Child Sex Trafficking -Topical Town Hall
Our next topical town hall will be on child sex trafficking on Thursday, January 30th from 7:00-8:30PM at the Fisher Building in Wauwatosa. This is part of the education we all need.
Facebook event - click here
*RSVP recommended to Rep.Vining@legis.wisconsin.gov*
This informational town hall is offered by our office as a constituent service to provide education about different non-partisan topics that are of interest to the community.
This Week
This week was spent prepping for: a series of meetings, two Executive Sessions for Committees (Health + Children & Families), caucus, and Session. We are also working on some bills, met with some advocacy organizations at the Capitol, and sent letters and emails to constituents.
Session
In Session on Wednesday, the State Assembly voted on 36 bills and 5 resolutions. The full list can be found here.
I spoke on the floor in support of Assembly Joint Resolution 116, proclaiming January 2020 as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention month.
Watch my full remarks here.
Pictured are myself, State Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse), and State Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire). We all spoke in favor of the resolution, and have been working on anti-trafficking legislation this past year.
I was one tiara short of dress code on Wednesday when Miss Wisconsin joined us to be honored by the Wisconsin State Assembly. We hope that this year she will bring home the first ever Wisconsin win at Miss USA! In addition to being smart, warm, kind, energetic, beautiful and gracious with her time as we all lined up to chat with her, Miss Wisconsin USA Gabriella Deyi is an authentic advocate for breaking down stigmas surrounding mental health— a voice Wisconsin desperately needs right now. Congratulations, Gabby!
Executive Sessions - Health and Children & Families
In Health Committee on Wednesday morning, we voted on four bills: two related to physical therapy and how it's practiced/trained in Wisconsin.
I am a co-sponsor of, and voted for, AB 438, which we will vote on in the full Assembly next week. I support this bill because it would add Wisconsin to the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact with 24 other states, allowing PTs to practice in the state without requiring additional licensure.
I voted against AB 581 because I believe health professionals should have supervisory requirements when they are students, including physical therapy students. I do not believe this exception should be made, since it is required for all other health professions while they are students.
In Children & Families, we voted unanimously for AB 643, which paves the way for the federal Family First roll out in Wisconsin in 2021. It is crucial that we not only pass this bill, but pass it quickly this winter in order to get the inner workings in place for the October 2021 implementation of Family First in Wisconsin. Family First legislation is something I'm committed to making sure Wisconsin is prepared to implement.
Water Quality Task Force
The bipartisan, bicameral Water Quality Task Force announced their legislative recommendations last week, and circulated bills for co-sponsorship. I signed onto 9 bipartisan bills to help improve water quality in the state of Wisconsin.
This week, I signed on as a co-sponsor to another Fair Maps bill! This legislation mirrors the bill I authored, AB 303, but instead it would add Fair Maps as a constitutional amendment to the Wisconsin State Constitution.
Congratulations!
Wauwatosa East High School's "We the People"/APPSE team took 1st place at State this past weekend, and Wauwatosa West took 2nd place. Both teams will represent Wisconsin in DC at Nationals. Congratulations!!
I'm proud of these students for their dedication and hard work, and deeply grateful to the teachers, and their families, who donated time well beyond their contracts. We are lucky to have such dedicated teachers and volunteers in our school districts!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration - Milwaukee
The 36th Annual Dr. King Birthday celebration in Milwaukee will be on Sunday, January 19th at the Marcus Center from 1-3pm. This is an amazing event that I attend every year. More information here. See you there!
Next Week
We're back in Session next week!
State of the State
Looking Forward
In-District Office Hours:
We look forward to hosting more in-district office hours with constituents this year!
Our next office hours will be on Friday, January 31st from 11-1PM at Miss Molly's Cafe, on the border of East Tosa/MKE. Email us at Rep.Vining@legis.wisconsin.gov to sign up for a 20 minute time slot.
We received a lot of emails over the past few weeks and we are working on thoughtful responses. Thank you for your patience- it's been a busy month, but we will respond ASAP!
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