Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


 October 13, 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

 

Toddler Art Class

Wednesday,  October 14th

9:30am - 10:15am

Alicia Ashman Library

733 N High Point Rd

 

Enjoy the tactile wonders of paint, glitter, glue and more. Smocks or "messy clothes" recommended.

 


Drop-in Preschool Storytime

Thursday, October 15th

9:30am - 10:15am

Alicia Ashman Library

733 N High Point Rd

 

A happy blend of stories, finger plays and songs that help preschool children develop print and phonologic awareness, vocabulary, letter knowledge and narrative skills. Groups welcome. Siblings welcome. No registration required.

 


Knitting at the Library

Thursday October 15th

3:00pm - 4:30pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd

 

Learn to knit or bring your current project. Supplies provided. Children under 8 must have an adult present.

 


West Side Farmers Market

Saturdays, Until November 14th

7AM - 1PM

 

Hill Farms DOT Building Parking Lot

University Ave. & Segoe Rd.

 


Magic with Morris Taylor

Saturday, October 17th

2:30pm – 3:15pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd

 

Experience the excitement of a live magic show with Morris the Magic Man.

 


The Supper Club

Tuesday, October 20th

6:00pm – 7:00pm

Alicia Ashman Library

 

Discover great apps for kids in this new evening digital storytime for families. Pack a picnic from home or order a box dinner from one of our partner restaurants. No pre-registration required.

 


Community Forums with Chief Koval

Thursday, October 22nd

6:00pm – 7:30pm

Olson Elementary School

801 Redan Drive

Verona WI 53593

 

Along with West District command staff, Chief Koval of the City of Madison Police Department will be attending to speak and answer questions.

 


UW Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally

Friday, October 16th

 

Parade: 6:00pm - 7:30pm

State Street.

 

Pep Rally:  7:30pm – 8:30pm

Library Mall

 

Watch as classic cars, fun floats, the UW Marching Band, Bucky Badger, and more bring UW cheer to the heart of campus.  Following the parade, the fun continues at a festive pep rally that’ll get all alumni, friends, and fans game ready!

 


Ecological Restoration Work Party

Saturday, October 17th

9:00am – 12:00pm

Meet at Grady Tract parking lot (SE corner Seminole Hwy & W Beltline Frontage Rd), UW-Madison Arboretum

 

Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice.

 


International Archaeology Day

Saturday, October 17th

10:00am – 2:00pm

Wisconsin Historical Society

 

Discover the exciting world of archaeology!  Step into an archaeologist’s boots and use the tools of the trade to explore how these professionals piece together history.   Free with Museum admission.

 


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, I joined a number of my colleagues on a trip to Washington D.C. and South Carolina to attend legislative conferences. It was a great opportunity to meet legislators from across the country and to learn and share ideas.

 

Two of the three conferences I attended were geared specifically to women legislators, and I was reminded of the underrepresentation of women in elected office. In Wisconsin, women make up more than half of the state’s population, yet only 23% of our State Assembly seats are held by women.

 

In this week’s newsletter, you will find information about bi-partisan legislation to combat the heroin epidemic and the latest Republican bills attacking good government, as well as an update about the Verona Road reconstruction project, and more.

 

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

 


Republican Bills Offer More Partisanship and More Corporate Influence in Elections

Last week, Republicans introduced two bills that threaten the core of our democracy. The first bill would overhaul Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (GAB), turning our non-partisan elections watchdog into a partisan lapdog. The second bill would make sweeping changes to our state’s campaign finance laws, allowing more undisclosed “dark money” and big corporate spending on our elections.

 

Rep. Dean Knudson (R-Hudson) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) have proposed AB 388 to disband the nationally recognized non-partisan GAB and replace it with partisan appointed commissions. This change would mean tossing the effective and fair group of non-partisan judges and replace them with partisan appointees.

 

GAB succeeds in its role of effectively and fairly administering our state’s elections and enforcing ethics laws and standards. This proposal to overhaul GAB is the latest in a long string of attempts to rig the system. Wisconsinites deserve a system where their elected officials are accountable to the people, which is why the Government Accountability Board should remain non-partisan.

 

AB 387 would make changes to the state’s campaign finance laws, making it easier for corporations to have more influence. Among other things, this bill would allow corporations and advocacy groups who run so-called “issue ads” attacking candidates for office in the final days leading up to an election to coordinate activities such as messaging, strategy, or advertising with candidates’ campaigns. If passed, this would make Wisconsin the only state to create a state law allowing this coordination.

 

The bill would also open the doors to direct corporate giving to political parties and legislative campaign committees for the first time in more than a century. If there is one thing we all should be able to agree on, it is that we do not need more big money – especially special interest money from big corporations – drowning out the voices of the people in our elections and in the halls of our State Capitol.

 

The two bills are receiving a public hearing today in a joint session of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections and the Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government.

 


Civil Service Bill in Committee

AB 373, a bill that would eliminate core tenets of Wisconsin’s civil service system, will receive a hearing in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations this Thursday. Wisconsin’s civil service system has been in place for more than 100 years, and it protects both taxpayers and state employees. The proposed bill would remove vital civil service protections and open the door to corruption and cronyism by putting hiring and firing of civil servants in the hands of political appointees.

 

If you would like to testify, here is the information regarding tomorrow’s public hearing on AB 373:

 

Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations

Thursday, October 15

9:31 AM

State Capitol, Room 412 East

 


HOPE Bills Combat Heroin Epidemic

Tomorrow, the Assembly Health Committee will hold a public hearing on four bipartisan bills which are part of the Heroin, Opiate, Prevention, and Education (HOPE) Agenda. HOPE continues work done last session to combat Wisconsin’s heroin epidemic.

 

This session’s package of bills is focused on the root cause of the heroin epidemic: prescription medication abuse. The legislation strengthens the prescription drug monitoring program, by requiring faster reporting and reporting by law enforcement when a prescription medicine container is found in the vicinity of a crime scene that involved a controlled-substance violation or an opioid-related drug overdose.

 

Additionally, the legislation would give the Department of Health Services (DHS) oversight authority of pain management clinics across the state and would have DHS collect and analyze outcome data of methadone treatment clinics. This will allow public health officials to look at staffing ratios, the number of patients receiving behavioral health services with the medication, and average mileage an individual is traveling for treatment.

 

The HOPE Agenda signifies a significant step in the right direction to combat our statewide heroin epidemic.

 


Meetings on Capitol Hill

While in Washington D.C. last week attending legislative conferences, the Wisconsin delegation of legislators had the opportunity to meet with Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mark Pocan. We discussed issues important to Wisconsin and how some federal issues before Congress would affect our state. It was great to see our Senator and Representative hard at work for us in the nation’s capitol.

 

 

 


Verona Road Update

Recently, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it is delaying five major road projects due to the most recent state budget cuts. The next phase of the Verona Road reconstruction project is among those to be delayed.

 

Earlier this month, my Dane County colleagues and I submitted a letter to DOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb requesting that the department reconsider delaying the Verona Road project. Of the projects being considered for funding, this corridor is the most urban and commercial of all the sites. The delay also fails to address ongoing safety concerns. Delaying the Verona Road reconstruction project will hurt residents and businesses in the area.

 

Clearly, it is time for serious action for sustainable transportation funding. Democrats are calling for a special session to address transportation funding and our state’s crumbling infrastructure.  Because the Governor and legislative Republicans have simply kicked the can down the road instead of seeking long-term solutions, we are faced with an unsustainable transportation budget that has led to increased borrowing and additional project delays. It is time to work together in order to come up with a solution that ensures these much needed projects move forward.

 

Keep up with the latest developments on the Verona Road project: Verona Road Project website | Project Facebook page


IRS Scam

Over the past four weeks, the Consumer Protection Hotline at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has received more than 120 calls about IRS scams.

The criminals behind this scam are experts at preying on fears of crashed computers and lost data or back taxes and jail time, and people fall victim every day. The best defense is to know how these scams work and to share this information with friends and family.

 

A scammer who falsely claims to be with the Internal Revenue Service contacts you by phone or email. He claims that you owe back taxes. He demands immediate payment and may threaten you with legal action, jail time, deportation or revocation of your driver’s license. In other versions of IRS scams, the scammer may email you requesting your IRS e-services portal username and password or may request personal or banking information in order to “update” your e-file records.

 

These are “government impostor” scams – a type of criminal operation that uses the names or “look-alikes” of government agencies in the hopes of adding legitimacy to their ploys. None of the communications mentioned above are actually from the IRS.

 

What to do:

  • Hang up the phone or delete the emails.

  • The IRS communicates with taxpayers by traditional mail. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by phone or email to request immediate payments or to gather personal or financial information.

  • Never click a link or open an attachment in an unsolicited email.

  •  If you question the legitimacy of a communication from a governmental agency, contact DATCP’s Consumer Protection Hotline (800-422-7128) or call the misrepresented agency directly to inquire.

  •  The IRS has a webpage that describes and debunks the various tax scams that have been reported to the agency. The page provides a wealth of tips, news releases, and video and podcast links to help you stay informed on these threats: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts.

For additional information or to file a complaint, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at http://datcp.wisconsin.gov, send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov or call the Consumer Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-422-7128.

 


2015-16 Blue Books Are Here

 My office still has several of the newest edition Blue Books. If you would like one, you may pick one up my at my Capitol office (418 North) anytime from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. If you are unable to come to the Capitol but would like a Blue Book, please email Rep.Subeck@legis.wisconsin.gov or call my office at 608-266-7521.

 

 


Fun Wisconsin Fact

Wisconsin first became part of the United States in 1783, when Britain ceded its territory to the winning Revolutionary forces. The area that would later be the state of Wisconsin was first organized under the Northwest Ordinance, along with the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. This ordinance created the first organized territory of the United States, solidified the sovereignty of the federal government in admitting new states to the Union, and prohibited slavery.

 

 

 

 

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