At the end of each even numbered year, the Assembly Speaker announces the standing committees for the upcoming session. In December, Speaker Robin Vos announced that a handful of new committees would be created to either replace previous committees or to address recent issue areas. One of those new committees is Community Development, which I am now a member of. The Chairperson, Rep. Allen, convened the committee for the first time this week.

On Tuesday, we heard from members of the Arts Community across our entire state to hear about how the Arts can be used for community growth and improvement. We saw examples of visual arts and heard performances from others that are involved in promoting their community through art. The entire hearing can be viewed here. 

The hearing coincided with Arts Day at the Capitol, where individuals from the Arts Community come to the Capitol to meet individually with their legislators to update Assembly and Senate members about the work they are doing in their community and how we can better support their efforts. I had a great meeting with the Wausau Center for the Visual Arts and scheduled a tour to see their facility this week! The Center for Visual Arts is a big proponent of our local artists; involving more individuals in the visual arts in our area; and enhancing our  community. I am grateful for their hard work!

Youth Advisory Council 

This week, the Department of Children and Families invited a select handful of legislators to participate in a meeting with the Youth Advisory Council. The Council is comprised of former and current foster youth that advocate on behalf of foster children throughout the state. I was honored to join DCF for this important meeting. We had a great conversation about the unique challenges that foster youth face in Wisconsin and how we, as government, can better support our foster youth. The stories of the young people we met with are heartbreaking, but I am so proud of each and every one of them for their perseverance and their service to their fellow foster youth and the state as a whole. As I have previously mentioned, despite the positive work we began last session, the challenges facing our foster care system are far from overcome. Stay tuned for updates on what my colleagues and I are working on to further improve our child welfare system in Wisconsin! 

I am incredibly excited to have been invited by the National Alliance on Mental Illness Northwoods to speak at a local mental health forum at Grace United Church of Christ this weekend. The forum will include a panel of county and state policymakers who will engage in discussions with each other and the audience about how we can work together in strengthening mental health services in our region. I am looking forward to a positive discussion on the challenges we face in expanding mental health treatment and access, and potential solutions to mitigating those obstacles!

Wishing all a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day weekend! 

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!