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 February 1, 2011.
            We expect Governor Doyle to sign this bill into law soon and are hopeful that it will be a public bill signing that we can participate in.
            Thank you to members who helped lobby on this, without your efforts this would have not moved this quickly. 

Feingold down in hypothetical race against TGT
             A poll was recently released that showed U.S. Senator Russ Feingold trailing in hypothetical match up against former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson by a margin of 47-43.
            The poll, conducted with a sample size of 500 likely voters in Wisconsin also showed that Tommy had much better favorability numbers than Feingold.  Tommy had a 56-39 favorable/unfavorable ratio while Feingold’s numbers came in at 47-48.  A 47-48 favorable/unfavorable ratio, regardless of who the GOP candidate will be is not good news for Senator Feingold in his efforts to win a third full term in the U.S. Senate. 

For the GOP all eyes continue to be on Tommy Thompson to see if he will actually “make the plunge” and challenge Feingold this fall. 

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). 

____________________________________________________

Content Back-Up Options
Submitted by Cellcom 

Cell phones have gone beyond making calls and frequently serve as storage units for valuable information, from important contacts, priceless pictures, favorite songs and videos from special moments in life. So a lost, stolen or damaged phone causes not only a loss of connectivity, but also a loss of invaluable content. Fortunately, most devices offer some form of content back-up – a few are outlined below. 

Smart Phones – each operating system offers a different form of content back-up. These types of devices synchronize with email programs, making contact and calendar information secure within the computer-based email program.  

·          Research In Motion (RIM) provides the BlackBerry Desktop Manager free with all their devices, which will backup all content on the device.  

• WindowsMobile devices use an application called MyPhone, which is a free web-based application that is downloaded from Windows Marketplace and will backup all content.    

·          Android can vary from device to device, but contacts and calendar will always be backed up on Gmail, as well as the email server. With Cellcom’s HTC Hero, HTC provides software called HTC Sync which will backup all content – contacts and media.  

Other Phones –BREW, an application development platform, works across many devices. BREW offers users numerous content back-up options. 

·          CelleSync costs $1.99/month or $6.99 for the life of the phone. After downloading this application, users set up a username and password and sync their phone contents with an online storage space.  

·          CellBackUp costs $1.99/month or $11.29 for the life of the phone. Similar to CelleSync, this application also allows a user to sync their phone contents to an online storage space. An added feature of CellBackUp is the ability to manage contacts for a group, which can be beneficial for businesses who share a phone list. 

To manage costs, a data plan is recommended for BREW-based solutions. People with unlimited data can upload and download as much content as they want; those without data get charged per kilobyte (KB). To download the information onto a new device, the BREW app must be redownloaded to the phone. When selecting a new device, check with your salesperson to make sure it is compatible with the application used to back-up a previous device. 

# # # # # 

Cellcom is a proud partner with your association, providing discounted wireless plans and business solutions for all members. Cellcom is a locally owned and operated communications services provider throughout Wisconsin and Michigan, with more than 80 retail and agent locations. For more information on Cellcom’s partnership with your organization, contact Tom Swiecichowski, 920-617-7171 or tjs@cellcom.com . 

_________________________________________________________

SCEPI’S 5^th Annual Economic Summit will be held on Tuesday, March 23^rd at the Gathering.  Keynote speaker for the evening will be Larry Weyers, Executive Chairman of Integrys Energy Group.  He will speak on alternate energy, renewable energy and related issues that may impact future energy costs and how it moves through the grid.  Also speaking will be Jack Riopelle, President of Riopelle & Associates, Green Bay, and former President of Wisconsin Film and Bag, Shawano. 

Networking/doors open at 5:00 p.m.  The program will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and includes a sit-down dinner.  Advanced registration is $30/Person or $50/Couple.  WRBA is trying to put together a group of eight to reserve a corporate table at $200.  If you are interested in joining us, call Diane at 715-853-2310.  If we can get eight people, your cost will be $25/person made out to WRBA and we will make the reservation as a group.  Please call by March 12^th if interested. 

Junior Achievement presents the 3^rd Annual Shawano Food & Culture Fest on March 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Shawano Community High School and includes food, entertainment, raffle, etc.  Tickets are $15 ea.  Junior Achievement is a non-profit worldwide organization whose purpose is to inspire and prepare young people for a global economy by bringing volunteer business and community leaders into K-12 classrooms to teach work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.  Today, JA reaches more than 2,900 students in Shawano and Menominee Counties annually, 148,000 Wisconsin students, and eight million students in 100 countries worldwide.  For more information see Diane or email dheikes@jawis.org  or call 715-524-8384.

Groups of 10 tickets are available for $120.00.