Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


 April 20, 2017

 

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


West Madison Senior Coalition Free Lunches

Thursday, April 20

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

Nutritious meals are offered to those 60 and older. The meal is served at noon and participants must arrive on time. The suggested minimum donation is $4.00 but participants are encouraged to pay what they can afford. Transportation to the meal is available with an additional $1.00 donation. Meal and bus reservations or cancellations should be made by noon the preceding day by calling 238-0196.

 


Knitting at the Library

Thursday, April 20

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

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

 


Skills in Computers and Literacy for Employment with Literacy Network

Thursday, April 20

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

This is a course in computer and employment literacy for adult students who want to improve their reading, writing and general communication skills. Each student will have an individual lesson plan created for them and will work through the semester on completing that plan. Skills learned will help with job searching and applications, completing the GED and improving skills on the computer. Contact Ezi at the Literacy Network, (608)244-3911, ext. 33, for more information or to register.

 


Game Night

Friday, April 21

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Alicia Ashman Library

733 N High Point Rd

 

Join us at for a night of board games and puzzles. We’ll supply some, but you can also bring your favorites to share with new friends.

 


Get Ready to Get Biking!

Saturday, April 22

2:00 pm – 3:00pm

Alicia Ashman Library

733 N High Point Rd

 

Learn how to get ready to ride this spring with tips on bicycle maintenance, equipment, tools, and safety with Nick Hein.


Early Signs of Spring

Saturday, April 22

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

UW Arboretum Visitor Center

1207 Seminole Hwy

 

As trees begin to leaf out, Dutchman’s breeches, twin-leaf, and rue-anemones might be blooming in the woodland gardens, and pasqueflower and prairie-smoke in the prairie gardens. Susan Carpenter, Arboretum Native Plant Gardener, will lead this tour. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center. 


Woodland Wildflowers

Sunday, April 23

1:00pm – 2:30pm

UW Arboretum Visitor Center

1207 Seminole Hwy

 

If this is a typical spring, we may find bloodroot, wild ginger, Virginia bluebells, and Dutchman’s breeches (among other delights) along the trails of our restored woodlands. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center. 


West Madison Senior Coalition Free Lunches

Tuesday, April 25

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

Nutritious meals are offered to those 60 and older. The meal is served at noon and participants must arrive on time. The suggested minimum donation is $4.00 but participants are encouraged to pay what they can afford. Transportation to the meal is available with an additional $1.00 donation. Meal and bus reservations or cancellations should be made by noon the preceding day by calling 238-0196.

 


Rap Sessh

Tuesday, April 25

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

Local musician, Rob Dz, is passionate about words, and the power held in the words we choose to use. During this series of weekly after school music production and personal branding workshops, teen participants will be challenged to tell their story, and to tell their truth, through poetry, lyrics and music.


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,

 

It has been another busy week at the Capitol, packed with hearings and events. Yesterday, Senator Dave Hansen and I held a press conference to announce the introduction of our Voters In, Money Out resolution that would enable voters across the state to voice their opinions about overturning Citizens United in a statewide referendum during the November, 2018 election.

 

In this newsletter, you will also find information about our Citizens United resolution, news of the latest attempt by Republicans to roll back wages, highlights on Earthy Day and Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month, 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

 


Let Wisconsin Vote on Big Money in Politics

Yesterday, Senator Dave Hansen and I introduced a resolution calling for a statewide advisory referendum to give voters the opportunity to voice their support for a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court’s ruling on Citizens United. It is clear that voters are fed up with a rigged political system that allows corporations and wealthy special interests to drown out the voices of everyday people. Fixing our broken system begins with a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

 

Click here to read more about the bill.


Click here to watch a short video clip from the announcement.

 


Republicans Come Up Short on Addressing Homelessness

On any given night in Wisconsin, 20,000 people go without a place of their own to sleep at night.  Some are able to find temporary shelter, while others are left to sleep on the streets.   Homelessness has many faces, including those who are working and those who are unemployed; those who face financial hardship and those fleeing abuse, facing health challenges, or struggling with addiction; and individuals, couples, families with children, and unaccompanied youth.

 

On Tuesday in the Assembly Committee on Public Benefit reform, I heard testimony on four bills that Republicans claim will address homelessness.   The bills have been placed on a legislative “fast track” by Assembly Republicans, having been circulated for co-sponsors, introduced, subjected to a single public hearing and scheduled to be voted out of committee in just over one week.

 

Unfortunately, the bills do nothing to expand the availability of affordable housing, increase incomes of the working poor, prevent homelessness for those living paycheck to paycheck, or provide the kind of case management resources needed to help people overcome barriers to housing security.  We have a real opportunity to invest in evidence based best practices such as Housing First and Rapid Rehousing programs and cost-effective eviction prevention initiatives, but instead, Republicans are ramming through an anemic proposal that I fear will enable them to simply check homelessness off their list without taking any steps to address its root causes.

 

In addition to continuing to fight for increased wages, paid family and medical leave, and other bills to improve economic security for Wisconsinites, my Democratic colleagues and I will offer amendments to improve the proposed bills. We will also continue to hold Republicans accountable for their actions over the last six years that have driven down wages and contributed to the homelessness crisis we now face.

 

While Republicans are proposing we put a band-aid on a gaping wound, I remain committed to implementing real solutions that address the root causes of homelessness. I look forward to working with my colleagues as we continue tackling this challenging issue.

 


Republicans Push Full Repeal of Prevailing Wage Law

Since 2011, Governor Walker and Republican legislators have opposed any legislation that would increase the minimum wage or create a living wage for working Wisconsinites. Republicans repealed the Equal Pay Act, passed so-called “right to work” legislation making it harder for workers to organize, limited eligibility for unemployment compensation, barred prevailing wages from being paid in local public works projects, prohibited project labor agreements, and passed a host of other bills that drive down wages.  Wisconsin now has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in the decline of the middle class.

 

Republican legislators have now introduced more legislation that will drive down wages.   Last session they passed a law to prohibit prevailing wage requirements in local public works contracts, but the law currently still applies to all local public works projects. Now they are set eliminate the rest of Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law.  In a nutshell, the prevailing wage law they are working to eliminate guarantees that workers on public projects are paid the standard, or prevailing, wage for the work they are performing in a given area.   The 80-year-old law prevents taxpayer dollars from getting diverted away from local construction companies and their workers by less scrupulous out-of-state contractors.

 

The authors of the prevailing wage repeal bill claim it will save money, but that is not the case.   It is like when your roof is damaged in a storm. You may find savings by paying a “storm chasing” construction crew to replace your roof, but in the end, you will have to hire a local, reputable construction firm to fix the job done by the out of town, fly-by-night contractor.   The same principle applies to projects current subject to prevailing wage law, and that is why we should not repeal it.

 


April is Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month

As a member of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families, I review reports that are compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) detailing many of the most egregious cases of abuse and neglect which are investigated in Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, for every instance of reported abuse or neglect, there are an untold number of cases that go unnoticed.

 

DCF estimates that nearly 700,000 children are abused in the United States each year. Maltreatment can include neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation and emotional abuse. It is important for individuals to know the warning signs, how to report suspected abuse or neglect to a child welfare agency or local law enforcement, and where to get help.

 

When reading reports compiled by DCF, all too often we are left to wonder if the abuse could have been stopped or a death could have been prevented if only someone recognized the signs and reported their concerns. During Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention month, I am asking for us all to do our part in breaking the generational cycle of abuse and neglect by learning how to spot the signs of maltreatment and speaking up if you suspect that a child is in danger.

 

Click here to learn more about the signs of child abuse and neglect.

 


Celebrate Earth Day

On Saturday, we will celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day was founded in 1970 as a day of education about environmental issues. Wisconsin’s own Senator Gaylord Nelson, inspired by the antiwar protests of the late 1960s, created Earth Day with the hope of creating an environmental movement. It began as a national teach-in on the environment event held on April 22. By raising public awareness of air and water pollution, Nelson hoped to bring environmental causes into the national spotlight. Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world and will mark its 50th anniversary in April, 2020.

 

On Saturday there will be a March for Science in Madison. The event is one of more than 500 worldwide to champion science as a pillar for the advancement of human knowledge, progress, and prosperity. The March will begin at 1pm in James Madison Park and will commence to Library Mall where there will be speeches and a science expo.

 

Click here to view a list of Earth Day events happening all across Wisconsin complied by the Department of Natural Resources.

 


Wisconsin’s Tornado & Severe Weather Awareness Week

Schools, businesses, families, and individuals will have an opportunity to test their emergency plans during statewide tornado drills held today at 1:00 p.m. The drills are part of the annual spring severe weather campaign to encourage everyone in Wisconsin to be ready for possible tornadoes and severe weather.

 

Wisconsin Emergency Management, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) have once again teamed up to sponsor the statewide tornado drills scheduled for Thursday, April 20.

 

Click here to learn more about the drill and the awareness week.

 


Fun Wisconsin Fact

This week’s fun fact in honor of Earth Day features the Wisconsin Historical Society’s biography of former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson.

 

Born in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, in 1916, Gaylord grew up as immersed in his parents' political work and community service as he was in playing practical jokes and exploring the natural world surrounding his home town. Along the way he encountered experiences that would shape him in fundamental ways: as a man who stood up for what he believed in the face of opposition and yet who also understood how to treat his opponents with respect. Both traits would serve him well as he rose from law student to state senator to Wisconsin governor and finally to three terms as a United States Senator.

 

Nelson fought to treat all races equally and to condemn McCarthy-era paranoia, but his greatest contribution was to sound the alarm about another battle: the fight to save the natural world and the earth itself. It was his idea to use teach-ins to let people know that the environment needed their help. Thanks to him, more natural resources were conserved and new laws demanded clean air and water. Now, every year on April 22, people all over the world plant trees and pick up litter to celebrate Earth Day. The Earth and its inhabitants aren't safe yet, but Gaylord Nelson demonstrated that even one person can help to save the world.

 

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