Submitted by Cellcom

With the advanced utility of cell phones comes added strain on one’s battery. Although progress is being made on the manufacturing side to increase the size and overall life of cell phone batteries, it’s often not enough to get the wear one would like from a charge. The good news is there are steps a user can take to conserve battery life.

·         On any phone you can change the back light setting to a shorter time frame. The longer the phone back light is on when it is not in use, the more power will be drained.

·         Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are added features to help you connect to the Internet and to other devices with ease, but there are times when running these features in unnecessary. Trying to find a Wi-Fi connection isn’t going to be much help when driving the highway, and a Bluetooth signal isn’t necessary if not trying to connect to another device. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when they are not going to be in use.

·         Smart phones offer a lot of options for applications, from the Blackberry App World to the Android Market. These applications add function and value to a cell phone, but also take a toll on battery life, especially when inadvertently left on in the background. Using an App Manager or Task Killer application will let a user know which applications are running and help turn applications off that are left on by accident.

These simple steps take seconds and can help you get added hours from your cell phone battery.

Monday Morning Review     1.18.10 

(A monthly report from Brad Boycks with WBA to update us on what is happening at the Capitol) 

WBA looks to NAHB for funds to lobby on Global Warming Task Force matters  

     Recently WBA GA staff submitted an application to the NAHB State and Local Issues Fund asking for financial assistance to help our lobbying efforts on the recently announced provisions contained in the Global Warming Task Force’s recommendations that have been now drafted into legislation. 

     WBA has committed the efforts of three staff members to lobby members of the Wisconsin Legislature on this matter.  WBA is requesting matching funds to pay the retainer of an outside contract lobbyist to help fight these provisions in the Wisconsin Legislature.  WBA is also requesting these funds to do additional research on energy code issues to help our lobbying effort.  Finally, we are exploring the possibility of launching a paid media effort to educate the public on these topics and the damaging effect the passage of these policy items will have. 

     WBA respectfully requested matching funds of $10,000 from the NAHB State and Local Issues Fund to retain an outside contract lobbyist to assist the full time WBA lobbying team, to help pay for more in-depth research on this topic and to assist in possible paid media efforts to defeat or radically change the provisions of the Task Force on Global  

Warming.   

     We are hopeful that we will be successful in our efforts to obtain a grant from NAHB to help in our efforts on global warming in 2010. 

Global Warming bill officially released  

       In early January on the same day as a heavy snowfall hit Madison Governor Doyle, with members of the legislature announced a package of Global Warming initiatives to be considered before the end of session.  
The plan, now being called the Clean Energy Jobs Act, is being touted as bill to create jobs.  Supports claim that passage of this initiative will help create 15,000 new jobs in Wisconsin.
       Senator Republican leader Scott Fitzgerald offered a much different take on the proposed plan by saying: “After Wisconsin Democrats increased taxes and fees on families and businesses by nearly $5 billion last year, they are layering on yet more cost increases through their global warming agenda. The mandates will increase gasoline, energy, and building costs, which will put further strain on families’ budgets and result in even more job losses. This is the worst possible time to introduce such a proposal when our state has lost over 163,800 jobs during this recession, and Wisconsin workers are facing record unemployment.”
       Among other items, the bill establishes a goal for all newly constructed residential and commercial building to be “zero net energy buildings” by 2030.  Another item of particular interest relates to the Energy Code for 1 and 2-family dwellings.  The global warming bill would specify that the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or a similar code be adopted in Wisconsin within a certain period of time.  In addition, the Department of Commerce could only adopt less stringent standards than those in the code if the “code is unreasonably burdensome because of specific conditions in this state” and the less strict conditions provide the greatest conservation benefits consistent with those conditions.   In addition, the bill would eliminate a requirement that Commerce consider costs if the IECC is adopted.
       The coalition that WBA is a part of to advocate for major changes to the legislation is moving forward and talking with both legislators and agency staff on this important topic. 

Legislature passes drunk driving reforms with only one dissenting vote  

        In December both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature met and passed a comprehensive package making several substantial changes to Wisconsin’s drunk driving laws.  Every member of the Wisconsin legislature voted in favor of these changes except the longest serving member of the Wisconsin Assembly, Representative Marlin Schneider (D-Stevens Point).   

       The most highly visible member of the State Assembly for many well documented issues concerning driving while intoxicated, Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) voted in the majority.  Wood put out a statement after his vote saying, “I have learned firsthand how difficult it is to combat this disease.” 

       The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted this summary of the legislation on 12.17.09: 

• Require ignition interlocks for all repeat drunken drivers and for first-time offenders with blood-alcohol levels of 0.15 or greater. That's nearly twice the legal limit. Ignition interlocks prevent motorists from starting their vehicle until they blow into a tube to show they don't have alcohol in their systems. 

• Make a fourth drunken driving offense a felony if it occurs within five years of a previous offense. Drunken driving isn't a felony until the fifth offense in Wisconsin. 

• Make first-offense drunken driving a misdemeanor if a child younger than 16 is in the vehicle. All other first-time offenses would remain traffic offenses, rather than crimes. Wisconsin is the only state to treat first offenses that way. 

• Expand to the rest of the state a Winnebago County program that gives judges the option of offering reduced jail time to offenders who complete alcohol or drug treatment. County boards would have to approve the program - which backers say would reduce recidivism - for it to be used in their areas. 

WBA testifies in favor of Carbon Monoxide bill 

       Recently the Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection and the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform and Housing held public hearings on a bill to require the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in 1 and 2-family homes.  The bills (AB 607 and SB 415) are authored by Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) and Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay).  WBA GA staff testified in favor of these bills in addition to those representing firefighters, safe kids’ coalition and members of a Madison church who had two carbon monoxide leaks in just six months time last year.
       You may remember that part of the 2009-2010 WBA GA Agenda which was approved by the WBA Board of Directors in October 2008 included a provision to support legislation that would require carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in Wisconsin homes.  Existing homes would be required to install a plug-in or hard-wired alarm and any new home would be required to install a hard-wired carbon monoxide alarm in a newly constructed 1 or 2-family home.
       These bills mirror the current smoke detector law which essentially means that to comply with this new requirement you would simply need to replace a smoke alarm with a “combo alarm” that acts as both a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in new homes.  If this bill is ultimately signed into law by the governor it would not take effect until at least 13 months after the date of signing.
If things go smoothly next week there is a chance both of these bills will be voted out of their respective committees soon and available for passage during the February floor period in both the Assembly and Senate.  

Give to the Building a Better Wisconsin PAC online 

       WBA is testing a new way for members throughout the state to give to your state political action committee, the Building a Better Wisconsin Political Committee (BBW-PAC).
       Starting now, members can go to the WBA website www.wisbuild.organd click the Donate icon to make a personal contribution to BBW-PAC.  Any member giving to the BBW-PAC online will also be helping your local association achieve their 2010 fundraising goal!

       The BBW-PAC is WBA’s political action committee.  It is WBA members from across the state combining their resources to support pro-housing, pro-business candidates running for office in Wisconsin.
       The BBW Committee is governed by WBA members, called Trustees, from throughout the state. Each local association is allowed at least one Trustee on the BBW Committee. This group determines which candidates receive PAC contributions. 
       PAC contribution decisions are made with the input of local associations and by reviewing the candidates' positions and voting records on housing and WBA priority issues. Decisions made by the BBW Committee are bi-partisan.
       All contributions to the BBW-PAC must come from a personal credit card.  Corporate contributions to the BBW-PAC are forbidden by Wisconsin election laws.
       2010 is a critical election year for WBA that features a wide-open race for governor, a race for Attorney General, half of the state Senate up for re-election and all 99 seats in the state Assembly open for election in November 2010.
       Log on tohttp://www.wisbuild.orgtoday to give to the BBW-PAC and help your local association meet your local's 2010 fundraising goal!
For more information on the above legislative matters please contact WBA Director of Government and Political Affairs Brad Boycks (bboycks@wisbuid.orgor 608-242-5155, ext. 16).