What would we do without official state herb?

What a year it was in the Wisconsin legislature in 2017. That is the assessment of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as he reflects on the year just passed. Vos boasts of all the accomplishments of our elected officials in Madison, citing the 135 new laws the legislature passed as evidence of their productivity. Sure, the legislature landed Foxconn and its promise of thousands of new jobs, but the jury is still out on that one. Legislators did approve a new state budget, but that came two months after it was due. What of the remaining pieces of legislation that became law in Wisconsin in 2017? Well, without the action of our legislators, cheese would not be the state’s official dairy product. That was among the bills passed into law this year. Lawmakers also eliminated the minimum age for hunting, one of five pieces of hunting related legislation approved in 2017. Our representatives also found time to declare ginseng as the official state herb. They also passed a law prohibiting state employees from representing themselves as engineers unless they actually have a degree or experience in the field. Has this been a problem in Madison? The state also is creating a hunting season for woodchucks, and has declared that motor fuel cannot be advertised by the half gallon price. It is good to see our lawmakers tackling the important issues. What would we do without an official dairy product or an official state herb?