Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


 October 27, 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

 

Pick Your Flick: Scary Movie Night

Thursday, October 29th

3:30 – 5:30pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd

 

Join us for Meadowridge's second-annual Scary Movie Night for teens! Costumes encouraged, candy available. Choose from three movies; selections to be announced. All PG-13.

 


Face Painting by the fantastic Funny Faces Entertainment

Saturday, October 31st

11:00am – 3:00pm

Alicia Ashman Library

733 N High Point Rd

 

Want to look SPECTACULAR for Halloween? Come to Alicia Ashman Neighborhood Library and get a fabulous professional face painting from Funny Faces Entertainment! Please call the library at 608-824-1780 to reserve a spot!

 


West Side Farmers Market

Saturdays, Until November 14th

7AM - 1PM

 

Hill Farms DOT Building Parking Lot

University Ave. & Segoe Rd.

 


Trick-or-Treating Saturday, Oct. 31st

Verona: 5:00 – 8:00pm

Fitchburg:  5:00 – 8:00pm

Middleton:  5:00 – 8:00pm

Madison:  Suggested time 4:00 – 8:00pm

 


DOT Public Involvement Meeting: Future of Madison’s Beltline

Monday, November 2nd

5:30 – 8pm, presentation at 6:00pm

Boys & Girls Club Gym

4619 Jenewein Rd., Fitchburg

 

Public involvement meetings to receive public input and feedback for the strategy packages seeking to address issues for long-term transportation needs for the Beltline from US 14 n Middleton to County N in Cottage Grove. 

 


DOT Public Involvement Meeting: Future of Madison’s Beltline

Tuesday, November 3rd

7-9am, presentation at 7:30am

Boys & Girls Club Gym

4619 Jenewein Rd., Fitchburg

 

Public involvement meetings to receive public input and feedback for the strategy packages seeking to address issues for long-term transportation needs for the Beltline from US 14 n Middleton to County N in Cottage Grove.

 


DOT Public Involvement Meeting: Future of Madison’s Beltline

Wednesday, November 4th

5:30 – 8:00pm, presentation at 6:00pm

Wisconsin Bank and Trust – Community Room

119 Junction Rd., Madison

 

Public involvement meetings to receive public input and feedback for the strategy packages seeking to address issues for long-term transportation needs for the Beltline from US 14 n Middleton to County N in Cottage Grove.

 


Downtown Madison Family Halloween

Wednesday, October 28th

3:00 – 6:00pm

State Street and Capitol Square, Madison

 

Check out family fun Halloween activities at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the Overture Center for the Arts, Madison Children’s Museum, the Wisconsin Historical Museum, and more. Click here for more information.

 


Disaster Preparedness

Thursday, October 29th

9:00am – 2:30pm

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

3330 Atwood Ave

Madison, WI 53704

 

This workshop will help small-medium sized businesses, non-profit organizations and government offices to think about business continuity and disaster preparedness plans. This workshop will provide simple tools to make your business ready and resilient in the face of disaster.  A complimentary lunch will be provided.  Free and open to businesses, non-profit organizations and government entities in Dane County (or neighboring counties).

 


Kids in the Rotunda - The Madgadders

Saturday, October 31st

Shows at 9:30am, 11:00am, and 1:00pm

Overture Center for the Arts – Rotunda Stage on the Lower Level

201 State Street

Madison, WI 53703

 

Get ready for hip rock ‘n’ rollicking music with the Madgadders! Always dressed in fantastic costumes trimmed with glamorous glitter and infectious enthusiasm, this family band will help teach kids what rock is really about. This inter-generational dance party is one the whole family is sure to enjoy!

 


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 debated three Republican bills that will pave the way for a new era of corruption in Wisconsin. This week, we are back on the floor as Republicans push through a bill dismantling our state’s civil service system, opening the door to cronyism and even more potential corruption. 

 

In this week’s newsletter you will find a preview of today’s floor session, a recap of last week’s floor session, information regarding a hearing on a bill I wrote to make it easier for individuals with disabilities to use taxicabs, and the latest news about cuts in state aid to our local public schools.

 

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

 


The Assembly is in Session

Today, the Assembly will be voting on AB 373. This legislation would eliminate core tenets of Wisconsin’s civil service system. Our state’s current model 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. This is the fourth bill, in a recent string of legislation that the Assembly has taken up that will usher in a new era of corruption in Wisconsin.

 

In addition to the changes around civil service, the Assembly will also be taking up SB 81. This bill would limit the authority of a city, village, town, or county to create new occupational licenses or fees or to continue to regulate certain professions. This is yet another Republican bill that consolidates power by taking away the ability of local government to make decisions that protect the health and safety of our local communities. On a positive note, the Assembly will also take up AB 308, which would provide protection from civil liability to good Samaritans who break into a parked car to save a trapped child, vulnerable adult, or a pet.

 

There are several more interesting items on today’s agenda. Click here to view the entire agenda for today’s floor session. 

 


Recap of Last Week’s Floor Session: Opening the Door to a New Era of Corruption

In less than 48 hours last week, Assembly Republicans voted to exempt political crimes from John Doe criminal investigations (AB 68), dismantle the non-partisan Government Accountability Board (AB 388) and decimate our campaign finance laws, allowing unlimited and undisclosed election spending by big corporations, special interests, and billionaires (AB 387). 

 

AB 387 is so egregious, and has such a corrupting impact on our state government, that I found it necessary to join my Democratic colleagues and recuse myself from the final vote on the bill. It is fundamentally unethical for any elected official to vote on a bill that has such a substantial financial impact on her or his next reelection in a current campaign cycle.

 

AB 388 and AB 387’s future is still unknown, as it is unclear how the Senate will proceed with the two bills. The Senate did however approve the exemption of political crimes from John Doe criminal investigations, and on Friday the Governor signed the bill into law.

 


State Funds to our Neighborhood Schools Shrink

During the 2015-17 budget deliberations, Democrats tried - but Republicans refused - 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.

 

We have just received the final breakdown from the Department of Public Instruction, showing that roughly 56 percent of the state’s 424 school districts will receive the same or less state aid than in the 2014-15 school year. The Madison, Verona, and Middleton school districts are all among those districts receiving less aid. The Madison Metropolitan School District will see a decrease of 3.4%; Middleton-Cross Plains faces a 15% cut; and Verona’s state aid will go down nearly 13%.

 


AB 358 will Receive a Public Hearing

On Wednesday, the Senate and Assembly transportation committees will hold a public hearing on a bill that I authored. AB 358, and its Senate companion SB 275 will fix a loophole in state law that prohibits a taxicab from pulling into a disabled parking space to load an individual with a disability, even if it is the only good place for the individual to enter the cab. My bill will allow an individual with a disability to be picked up in a designated disabled parking space.

 

I worked closely with the Council on Physical Disabilities Transportation and Parking Committee, a coalition of organizations and individuals impacted by and providing advocacy around disabled transportation and parking matters. Thank you to this Committee for helping me ensure the bill addresses the needs of disabled individuals without any unintended consequences that would make parking more difficult for those who need and regularly utilize disabled parking.

 

After the bill receives a public hearing it will need to receive a vote in committee, then pass through both houses and be signed by the Governor before becoming law.

 


Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment

Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins on November 1. You will be able go on the website Healthcare.gov to compare health insurance plans and find out what tax subsidies are available to you to make premiums affordable. If you don't have adequate health insurance coverage from your place of employment, you can sign up for affordable healthcare coverage either online, in person or over the phone starting Sunday. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay, guaranteeing affordable health coverage to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites. I encourage you to explore your health insurance options before open enrollment ends in January. Get covered, visit Healthcare.gov today!

 


Daylight Savings: Time to Check your CO and Smoke Detectors

Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday as we “fall back” and set clocks back one hour. This is also a great time to check the things that keep us safe and ready for emergencies such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

 

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, about 450 people each year in Wisconsin are taken to hospital emergency rooms for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.   At high levels, carbon monoxide can cause death within minutes. Symptoms of overexposure to carbon monoxide include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, and confusion. If you suspect you may be experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning or your detector sounds an alarm, head outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.

 

To protect your family from carbon monoxide, follow these safety tips:

  • Make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors. All homes and duplexes in Wisconsin are required to have detectors on every level, including the basement, but not the attic or storage areas. Detectors can be purchased at most hardware stores.

  • Have your furnace or wood-burning stove inspected annually. Hire a professional to make sure it is functionally sound and vents properly outside the home.

  • Never run a gasoline/propane heater or a grill (gas or charcoal) inside your home or in an unventilated garage. Any heating system that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Use a battery-powered detector where you have fuel burning devices but no electric outlets, such as in tents, cabins, RVs, and boats with enclosed cabins.

  • Never run a car in an enclosed space. If a vehicle is running, you must have a door open to the outside.

  • Generators should be run a safe distance from the home. Never run a generator in the home or garage, or right next to windows or doors.

Smoke Detectors- Three out of five home fire deaths happen from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Check and replace batteries if needed and make sure the devices around your house are working properly. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that about 16 million homes in the nation have smoke alarms that do not work, due, in most cases, to dead or missing batteries.

 

Emergency Kits- Everyone should have a basic emergency kit in their home with supplies such as food and water to last you and your family for at least three days. Other items like a battery powered/crank radio, flashlights, and first aid kit should also be included. Daylight Savings Time is a perfect time to get a kit and if you already have a kit, check it to make sure food and other items are not near or past their expiration dates.

 

Click here for more information on carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

Click here for tips on emergency preparedness.

 


Happy Halloween

Saturday is Halloween, so here are some tips from the Madison Police Department to help make the festivities fun and safe for everyone:

  • Make sure costumes are visible to vehicles & others.

  • Do not use toy weapons as part of any costume.

  • Do not trick or treat alone.

  • Only approach homes that are well lit, & only approach the front door.

  • Stay on sidewalks & obey traffic signs / signals.

  • Carry a flashlight.

  • Don’t let kids eat any candy until an adult has checked it.

  • Make sure costumes do not impede movement or vision.

The City of Madison does not have official Trick-or-Treating hours. However, the City of Madison recommended hours: 4pm - 8pm on Saturday, October 31, 2015 for those wishing to Trick-or-Treat.

 


Fun Wisconsin Fact

The first governor of Wisconsin was Nelson Dewey, a Democrat and abolitionist from Lebanon, Connecticut. He oversaw Wisconsin’s transition from a territory to a state, improved the state’s infrastructure, and advocated against the spread of slavery in new states and territories.

 

 

 

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