Governor Evers’s Budget Address Outlines a New Vision for Wisconsin’s Future

What a difference a Governor can make! Last night, we heard an exciting new vision for Wisconsin’s future when Governor Evers delivered his 2019-21 Biennial Budget Address and released his first executive state budget proposal.  

I stand by Governor Evers’s plan to re-invest in our neighborhood schools after eight years of unprecedented attacks on public education. Our kids are the smartest investment we can make, and every dollar we spend to support them will pay dividends in the future. I also support the Governor’s agenda to help every community thrive by ensuring clean drinking water, expanding health services for mothers and infants, and accepting Medicaid funds so more people can have quality health coverage. We need to stop playing politics with people’s health care.

It is long past time our state government put the focus back on the middle class, not just wealthy donors. The budget plan we heard last night puts people first by providing a fair, responsible tax cut for middle-income Wisconsinites while rolling back a tax giveaway for millionaires. The values and priorities Governor Evers laid out last night are those most Wisconsinites share. I look forward to working with the Governor and my colleagues to ensure Wisconsin’s future is bright. 

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Bringing the Guard Home

The women and men serving in the Wisconsin National Guard stand ready to serve Wisconsin residents in time of emergency.  I have the utmost respect for members of our National Guard and their devotion to duty.  Given the commitment they make to us, we should not take them away from their families unless an emergency truly exists.

I strongly opposed a prior decision to send 112 of our troops to Arizona in response to a border crisis that only exists in the imagination of a few politicians in Washington.   

I support the decision made by Governor Evers to bring these 112 troops home to Wisconsin.  I want them to be with their families, working in their communities, running their businesses and serving as leaders in their communities.  Most importantly, I want them to be here in Wisconsin so they can put their training to work on behalf of the people of our state when a real emergency occurs.

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Moms Demand Action

I welcomed Moms Demand Action to my legislative office this week for a discussion on preventing firearm violence and steps that we can, and should, take to make our communities safer. I look forward to continuing my work this session to address gun violence. Thank you to Moms Demand Action for their strong advocacy on behalf of their families and our neighborhoods.

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Children and Families Committee Hearing

I am honored to have been appointed as the ranking Democratic member on the Assembly Committee on Children and Families. This committee works to address issues relating to the economic and social well-being of Wisconsin’s children, youth, and families. We work closely with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), which oversees programs such as Wisconsin Works (W-2), the child welfare system, and the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program.

Earlier this week, our committee held an informational hearing where we heard testimony from DCF, as well as other organizations that provide services to kids in Wisconsin such as the Wisconsin Children’s Hospital, the UW Early Childhood Lab, and Exploit No More. 

I’m looking forward to working with great organizations like these and with my colleagues on the committee to advance our shared goals. Stay tuned for updates about committee activity in future e-newsletters.

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Fun Wisconsin Fact

Vel Phillips was the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1951. She went on to become the first woman ever to sit on Milwaukee’s Common Council, the first woman judge in Milwaukee County, and the first African-American to serve in Wisconsin’s judiciary.

In 1978, Phillips made history yet again as the first African-American and the first woman to be elected as Wisconsin’s Secretary of State. She briefly served as Acting Governor when both the Lieutenant Governor and the Governor were travelling outside the state (she would later joke that the men “hurried back” when they realized they had left a woman in charge).

Phillips remained very active in the community after leaving public office. She passed away in 2018 after a long and tremendously influential career in activism and public service.

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