Providing Testimony for the Foster Care Tuition Bill

  Here I am testifying in support of our Foster Care Tuition Bill, AB 777,

 along with co-authors Rep. Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Sen. Olsen (R-Ripon).

While the Foster Care Tuition Bill was produced through the Speaker’s Task Force on Foster Care, the original idea came from a constituent I met while I was knocking on doors.  She was a long time foster parent who had ended up adopting several foster children.  She was concerned that she and her husband would not be able to afford to send them to college when they finished high school.

For those kids who age out of foster care, the statistics are truly shocking. One in five will be homeless within two years and fifty percent will spend time in prison.  For the girls, 79 percent will be pregnant within those two years. Less than half will be employed by the age of 24.  Aside from the human tragedy these figures represent, there is a terrible financial cost and these kids are far more likely to perpetuate the cycle into the next generation.

The greatest weapon against these difficulties is education. Going to college or technical school would provide these children with the opportunity to build the foundations for a stable career and set them on the right track in life.

Under this bill, her children and other older kids in foster care can go to a UW school or technical school tuition free. This bill, which is strongly supported by the UW system, goes a long way in helping my constituent, and all other selfless, devoted foster parents to know they can guide their foster children toward a brighter future.

Kewaunee County Law Enforcement Roundtable With AG Schimel

The Kewaunee County Law Enforcement Roundtable provided a great opportunity to sit down with Attorney General Brad Schimel, along with police, human services personnel, and local politicians to really delve into the needs and challenges that municipalities in the county face.

Covering a wide variety of issues, ranging from phone scams targeting the senior population to data on the opioid epidemic within Kewaunee County, I feel that the discussion painted a comprehensive picture of the current state of law enforcement capabilities within the area. 

As with the Speaker's Taskforce on Foster Care, the trauma a child faces when removed from an unsafe home, and the need for more resources to mitigate that trauma, became a subject of interest as well.

Armed with the insights provided by local officials and the public at today's roundtable, I will redouble my efforts to advocate for our district's unique interests in Madison.

Unemployment

Wisconsin's unemployment rate is now at 3% - this matches the lowest unemployment rate in Wisconsin history!

Increased State Revenue

NR 151 Public Hearing

I look forward to attending the NR151 public hearing on January 24 and testifying in support of the new changes. If you would like more information on the changes, you can follow this link!  A vote will be held the adoption of the changes shortly after the hearing.