Three Jarchow Bills Signed Into Law

Balsam Lake, Wis… Today, Governor Walker signed three bills authored by Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake) into law. They were Assembly Bill (AB) 479, AB 480, and Senate Bill (SB) 285. AB 479 and AB 480 were part of the Homeowners’ Bill of Rights package.

AB 479 corrected a United States Supreme Court decision in Murr v Wisconsin. In this decision, the court decided that St. Croix County’s merged lots provision was not unconstitutional. This bill says that no county can have a merged lots provision and will ensure that no property owner in Wisconsin will ever have their lots merged without their knowledge or consent. AB 479 also ensures that condo and homeowners associations cannot tell residents that they cannot fly the Wisconsin or American flags. This is a codification of federal law which states that all Wisconsin resident have the right to fly the flag.  

AB 480 was aimed at home affordability and reigning in burdensome regulations that add to the rising cost of purchasing and owning a home. One provision exempts certain vehicles that are used for carrying propane for heating purposes from vehicle weight limitations. Streamlining the rules for propane transportation will attempt to avoid propane shortages and inflated propane costs to home owners in the future. 

Another part of AB 480 was the codification of a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, Milewski v Town of Dover. This part of the bill states that if a homeowner refuses to allow a tax assessor into their home, they are still allowed to appeal their assessment to their municipality’s board of review. Homeowners should have the expectation that they are protected under the 4^th Amendment and this bill is aimed at ensuring that. 

The third bill signed into law today is SB 285, which allows corporations to conduct their mandatory shareholder meetings virtually. Corporations must hold an annual shareholder meeting and allowing them to do this via teleconference will save travel costs and allow their meetings and corporations and a whole to operate more smoothly. 

Jarchow commented, “Thank you to Governor Walker for signing these bills into law. I am proud to have led the fight for property rights this session in the Legislature. Owning a home is the American Dream and I believe the government should not get in the way of that. It is simply unfair to move the regulatory goal posts on property owners. Regulations currently account for over 20% of a new single-family home. This is unacceptable. I am committed to reigning in those regulations and continuing to put home ownership within reach for our next generation.”