Kathleen M. "Kathy" Bernier (born April 29, 1956) is an American politician in Wisconsin who served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

representing the 23rd district from 2019 to 2023. She previously was the Chippewa County Clerk from 1998 to 2011, and served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

for the 68th district from 2011 to 2019. In March 2018, Bernier announced that she would run to represent the 23rd district in the

, an open seat due to the retirement of

Terry Moulton Terry Moulton (born July 19, 1946) is a former Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, who represented the 23rd district from 2011 to 2019. He was previously a member of the Wisconsin Assembly, representing the 68th district from 2005 to 2 ...

. She was elected in the November election.

Early life and education

Bernier was born in Eau Claire to John and Marge (Ginder) Anderson and grew up in

Lake Hallie, Wisconsin Lake Hallie is a village in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Eau Claire metropolitan area. It was incorporated from part of the town of Hallie on February 18, 2003. The 2020 census put the village's population at 7 ...

. Bernier graduated from Chippewa Falls High School in 1974 and was married in September 1977. While raising her children, she worked a variety of part-time and limited term jobs including certified nursing assistant, waitress, and census taker. As a single mother, Bernier applied to the

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

in 1993. She was accepted as a

non-traditional student Nontraditional student is a term that refers to a category of students at Higher education, colleges and universities. The term originated in North America and usually involves age and social characteristics. Nontraditional students are contrasted ...

and continued working part-time jobs to put herself through college. She graduated in May 1998 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. Bernier earned a certificate in public management essentials from the

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. Shortly after graduating, Kathy was elected Chippewa County Clerk and served in that position until February 2011. Bernier was chair of the Chippewa County Republican Party. Bernier was a trustee for the Village of Lake Hallie, as the liaison to the Clerk/Treasurer’s office, and has been on the Lake Hallie police commission and parks and recreation board.

Wisconsin legislator

In 2010, Bernier defeated incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Kristen Dexter Kristen Dexter (born July 20, 1961) is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, who represented the 68th Assembly District from 2009 to 2011. She defeated long-time incumb ...

for the

68th district in the November 2 general election. Bernier was re-elected in 2012 and 2014. Bernier chaired the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and elections, vice-chaired the Committee on Family Law, and served on the Aging and Long-Term Care, Agriculture, Workforce Development, Tourism, and Mining and Rural Development committees. Bernier also served on the Speaker's Task Force on Alzheimer's and Dementia. She is on the National Assembly of State Legislatures and the board of the National Foundation for Women Legislators. Bernier was elected to the

for the 23rd district in November 2018, defeating Democrat Chris Kapsner. The seat was open due to the retirement of

. She did not run for reelection in 2022.Kathy Bernier isn’t finished fighting election denialism in Wisconsin
''

The Cap Times ''The Capital Times'' (or ''Cap Times'') is a weekly newspaper published Wednesday in Madison, Wisconsin, by The Capital Times Company. The company also owns 50 percent of Capital Newspapers, which now does business as Madison Media Partners. ...

'', Jack Kelly, June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

Legislation

During her time in the legislature, Bernier has authored Assembly Bill 16, a measure aimed at raising public awareness of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

; Senate Bill 527, a measure that increases local control for county treasurers regarding

unclaimed property In property law, lost, mislaid, and abandoned property are categories of the common law of property which deals with personal property or chattel which has left the possession of its rightful owner without having directly entered the possessio ...

; Assembly Bill 112, which allows disabled individuals to seek special permission for hunting from medical practitioners; Assembly Bill 243, which adds regulations and clarity to the state Youth Hunt program; Senate Bill 160, which increases the standards of maintenance and service for nursing home facilities and oxygen equipment; Senate Bill 295, which institutes online voter registration in the state; Assembly Bill 146, which expands dental hygiene services in the state; and Assembly Bill 14, known as the State Workforce Development Bill or Wisconsin Fast Forward. Bernier voted in support of the Budget Repair Bill (Act 10) in 2011, which requires state employees to contribute 5.8% of their salaries to cover pension costs, contribute 12.6% towards their health care premiums, and weakens

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...

privileges for most public employee union members.

Reaction to Election Probe

On December 13, 2021, Bernier, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Elections, Election Process Reform and Ethics, encouraged

Michael Gableman Michael J. Gableman (born September 18, 1966) is an American lawyer and former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (2008–2018). A Republican Party (US), Republican, he has been described as a hard-line conservative. From June 2021 until ...

to have the GOP-sponsored probe into the 2020 election results "wrap up sooner rather than later." She said the ongoing extended investigation and repetitious questioning of the 2020 election's results only creates unwarranted doubt in the democratic process and leads to threats against state and local election officials.

References

External links

Wisconsin State Senate – Senator Kathleen Bernier's official government profile

Vote Smart – Senator Kathy Bernier(WI)
profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernier, Kathy Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Women state legislators in Wisconsin 1956 births Living people Politicians from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni 21st-century American women politicians Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature