This week's survey

Governor Evers and healthcare professionals are stressing the importance of remaining physically active during this pandemic. As such, he has allowed state parks and other recreation areas to be open. His emergency declaration, however, excluded golf courses. Many, myself included, use golf as a form of recreation. I have heard from several constituents regarding this issue. 

Several of my colleagues and I sent a letter to Governor Evers asking that golf courses be deemed essential businesses and allowed to reopen. 

Golf is a popular outdoor sport and can be good exercise for those who play. If golf courses agree to practice under specific safety guidelines and standard social distancing, they would be an asset to the public, as many try to enjoy the out-of-doors during this Safer at Home order. 

In our letter to Governor Evers, Assembly Republicans requested that, if golf courses are allowed to remain open, they must do so under the following guidelines:

• Clubhouses and dining remain closed in their entirety
• Only four golfers per hole
• Only one golfer per cart
• Standard social distancing is practiced.

Please, take a minute to answer this week's survey question regarding the opening of golf courses. 

Click here for my survey

Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who responded to last week's survey question regarding Governor Evers' Safer at Home declaration. I appreciated your input, feedback, and suggestions for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Your feedback will help us determine the best strategies for combatting the spread of this virus.

In total, 168 individuals answered this week's survey question, with 62 percent supporting Governor Evers' Safer at Home declaration. Conversely, just 27 percent of respondents opposed this declaration. 

What is more, 11 percent of respondents answered "other." Responses include:

"Yes, but almost any business could construe themselves into being an essential business with all of the options. It should have been a more broad closing if it was to be done. The majority of people I know are working status quo, so the other is not helping much."

"The disease has put everyone in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, it comes down to protecting health or the economy; both are extremely important." 

"It should be the business' choice on the level of the shut down they take."

"A month may not be enough, but it is a good start. A few months down the road, I would like to think we overreacted and in doing so, saved lives."

"For it to work, it needs to be more restrictive. There are too many ways to get around this isolation. Essentials should be fire, police, rescue, medical, and utilities. Other businesses are not essential. Leaving this open to all others will prolong the epidemic."

COVID-19 Testing

Presently, the State Lab of Hygiene is working around the clock--seven days a week-to process as many tests as possible. While capacity has significantly increased, the state can only handle the most urgent cases. Suspected cases seen by physicians are categorized into tiers. The first two tiers are sent to the state lab, where results are obtained in 24-36 hours. 

Tier 1:

• Patients who are critically ill and receiving ICU-level care for unexplained viral pneumonia.
• Patients who are residents of long-term care facilities or other congregate settings--such as jails--who are experiencing acute respiratory symptoms.
• Post-mortem testing for people who died with unknown causes, if the diagnosis might affect public health responses.

Tier 2

• Hospitalized non-ICU patients are experiencing unexplained fever and acute respiratory illness.
• Hospital personnel or first responders who are experiencing an unexplained fever or signs of acute respiratory illness, regardless of hospitalization.
• Essential personnel in nursing homes or congregate settings who are experiencing an unexplained fever or signs of acute respiratory illness, regardless of hospitalization.

Tests for patients who do not fit into these two tiers are sent to one of two private labs, where results can take anywhere from seven to ten days. Since there is no treatment for COVID-19 other than supportive care and quarantine, the rationale is that test results will not alter the care of the patient. Obviously, this is not ideal, but it makes sense given the limited number of tests available right now. 

Tier 3

• Outpatients who meet the criteria for influenza testing, including those with potentially complicating co-conditions such as diabetes, COPD, congestive heart failure, or advanced age.
• Healthcare workers experiencing acute respiratory illnesses--such as congestion, sore throat or a cough--without a fever.

Tier 4

• Patients as directed by public health officials as part of public health investigations.
• Patients without symptoms or with mild respiratory symptoms who are not healthcare workers are not tested.  

We should see increased testing soon in Wisconsin, thanks to a partnership between several private businesses and the state Clinical Laboratory Network. Those companies will work with the laboratory to share knowledge, resources, and technology to expand the state's ability to test patients for COVID-19. The Clinical Lab Network has been conducting approximately 1,500 to 2,000 tests per day and experts say the new partnership should end up doubling that amount. 

Last weekend, Abbott Laboratories also received FDA approval for a new test that gives positive test results in five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes. It is a toaster-sized piece of equipment and Abbott expects to have them on the market next week. They can produced 50,000 tests per week. 

All of these tests detect genetic sequencing of the virus. They accurately confirm active infections, which is critical, but they do not tell us whether a person has recovered from an infection. The other broad category of disease tests are antibody titer tests. These tests measure the body's response to an infection and tell us when a person has recovered from an illness. 

Antibody tests are potentially very helpful in our recovery from this pandemic. An individual who has recovered is believed to no longer pose a risk of spreading infection or relapsing. Those showing that they have recovered could then return to work to begin our economic recovery. About one-third of those infected are believed to show no symptoms at all.

To view an updated list of Wisconsin's statewide testing totals, click on this link.

Personal Protective Equipment

Last weekend, Governor Tony Evers announced that his administration will be moving forward with purchasing 10,000 ventilators and one million protective masks to help the state in our fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The decision comes after Governor Evers' office clashed with Assembly and Senate leadership over whether the governor needed authorization form the legislature to make the transaction. 

Governor Evers recently presented legislative leaders with a $700 million package that includes the procurement of those ventilators and masks. However, the legislation also indefinitely extends the governor's broad emergency powers to handle the COVID-19 crisis. Under current law, those powers can only last 60 days. 

The proposed $700 million, could also end up being even more since the Department of Health Services would be given a "sum sufficient" power to spend whatever it considers essential to address the virus. Additionally, the bill would suspend the state's voter ID requirements during a public health emergency.

Rather than schedule a vote on the bill in its current form, legislative leaders instead implored the Evers Administration to purchase the ventilators and masks separately. The governor's staff claimed they did not have the power to purchase the equipment without approval from the legislature. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau determined, however, that the federal stimulus package, approved by Congress last Friday, does not afford the legislature with this responsibility. Thus, Governor Evers office announced that they will make the purchase.

Under the $2 trillion stimulus plan signed by President Trump. Wisconsin will receive more than $2 billion to combat the novel coronavirus, with $365 million going directly to the City of Milwaukee and Dane and Milwaukee Counties. 

Legislative leaders have said that Governor Evers' proposal is not workable, as the state's general fund balance would be unable to support that level of spending. They also told the governor that it was imperative to know how much federal funding Wisconsin would receive before large sums of state money were appropriated.

Although it will take a few weeks for Wisconsin to collect its share of the federal stimulus, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the state does not have to wait and can purchase personal protective equipment, in the near-term. 

Despite the confusion, I am glad our state is proceeding with making this purchase. Doing so helps to better protect healthcare workers and patients. 

Price Gouging

Through an executive order, Governor Evers has declared a period of abnormal economic disruption due to COVID-19, which gives DATCP authority to enforce Wisconsin's price gouging statute until the public health emergency has subsided. If you are interested in learning more about Wisconsin's price gouging laws, please click here. 

In addition to price gouging, DATCP investigates other dishonest trade practices such as scams, fraud and false marketing claims. Since the COVID-19 outbreak hit our state, DATCP has issued cease and desist letters to 16 companies. Those companies are suspected of unlawfully raising prices during the economic disruption. One of those businesses that received a letter is suspected of price gouging N95 masks, which are crucial items for our healthcare workers on the frontlines.

According to the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection, DATCP will continue to closely monitor the marketplace to ensure that Wisconsin consumers are treated fairly. 

If you suspect that you have experienced a fraudulent trade practice related to COVID-19--like price gouging--please contact DATCP's customer protection hotline at 1-800-422-7128 or DATCPHotline@wisconsin.gov. You can also file an online complaint by clicking on this link

Blue Books

My office still has an abundance of 2019-2021 State of Wisconsin Blue Books. The deadline to request a Blue Books is April 14th. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, please click the following link. My staff and I will make it a priority to ensure that your copy arrives within a timely fashion. 

Stay up to date

One of the best ways to date with what is happening in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking system. This service affords you with the opportunity to track legislative activities in Madison. Upon creation of a free account, you can sign up to receive notification about specific bills of committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject (i.e., health care, education, etc.).