesville, and
20	20	he worked there for four summers in the 1960s to pay his way through college; and
21	21	Whereas, Tim graduated from Janesville High School in 1962 and from the
22	22	University of Wisconsin]Whitewater in 1966, and attended graduate school at
23	23	Northern Illinois University; and
24	24	Whereas, after graduation from UW]Whitewater, Tim served in the United
25	25	States Army Reserve and taught social studies at George S. Parker High School
26	26	before being elected to the Janesville City Council in 1970; and
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41	41	Whereas, Tim served as ombudsman for U.S. Representative Les Aspin from
42	42	1971 to 1974; and
43	43	Whereas, while serving as the people[s advocate, Tim bridged the gap between
44	44	constituents of the First Congressional District and the decisions being made on
45	45	their behalf in Washington, through making government more responsive and
46	46	accessible, cutting through the red tape of an often distant and unresponsive
47	47	bureaucracy, lending an ear to their issues and concerns, and giving a voice to the
48	48	people of Wisconsin[s First Congressional District; and
49	49	Whereas, in 1974, Tim ran for the Wisconsin State Senate as a Democrat,
50	50	winning his election to represent the 15th State Senate District with more than 55
51	51	percent of the vote; and
52	52	Whereas, Tim served from 1975 to 1987 in the Wisconsin State
53	53	Senate—including as Senate Majority Leader from 1982 to 1986—and chaired
54	54	committees relating to diverse issues including agriculture, labor, aging,
55	55	transportation, business, and financial institutions; and
56	56	Whereas, Tim[s first bill enacted into law ceded state lands to the City of
57	57	Delavan for park and recreational purposes, and it was followed later that session
58	58	by bills that eliminated a citizenship requirement for bartenders and made Susan
59	59	B. Anthony[s birthday a special observance day in Wisconsin Schools; and
60	60	Whereas, as Senate Majority leader, Tim was a champion for policies that
61	61	improved the lives of everyday Wisconsinites, provided support to local
62	62	municipalities, and protected consumers, workers, and both current and future
63	63	homeowners; and
64	64	Whereas, legislation authored by Senator Cullen that was enacted into law
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90	90	during his first six legislative sessions in the State Senate included improvements
91	91	to state unemployment compensation laws, the creation of the Homeownership
92	92	Mortgage Loan Program, increased payments to Wisconsinites claiming the
93	93	homestead tax credit, better consumer protections for credit card holders,
94	94	prohibiting felons from possessing firearms, and protections against sexual
95	95	exploitation of children and the abuse of vulnerable adults; and
96	96	Whereas, Tim[s advocacy for the people of the 15th State Senate District and
97	97	all Wisconsinites was reflected in his legislative advocacy surrounding consumer
98	98	protection, housing, agriculture, labor, transportation, conservation efforts, and
99	99	government transparency; and
100	100	Whereas, a sharp, shrewd leader and coalition builder, Tim[s great respect for
101	101	his fellow caucus members and colleagues was reflected in the reputation he built
102	102	within his own caucus and bonds forged across the aisle; and
103	103	Whereas, Tim served the people of our state on a bipartisan basis as the
104	104	Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services in the cabinet
105	105	of Republican Governor Tommy Thompson from 1987 to 1988; and
106	106	Whereas, Tim began a twenty-year private sector career at Blue Cross Blue
107	107	Shield in 1988; and
108	108	Whereas, Tim returned to elected office by winning a seat on the Janesville
109	109	School Board in 2007 and later winning election to another term in his former seat
110	110	in the State Senate in 2010; and
111	111	Whereas, in 2008, Governor Jim Doyle appointed him to co-chair a state task
112	112	force to save the Janesville General Motors plant; and
113	113	Whereas, Tim served from 2011 to 2015 in the Wisconsin State Senate and
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139	139	served on committees relating to a diverse range of issues including economic
140	140	development, veterans, military affairs, state and federal relations, information
141	141	technology, workforce development, small business, tourism, education, insurance,
142	142	and housing; and
143	143	Whereas, during this time, Tim was a fierce unapologetic advocate and
144	144	champion for working families, union rights, collective bargaining and basic
145	145	fairness to workers, and access to the ballot box; and
146	146	Whereas, in 2011 Tim made a good-faith effort to negotiate with then-
147	147	Governor Scott Walker[s office concerning the provisions in what would be 2011 Act
148	148	10 related to collective bargaining, underscoring his dedication to finding common
149	149	ground and representing the interests of Wisconsin workers even in times of
150	150	extreme partisanship; and
151	151	Whereas, many of Tim[s efforts, both as a public servant and private citizen,
152	152	focused on attaining equal opportunities for all children, fighting for racial and
153	153	gender equality, putting an end to partisan gerrymandering and maintaining open,
154	154	accountable, and transparent state government; and
155	155	Whereas, during his return to the state legislature, Tim struck up a friendship
156	156	and partnership with former Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, a Republican
157	157	from Richland Center, who traveled the state with him for years urging the state to
158	158	adopt nonpartisan redistricting and end gerrymandering; and
159	159	Whereas, Tim[s lifelong commitment to serving his community and the State
160	160	of Wisconsin included serving as a board member of Big Brothers of Janesville, the
161	161	Janesville YMCA, the Les Aspin Center for Government, Everyone Cooperating to
162	162	Help Others (ECHO), the Janesville Teacher Diversity Board, Forward Janesville,
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188	188	WisconsinEye, Common Cause in Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Fair Elections
189	189	Project; and
190	190	Whereas, Tim founded the Tim Cullen Government Institute, allowing 11th
191	191	graders to meet with state and local government leaders—making government
192	192	more responsive and accessible and fostering the next generation of leaders; and
193	193	Whereas, Tim authored three books sharing his insight and experience:
194	194	XRingside Seat: Wisconsin Politics, the 1970s to Scott WalkerY; XDisassembled: A
195	195	Native Son on Janesville and General MotorsY; and XWisconsin Gerrymandering:
196	196	The Fight for Permanent Fair Maps and Why it MattersY; and
197	197	Whereas, the proceeds from his published books benefit two programs that
198	198	recognize the need for teachers of color in local school districts and encourage
199	199	diverse students to become teachers—the Janesville Multicultural Teacher
200	200	Scholarship Fund, which Tim started in 2008 and through which eleven
201	201	participants of color have been hired and 20 students are currently in the pipeline
202	202	to become teachers, and Beloit[s similar Grow Your Own Multicultural Teacher
203	203	Scholarship Program; and
204	204	Whereas, Tim will be remembered as an incredible husband to his late wife
205	205	Barbara, a caring and dedicated father and grandfather, a devoted friend and
206	206	mentor, and a beloved member of the Janesville community; and
207	207	Whereas, Tim[s lifelong commitment to bipartisanship and good government,
208	208	to fighting for the working class, and to improving the lives of all Wisconsinites will
209	209	continue to have a positive impact on the Janesville community and the entire State
210	210	of Wisconsin; now, therefore, be it
211	211	Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of
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237	237	the Wisconsin Legislature honor the life, legacy, and public service of Senator Tim
238	238	Cullen and extend their deepest condolences to his family and friends, colleagues,
239	239	and all those who knew him.
240	240	(END)
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