COVID-19 Update - Monday, April 13th

In order to support your families being able to take a deep breath, turn away from constant news updates, and create a new temporary normal, my office will continue sending a daily COVID-19 update and will post online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It is my hope that one reliable update each day will allow you to take a deep breath, oversee all that is happening in your own life and home, and have a reliable source of news you can count on to be up to date and accurate. As always, previous updates are on our website and linked beneath the graphic below.

My greatest concerns right now are your lives and livelihoods. We are working hard to keep you and your loved ones safe, and to fight for our small businesses in an unprecedented crisis.

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Past email updates can be found HERE

The Wisconsin State Assembly will be in session at 1pm tomorrow to vote on legislation in response to COVID-19. In order to bring $1.9 billion to Wisconsin from the federal CARES Act, it is crucial we pass legislation by Thursday. I first saw a draft and an LRB (non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau) analysis of the GOP-written bill this morning. I will be voting remotely from home in Wauwatosa.

Letter in Support of Healthcare Heroes

Today, I sent a bipartisan letter signed by my legislative colleagues to Speaker Vos and Majority Leader Fitzgerald, Republican leadership in the Assembly and Senate, sharing support of healthcare workers and their urgent needs related to COVID-19.

Frontline healthcare workers have been performing jobs vital for patients and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. From hospitals and nursing homes to homecare agencies and first responder roles, frontline healthcare workers risk their own health and that of their families.

As policy-makers we owe it to the public, public health, and those frontline healthcare workers to provide for what they need. We have heard directly from healthcare heroes about the circumstances confronting them; now it is up to us to act on their needs and with the urgency the situation demands. Healthcare heroes have called on us to champion measures such as increasing procurement and distribution of PPE, fully-paid sick time for healthcare workers, hazard pay, and full healthcare coverage.

Frontline healthcare workers will continue performing their vital roles, because it is not simply what they do, but who they are. The Wisconsin legislature needs to respond with policies to enable these heroes to serve in this unprecedented public health crisis. Wisconsin healthcare heroes are counting on us to act.

Read the full letter HERE. Read my full statement HERE.

Department of Workforce Development

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development website is now updated with more information on the Federal CARES Act, including additional information for regular claimants, PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) claimants and those seeking extended unemployment benefits. The DWD website can be found HERE.

Resilient Wisconsin

The Department of Health Services announced a new initiative called Resilient Wisconsin in response to the heightened anxiety and stress felt by Wisconsinites during these uncertain and unprecedented times. Visit the DHS website HERE to find resources from Resilient Wisconsin.

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CURRENT COVID-19 CASES

Statewide

3,428 confirmed cases

993 hospitalizations (29% of cases)

36,769 negative test results

154 devastating deaths

14th District Counties

Milwaukee - 1,743 confirmed cases
Waukesha - 218 confirmed cases

For daily updated information on COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit the DHS website here.

Forward together,