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Today is National POW-MIA Recognition Day. Thousands of Americans are still missing from conflicts dating back to WWII. Today, we remember those who were prisoners of war, those who are still missing in action, and their families. 

Family First Prevention Services Act

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One of my favorite parts of being Chairperson of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families is the ability to direct the committee's focus to important topics, legislation, and issues facing our communities. When I became Chairperson, I promised to continue focusing on children and families in our child welfare system, and those who haven't touched the system yet, but are struggling nonetheless. This week, I followed through on that promise again. 

On Wednesday, I convened the Committee to talk about the Family First Prevention Services Act. This federal, bipartisan law shifts the focus of our child welfare system to prevention rather than reaction. The law makes federal dollars available to provide prevention services to keep families intact. Additionally, it reduces funds available for non-treatment group homes, because children belong in family settings. 

The hearing had great turnout with attendance from several non-committee member legislators, including from the budget writing committee; Governor Evers' staff; the Departments of Health Services and Children and Families; service providers; and more! The hearing was a great launching point for discussion on how Wisconsin can better serve kids and families. Stay tuned for more updates! 

Governor's veto

During the budget, the Legislature invested significant dollars to ensure our criminal justice system is working efficiently and fairly. We increased pay for public defenders, and added assistant district attorney positions. These positions were assigned to counties throughout the state based on a workload needs assessment done by the Legislature Audit Bureau (LAB). 

Unfortunately, Governor Evers vetoed the position assignments and directed his administration to reassign the positions. It has taken several months, but earlier this week Evers' administration announced the re-allocation of positions. 

Compared to the Legislature's distribution, Governor Evers' plan cuts one position from Marathon County. Instead this position will go to Milwaukee County. This decision is incredibly frustrating considering that, based on the LAB's report, Milwaukee County is already at 115% of staffing for their workload. Meanwhile, Marathon County is only at 62%. 

While I am grateful that Marathon County will retain some of the positions that were delegated under the Legislature's plan, I have to question the administration's priorities when they decided to pull positions from some of the counties with the greatest need to give them to a county with the least need.  

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Next week Friday, September 27th I will host my monthly office hours! Stop by Biggby Coffee on Bridge Street between 9AM and 11AM to chat about the upcoming session, thoughts and ideas about legislation, or other government questions or concerns.  

The point of my office hours are to be accessible to those living in the 85th Assembly District, so I try to host them at different locations and times. If you have thoughts or suggestions on where or when to host my next office hours, please feel free to contact me

Happy Anniversary!
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Last weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate 3M in Wausau for their 90th Anniversary. The 3M location in our area is the longest operating 3M facility in the world, being in operation since 1929. For the occasion, Governor Evers, Senator Petrowski, Rep. Spiros and I issued a citation celebrating this milestone and recognizing their contributions to our community.