Homelessness Legislation

As you may recall, earlier this year my colleagues and I introduced a package of eight bills that address homelessness in Wisconsin. On Tuesday, all eight bills were heard in committee; two were heard in Public Benefit Reform, three were heard in Workforce Development and three, including my bill, were heard in Housing and Real Estate. Not only did I have the opportunity to testify on my bill, AB 123, but, as a member of the Committee on Workforce Development, I got to hear great testimony on AB 120, 122 and 144. 

As a recap, each bill in the package has the same goal: reduce the duration, instances and recurrence of homelessness. Altogether, the legislation increases funding to the Homeless Prevention Program; the State Shelter Subsidy Grant Program; the Housing Assistance Program; the Homeless Case Management Services Program; and the Skills Enhancement Program. The bill package also seeks to expand affordable housing; creates the Housing Navigation Grant, a forgivable loan program; and increases services for homeless youth. 

Advocates and other stakeholders in the homeless response system attended the hearings to strongly support the bill package. Created with the input of the Continuum of Care organizations, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, and other community advocates, this legislation has strong bipartisan support. I look forward to joining with my colleagues to continue our fight against homelessness in Wisconsin! 

Wisconsin's Children's Caucus consists of legislative members from both the Senate and Assembly, and from both sides of the political aisle. We join together to advance evidence-based public policy that focuses on children from birth to 18.  The Children's Caucus was established in 2015 and is chaired by Representatives Ballweg and Billings, and Senators Darling and Johnson.

The caucus regularly meets to hear from professionals that study issues relating to kids aged 18 and younger. This week, we met to hear from the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health in a presentation called Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Why It Matters and How We Can Help. The presenters showed a fascinating video called the Still Face Experiment that you can find here, which is an outstanding example of the impact parental and caretaker relationships have on children. In addition to presenting information, the speakers gave sound policy suggestions for improving outcomes for children. The materials from the presentation can be found online here. 

WIPPS Tour

I had the privilege of giving a tour this week to a group with the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service. About 15 senior citizens made the trip to Madison to see the Capitol and Wisconsin Historical Society building, and I had the opportunity to spend part of my day with them. We also had a visit from Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, of Wausau! 

Thanks for visiting!

In addition to the group from WIPPS, Hawthorne Elementary (above) and DC Everest Junior High (below) visited the Capitol this week! I am always encouraged by the interest our young people show about Wisconsin's rich history and the beautiful architecture of our State Capitol!