ANTHONY HARDIE

January 12, 2010

The Honorable Jeff Plale, Chair The Honorable Robert Cowles

Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Wisconsin State Senate Committee on
Commerce, Utilities, Energy and Rail Commerce, Utilities, Energy and Rail
State Capitol Room 313 South State Capitol Room 319 South
Madison, WI 53707-7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882

RE: 2009 Assembly Bill 228

Dear Chairman Plale, Ranking Member Cowles, and Committee Members:

Thank you for holding today’s public hearing by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities,
Energy and Rail on 2009 Assembly Bill 228, which would create preferences in awarding state
contracts or orders to businesses owned by disabled veterans who have at least a 30% disability
rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

In my former capacity as Executive Assistant at the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs,

it was truly an honor and privilege to work during the last biennium with Representative Gary
Sherman and his staff on the original draft legislation. The fact that this legislation now
measures 32 pages long speaks to the complexity of this issue and all the countless hours of work
by Representative Sherman and legislative staff in preparing it.

As a cost-effective measure to help disabled veteran-owned businesses better compete for state
purchasing contracts, and potentially also provide additional visibility and opportunities for these
veterans and their businesses, AB 228 may well become the most significant veteran-related
legislation enacted this biennium. I would like to take this opportunity to express my own
strong support for this important, meaningful legislation and commend you, and all the members
of the committee, for your strong leadership in bringing this bill to a public committee hearing
today, and for your active efforts towards enactment. I encourage the committee to take
favorable executive action on AB 228 as soon as possible, and work closely with Senate
leadership and the Governor to help ensure enactment of this important measure.

Again, thank you for continued support for Wisconsin’s veterans and for seeking meaningful
new ways to aid, assist and honor them. Best wishes for your every success in seeing this
important, substantive, beneficial bill move through to enactment this year.

Sincerely,

Anthony Hardie
Cc: Rep. Gary Sherman

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