Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


 July 15, 2015

 

Contact Me

 

418 North State Capitol

P.O. Box 8953

Madison, WI 53708

 

PH: (608) 266-7521

TF: (888) 534-0078

FAX: (608) 282-3690

 

rep.subeck@legis.wi.gov

Website


   

 

Things happening in the district & around Madison

 

Meadowridge Minecraft Club

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

3:00pm to 5:00pm

Meadowridge Library

5740 Raymond Rd., Madison, WI

 

Grab your friends for multiplayer Minecraft fun at the library. No account necessary. Bring your own computer, or use one of ours.

 


American Girls Save the Day!

Friday, July 17, 2015

1:30pm to 2:30pm

Meadowridge Library

5740 Raymond Rd., Madison, WI

 

Your smarts and stamina will also save the day as we celebrate historical heroism! (No doll needed to attend). Call 288-6160 to register.

 


West Side Farmers Market

Saturdays, April 18th to November 14th

7AM - 1PM

Hill Farms DOT Building Parking Lot

University Ave. & Segoe Rd.

 


Maxwell Street Days Summer Sidewalk Sale

Friday, July 17-Sunday, July 19

Fri-Sat 8am-6pm; Sun 10am-5pm

100-600 State Street

 

The 41st annual sidewalk sale and community event showcases Madison’s unique State Street and Capitol Square shopping district.

 


Driving Skills for Life

Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19

7:30am-12pm, 1pm-5:30pm both days

Hill Farms State Transportation Building

4802 Sheboygan Avenue

 

Ford DSFL free hands-on clinics help newly licensed drivers improve their skills in four key areas that are critical factors in more than 60% of vehicle crashes, including: Hazard Recognition, Vehicle Handling, Speed and Space Management. There also is a comprehensive section on Distracted and Impaired Driving.

 

Click here for more information.

 


Health Insurance Enrollment and Exemption Application Assistance

Thursdays, until August 31st

10 am - 3 pm

 

Dane County Job Center

1819 Aberg Ave., Madison 

 

Consumers can walk in for assistance or make appointments by calling Covering Kids & Families at 608-261-1455.

 


Visiting the Capitol

Whether you are planning a visit to the state Capitol as part of a large group, small gathering, or just by yourself, our office can assist you in scheduling a free guided tour of the Capitol building during normal business hours.

 

Free tours are offered daily, year round. Tours depart from the ground floor Information Desk Monday through Saturday at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm; and Sundays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm. A 4:00 pm tour is offered Memorial Day through Labor Day. The sixth floor museum and observation deck are also open during the summer months.

 

 
 
 

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

 

Last week, the State Assembly passed the 2015-17 state budget, approved state employee contracts, and forwarded a ban on nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy to the Governor’s desk. In this week’s newsletter, you will find my final budget update, as well as information about the other items we considered last week.

 

Thank you to each of you who contacted me to share your views on the state budget and our priorities. While I am disappointed by the outcome of our budget deliberations, I am committed to keeping up the fight to move Wisconsin forward. Click here to read my full statement on passage of the 2015-17 state budget.

 

If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office. 

 

Sincerely,

Lisa Subeck

State Representative

78th Assembly District

 


2015-17 State Budget

Last week, Republicans pushed through their version of the 2015-17 state budget, attacking Wisconsin’s core values of quality public education for all children, a strong university system, supporting our elderly and disabled neighbors, preserving our vital natural resources, and more. Passed by the Republican controlled Legislature and signed by the governor, this budget puts the desires of special interests lobbyists and the wealthiest campaign donors over the needs of the people of our state.  

 

Some of the most egregious attacks on our Wisconsin values include:

 

K-12 Education

The budget failed to restore the record funding cuts to public schools made over the last 5 years. Instead, Republicans rewarded their special interest campaign contributors by diverting $48 million in state funding from public schools to unaccountable private voucher schools this year alone. Funding losses to our neighborhood schools are estimated to reach $800 million in the next 10 years due to policies set in this budget. The Madison, Verona, and Middleton school districts will all see significant reductions to their funding from the state.

 

University of Wisconsin System

Our K-12 schools are not the only ones taking a hit in this budget. Republicans gutted our children’s education from kindergarten all the way through college. Under this budget, Republicans cut funding to the University of Wisconsin system by $250 million and made substantial policy changes to tenure, impacting the university’s ability to retain the best professors. These cuts will impact quality and affordability at UW Madison and throughout the UW System, putting opportunity further out of reach for too many of our state’s young people.

 

Long-Term Care

Advocates, care providers, and users of Wisconsin’s top-notch long-term care system spoke out vehemently against changes put forth by the Governor and legislative Republicans. Substantial changes to the long-term care program have now been signed into law, yet many unanswered questions remain about how changes will be implemented and, even more importantly, how the changes will impact the seniors and individuals with disabilities who rely on Wisconsin’s long-term care program.

                                                                                                            

Transportation

Republicans settled for an unsustainable level of borrowing for transportation projects, leaving future generations to pay for our current infrastructure needs. Without considering any revenue enhancers and with $850 million in total borrowing, projects all over the state will see delays. This includes the Verona Road Reconstruction project, already underway, which will now see an additional two-year delay. These delays will hurt residents and businesses, and an unsustainable level of borrowing will deepen our state’s debt, leaving an untenable path to funding our transportation needs.

 

Natural Resources

The Republican budget shifts the Department of Natural Resources away from research-based conservation policies by cutting 80 positions from the DNR. This includes eliminating 18 out of 58 positions at the Bureau of Science Services. The budget also cut funding and made crippling changes to our state’s Stewardship program. Republicans slashed $30 million from the program and placed borrowing limits on the fund. The governor, using his line item veto, took away the Stewardship program’s ability to use the proceeds from a Department of Natural Resources land sale to acquire and protect new land. Republicans also eliminated public funding for the state park system while increasing visitor fees, and will allow the Department of Natural Resources to sell corporate naming rights for state parks.

 

My Democratic colleagues and I put forth an alternate vision for the state with our budget amendments. We offered 31 amendments, providing alternatives that better reflect Wisconsin’s core values and the incredible feedback we received from our constituents.

  • While Republicans gutted our children’s education from kindergarten all the way through college, Democrats put forward several amendments that would have restored funding and ensured every child has access to a great education.

  • The Republican budget cut funding to our universities, putting college further out of reach for Wisconsin’s young people. Democrats offered amendments that would have restored funding and allowed university graduates to refinance student loan debt.

  • While Republicans eliminated most support for our state parks and took vital resources from the Department of Natural Resources, Democrats offered amendments to protect and preserve our parks and vital natural resources.

  • Republicans have refused to accept federal funds for Medicaid expansion, leaving on the table tax dollars paid by Wisconsin residents and failing to bring these dollars back to our state. Democrats introduced an amendment that would have accepted the health care funding, saving the state $360 million dollars and extending health care coverage to tens of thousands of Wisconsinites.

  • The Republican budget included policy items attacking the ability of local cities and counties to make decisions for their own communities. Democrats offered amendments to roll back these arbitrary and spiteful attacks, largely levied at Dane County, and return decision making power to local elected officials.

The Republican majority voted down each and every amendment that Democrats offered. They refused to right the wrongs in their budget and left our hardworking Wisconsin families, our school children, and our most vulnerable elderly and disabled residents to pay the price. My Democratic colleagues and I remain committed to reversing tide and moving Wisconsin forward again.

 

There was much more in the budget – too much to list here – including such harmful decisions as driving down wages with the repeal of Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law, as well as a few bright spots such as enabling state-level ABLE accounts, a bill I had been working on to make it more financially feasible for families to save money to meet the future needs of their children with disabilities. If you have questions or would like further information about any item in the budget, including those not listed here, please feel free to contact my office.

 

Click here to hear what I had to say as I spoke against final passage of the budget.

 


Republicans Throw Women Under the Bus to Iowa

In addition to the budget, Assembly Republicans used the extraordinary session to pass a 20 week abortion ban proposed by Sen. Mary Lazich (R – New Berlin) and Rep. Jesse Kremer (R – Kewaskum). This bill will ban nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and now awaits the Governor’s signature.   

 

Below, you will find my statement on passage of this dangerous bill:

 

"Assembly Republicans threw women squarely under the bus to Iowa, passing a dangerous and cruel abortion ban at the behest of Governor Walker to further his case with right-wing voters on the campaign trail.

 

Abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy are rare and often involve serious complications that threaten the life or health of a woman or severe fetal abnormalities that cannot be detected before the 20th week. It is unconscionable that Republicans are taking medical choices away from women facing the most tragic circumstances.

 

This vote makes it crystal clear: Democrats believe personal medical decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor, while Republicans will go to great lengths to take away our liberty to make personal medical decisions privately, without interference from politicians.

 

Passing this blatantly unconstitutional abortion ban is yet another attempt by Republican legislators to help Scott Walker cement votes from the far right in a presidential primary and to provide a distraction from the catastrophe of a budget Republicans passed.

 

It bears repeating: Republicans have thrown women squarely under the bus to Iowa. I urge the Governor and legislative Republicans to stop playing politics with women’s health and safety."

 

Click here to hear what I had to say during the debate about the ban.

         

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