Jeremy Thiesfeldt
Jeremy Thiesfeldt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Thiesfeldt in 2013 | |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 52nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 2, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | John F. Townsend |
| Succeeded by | Jerry L. O'Connor |
| Member of the Fond du Lac City Council | |
| In office April 2005 – April 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 22, 1966 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | Martin Luther College |
| Profession | Politician |
| Website | Official website |
Jeremy Thiesfeldt (born November 22, 1966) is an American educator and politician from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for 12 years, representing Wisconsin's 52nd Assembly district from 2011 through 2022. He also previously served on the Fond du Lac city council.[1]
Early life, education, and career before politics
[edit]Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on November 22, 1966, Thiesfeldt graduated with a B.S. in elementary education from Martin Luther College in 1989.[1]
Thiesfeldt is a former teacher,[2] having previously taught at Winnebago Lutheran Academy.[3] As of 2018 he was interim principal at Redeemer Lutheran School in Fond du Lac.[4]
Political career
[edit]Thiesfeldt was a member of the Fond du Lac city council from 2005 to 2010, and was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010 as a Republican.[1] Thiesfeldt is the assemblyman for the 52nd Assembly District,[3][5] which encompasses Fond du Lac city, Fond du Lac town, Byron, Empire, Oakfield, and Taycheedah, and Oakfield, as well as part of Calumet.[3] He was reelected in 2012 with 60.65% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Paul G. Czisny;[6] was reelected in 2014 without opposition;[7] was reelected in 2016 with 63.76% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Czisny,[8] and was reelected in 2018 with 61.63% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Kevin Booth.[9] On December 9, 2021, he announced that he would not seek re-election.[10]
Education
[edit]Thiesfeldt chairs the Assembly Education Committee,[4][11][12] and a member of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Standards Review Council,[12] In 2012, Thiesfeldt sponsored legislation, passed by the Republican-controlled Assembly, that would allow schools to teach abstinence-only sex education, as opposed to comprehensive sex education.[13] Thiesfeldt opposed Common Core State Standards.[14][15] and in 2015 sponsored legislation allowing parents to opt-out from state standardized testing for their children.[15] In 2019, Thiesfeldt introduced a bill in the state Assembly that would compel Wisconsin public schools and charter schools to teach cursive handwriting, at an estimated annual cost of $1.7 million to $5.95 million in student materials and some additional sum for teacher training.[2][12]
In 2018, the day after 17 students and staff members were fatally shot at a high school in Florida, Thiesfeldt posted a tweet linking to an article on the on conservative website PJ Media that romanticized a past era when "high school kids rode the bus with rifles and shot their guns at high school rifle ranges."[4] After a backlash, Thiesfeldt deleted the post, issued an apology for what he called a "poorly timed and insensitive" tweet, and said that he did not believe "that children should be able to bring guns to school."[4]
Public health
[edit]In the Assembly, Thiesfeldt opposed legislation to repeal a provision allowing parents to send their children to school without vaccinations on grounds of "personal conviction"; Thiesfeldt asserted that the legislation would infringe on parental rights.[16][17]
In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, Thiesfeldt signed onto a letter from 49 Republican members of the Assembly urging schools to re-open for in-person instruction.[18]
Social issues
[edit]Thiesfeldt opposes the legalization of marijuana,[19] and in 2013, he and a fellow Fond du Lac Republican lawmaker, state Senator Rick Gudex, introduced a bill that would authorize county and municipal governments to prosecute marijuana possession cases that are dropped by prosecutors.[20] Thiesfeldt and Gudex introduced the legislation after some Wisconsin district attorneys' offices adopted a policy of not pursuing criminal prosecutions for simple possession of small amounts of marijuana.[20] Thiesfeldt states that he supports the "legitimate, regulated medical use of marijuana" and also voted for CBD oil, which he believes "has therapeutic use."[19]
Thiesfeldt opposes legal recognition of same-sex marriage; after the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that there was a constitutional right to same-sex unions, Thiesfeldt opposed the decision, saying that it was wrongly decided and that "marriage is a state matter."[21]
In 2013, Thiesfeldt proposed legislation to repeal Wisconsin laws on the manufacture, use, and sale of pepper spray.[22]
Economic issues
[edit]In 2011, Thiesfeldt proposed legislation to make Wisconsin state income taxpayers ineligible for the state's Homestead Credit if they or any household family member received any federal housing subsidy (such as a Section 8 voucher).[23]
Thiesfeldt supports 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, which weakened public employee unions.[19] He supported controversial state tax incentives for Foxconn's Wisconsin plant.[19]
Personal life
[edit]Thiesfeldt lives in Fond du Lac. He has been married since 1990 and has four children.[1][19]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt: Assembly District 52 (R-Fond du Lac)". Wisconsin State Assembly.
- ^ a b Todd Richmond, Assembly panel considers mandatory cursive bill, Associated Press (November 6, 2019).
- ^ a b c Sarah Razner, Fond du Lac, Dodge County results: Thiesfeldt, Schraa, Born re-elected; referendums pass, Fond du Lac Reporter (November 6, 2018).
- ^ a b c d Sharon Roznik, Wisconsin legislator, school principal deletes tweet about guns, apologizes, Fond du Lac Reporter (February 16, 2018).
- ^ Sarah Razner, Fond du Lac detective, Knowles fire chief receive First Responder of the Year awards, Fond du Lac Reporter (October 11, 2019).
- ^ G.A.B. Canvass Reporting System, Canvass Results for 2012 P Residential and General Election - 11/6/2012 Archived 2020-04-21 at the Wayback Machine, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 21.
- ^ G.A.B. Canvass Reporting System, Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 Archived 2021-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 20.
- ^ WEC Canvass Reporting System: Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 Archived 2020-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 20.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election Archived 2020-02-07 at the Wayback Machine, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 22.
- ^ Lemke, Daphne (9 December 2021). "GOP state legislator Jeremy Thiesfeldt won't seek reelection in 2022". www.fldreporter.com. The Reporter. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Jeremy Thiesfeldt Outlines School Accountability Bill, Here & Now, PBS Wisconsin (January 9, 2015).
- ^ a b c Sharon Roznik, Will cursive become a lost art form? Not if these Wisconsin lawmakers can help it, Fond du Lac Reporter (October 14, 2019).
- ^ Scott Bauer, Assembly passes abortion, sex ed. bills, Associated Press (March 14, 2012).
- ^ Shawn Johnson, Teachers, School Administrators Turn Out To Support Common Core, Wisconsin Public Radio (March 6, 2014).
- ^ a b Chris Rickert, Political opposites find common ground on testing, Common Core, Wisconsin State Journal (May 12, 2015).
- ^ Hintz, Thiesfeldt debate vaccine waiver bill on 'UpFront', WisPolitics News (May 6, 2019).
- ^ Rose Schmidt, GOP lawmaker aims to block vaccine waiver bill, WMSN-TV (May 6, 2019).
- ^ Victor Jacobo, Assembly GOP letter to schools pushes opening for in-person classes, WDJT-TV (August 7, 2020).
- ^ a b c d e Sharon Roznik, 52nd Assembly race pits incumbent Jeremy Thiesfeldt against newcomer Kevin Booth, Fond du Lac Reporter (October 20, 2018).
- ^ a b Steven Elbow, GOP lawmakers don't want pot scofflaws to go unpunished, The Capital Times (June 5, 2013).
- ^ Jessie Opoien, Supreme Court rules same-sex marriage legal, Scott Walker calls decision 'grave mistake', The Capital Times (June 26, 2015).
- ^ Jack Craver, Wisconsin Republicans seek to deregulate pepper spray, The Capital Times (October 14, 2013).
- ^ Mike Ivey, Biz Beat: GOP wants to end Homestead credit for low-income renters, The Capital Times (October 31, 2011).