Potawatomi Tower Hearing

Earlier this week, I appeared before the Assembly Committee on Tourism to testify on my bill that directs the governor to use $750,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to repair the historic observation tower at Potawatomi State Park.

If you would like to read my testimony, please click on this link.

Following the public hearing, I issued a press release voicing my disappointment that the Department of Natural Resources declined an invitation to testify on the bill and answer questions from committee members and constituents.

You can read my press release by clicking here.

Legislative Maps

As part of our constitutional and statutory duty, the state Legislature has released our proposed maps for Wisconsin’s updated Assembly, Senate and congressional districts.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau publishes new data regarding changes to our population since the most recent census. This information is used to redraw local, legislative and congressional districts so that each district has approximately the same number of residents. 

The criteria used by the Legislature to create these maps are consistent with the traditional and legal framework that guides redistricting. We also considered input from the public and the governor’s People's Maps Commission.

Because the public was so involved in the drafting process, we are hoping that Gov. Evers will approve the new maps and not veto them.

If you would like to view the proposed bills and interactive maps, please click on this link The site also includes legal analysis.

Because our Assembly district is mostly located within a peninsula, it will remain largely unchanged. However, with an increase in population in our area, we will be losing the town of Two Creeks in Manitowoc County.

While I have enjoyed representing Two Creeks, it is more appropriate that it be moved to a district that speaks more for Manitowoc County's needs. One of the key principles of a fair map is that “communities of interest” be kept whole to the greatest extent possible. This means respecting county and municipal boundaries so that constituents with similar concerns are not split up.

Under the new maps, our district would consist of all of Door and Kewaunee counties and portions of Brown County, including the towns of Eaton, Green Bay, Humboldt and Scott and parts of the city of Green Bay.

As for the state as a whole, we will have fewer municipal splits than what occurred in our current maps. Based on the boundary changes, we will also have three districts with two incumbents. When our current maps were approved about a decade ago, we had 11 district pairs. 

Bills Advancing

Two of my bills were passed out of committee this week and are now eligible to be voted on by the full state Assembly.

The first, Assembly Bill 446, would ensure that our teachers have the framework and tools that are necessary to help our students learn to read proficiently.

When people ask me what my biggest concern is for Wisconsin, I say it is our achievement gap between white and black students, which is the worst in the country. I am also deeply troubled by the increase in generational poverty we are seeing where far too many families are becoming dependent on the government.

This is being caused by a multitude of factors, and while it would be too overly simplistic to only blame schools for this, educating our children is the only chance we have in breaking this cycle of generational poverty for many of our residents.

We know that far and away the largest determinant of a child receiving a good education and succeeding later in life is learning to read well in their early years. Because of that, this is where we should be putting the majority of our resources.

The second piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 36, would allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral hormonal contraceptives, including common birth control pills. 

Under current state law, women can only obtain most birth control through a prescription from a physician or an advanced practice nurse who has met the necessary requirements. Nearly all of the major medical organizations have endorsed this legislation.

This is neither a Republican nor a Democratic issue. As of this week, a total of 23 states – both red and blue – have passed similar bills.

Evidence from states that have enacted comparable legislation has shown that it decreases unplanned pregnancies and, in turn, abortions. Unplanned pregnancies occur most often in young women in poverty, so it reduces Medicaid spending and helps keep these women from being trapped in the cycle of generational poverty.