Jeremy Thiesfeldt

Jeremy Thiesfeldt (born November 22, 1966) is a Wisconsin politician and legislator. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010, from a Fond du Lac district.[1]

Jeremy Thiesfeldt
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 52nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	John F. Townsend
Member of the Fond du Lac City Council
In office 2005–2010
Personal details
Born	November 22, 1966 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Residence	Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Alma mater	Dr. Martin Luther College
Profession	Politician
Website	Official website

Early life, education, and career before politics

Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on November 22, 1966, Thiesfeldt graduated with a B.S. in elementary education from Dr. 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

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]

Education

Thiesfeldt chairs the Assembly Education Committee,[4][10][11] and a member of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Standards Review Council,[11] 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.[12] Thiesfeldt opposed Common Core State Standards.[13][14] and in 2015 sponsored legislation allowing parents to opt-out from state standardized testing for their children.[14] 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][11]

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 an "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

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.[15][16]

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.[17]

Social issues

Thiesfeldt opposes the legalization of marijuana,[18] 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.[19] 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.[19] Thiesfeldt states that he supports the "legitimate, regulated medical use of marijuana" and also voted for CBD oil, which he believes "has therapeutic use."[18]

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."[20]

In 2013, Thiesfeldt proposed legislation to repeal Wisconsin laws on the manufacture, use, and sale of pepper spray.[21]

Economic issues

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).[22]

Thiesfeldt supports 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, which weakened public employee unions.[18] He supported controversial state tax incentives for Foxconn's Wisconsin plant.[18]

Personal life

Thiesfeldt lives in Fond du Lac. He has been married since 1990 and has four children.[1][18]

References

1. "Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt: Assembly District 52 (R-Fond du Lac)". Wisconsin State Assembly.
2. Todd Richmond, Assembly panel considers mandatory cursive bill, Associated Press (November 6, 2019).
3. Sarah Razner, Fond du Lac, Dodge County results: Thiesfeldt, Schraa, Born re-elected; referendums pass, Fond du Lac Reporter (November 6, 2018).
4. Sharon Roznik, Wisconsin legislator, school principal deletes tweet about guns, apologizes, Fond du Lac Reporter (February 16, 2018).
5. Sarah Razner, Fond du Lac detective, Knowles fire chief receive First Responder of the Year awards, Fond du Lac Reporter (October 11, 2019).
6. G.A.B. Canvass Reporting System, Canvass Results for 2012 P Residential and General Election - 11/6/2012, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 21.
7. G.A.B. Canvass Reporting System, Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 20.
8. WEC Canvass Reporting System: Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 20.
9. Canvass Results for 2018 General Election, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 22.
10. Jeremy Thiesfeldt Outlines School Accountability Bill, Here & Now, PBS Wisconsin (January 9, 2015).
11. Sharon Roznik, Will cursive become a lost art form? Not if these Wisconsin lawmakers can help it, Fond du Lac Reporter (October 14, 2019).
12. Scott Bauer, Assembly passes abortion, sex ed. bills, Associated Press (March 14, 2012).
13. Shawn Johnson, Teachers, School Administrators Turn Out To Support Common Core, Wisconsin Public Radio (March 6, 2014).
14. Chris Rickert, Political opposites find common ground on testing, Common Core, Wisconsin State Journal (May 12, 2015).
15. Hintz, Thiesfeldt debate vaccine waiver bill on 'UpFront', WisPolitics News (May 6, 2019).
16. Rose Schmidt, GOP lawmaker aims to block vaccine waiver bill, WMSN-TV (May 6, 2019).
17. Victor Jacobo, Assembly GOP letter to schools pushes opening for in-person classes, WDJT-TV (August 7, 2020).
18. Sharon Roznik, 52nd Assembly race pits incumbent Jeremy Thiesfeldt against newcomer Kevin Booth, Fond du Lac Reporter (October 20, 2018).
19. Steven Elbow, GOP lawmakers don't want pot scofflaws to go unpunished, The Capital Times (June 5, 2013).
20. Jessie Opoien, Supreme Court rules same-sex marriage legal, Scott Walker calls decision 'grave mistake', The Capital Times (June 26, 2015).
21. Jack Craver, Wisconsin Republicans seek to deregulate pepper spray, The Capital Times (October 14, 2013).
22. Mike Ivey, Biz Beat: GOP wants to end Homestead credit for low-income renters, The Capital Times (October 31, 2011).