On Tuesday,  eight Homeless bills passed out of the Assembly with bipartisan support, and now heads to the state Senate for their consideration. 

The eight bills approved in the Assembly are aimed at increasing 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.  This bill package also creates the Housing Navigation Grant, a forgivable loan program, and increases services for the homeless youth. These bills follow last session’s first steps towards curbing homelessness, including the creation of the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). The legislation in “A Hand for the Homeless” directly mirrors the recommendations made in the ICH’s statewide action plan, A Hand and a Home: Foundations for Success.  

 I am particularly proud of the bill that I was lead author of; it triples the amount of funding in the Housing Assistance Program, which is the state’s most flexible funding source for combating homelessness. This type of funding enables service provides to use innovative, tailored strategies to meet each community’s needs.

On Wednesday, the Speaker's Task Force on Adoption had an informational hearing.  The task force heard from the Department of Children and Families, Bethany Christian Services of Wisconsin, Coalition for Children, Youth and Families, Children's Hospital of WI, and Lutheran Social Services of WI and Upper MI.  The task force heard about various different issues regarding adoption in the state of Wisconsin.  The task force will be holding public hearings around the state to hear from the public about their experiences with Wisconsin's adoption system.The informational hearing was recorded and has is on WisconsinEye.  You can view the committee's web page for more information, or to share your story, here. 

June in National Dairy Month and Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland.  There is more produced and processed in our state than just milk and cheese. Wisconsin ranks first in the nation for: snap beans for processing, cheese, cranberries, ginseng, mink pelts, and dry whey.

Just a reminder that my monthly office hours will be held at Biggby Coffee on Bridge St. in Wausau on Monday, June 24th!  I will be there from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, so please feel welcome to drop by and have a cup of coffee with me!

2017-2018 Blue Books & maps (paper highway maps or laminated maps) are still available in my office! The Wisconsin Blue Book contains information on all things Wisconsin: your elected officials; census information; the official state dog, tree, flower, etc.; government processes; and so much more! Contact me for your free copy today!