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In This Edition...


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Toll-Free: (888) 534-0087
Email:

Rep.Edming@legis.wi.gov
Website: www.repedming.com

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A Note from Rep. Edming

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It has been another eventful week serving the people of the 87th Assembly District.  Thank you for taking a few minutes of your time to read this week's e-update.  I am excited to announce my second round of state budget listening sessions as well as share with you a bit about what I have been up to in Madison and around the 87th District.

As always, please feel free to contact my office to share your thoughts on the state budget or any other state issues. I look forward to hearing from you. 

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Listening to You

I would like to start out by thanking everyone who has taken the time so far to share their thoughts with me on Governor Evers' 2019 - 2021 state budget proposal. Understanding what the people of the 87th Assembly District think about this important proposal will make me a more effective advocate for you throughout the budget process.

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding a second round of state budget listening sessions this upcoming Monday, April 22nd, to continue to gather input from the people of the 87th District. I will be in Ladysmith, Hawkins, and Athens.  For more information on my listening sessions, click on the picture below to watch a short video or visit my website, repedming.com, and click "Budget Listening Sessions" at the top of the home page. I hope to see you there!


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Click on the picture above for more information about my budget listening sessions

If you are unable to attend one of these listening sessions you can also submit your feedback on the state budget proposal to me by calling (888) 534-0087 or by email at Rep.Edming@legis.wi.gov.

Joint Health Committee Hearing

As part of a busy week at the Capitol, I participated in a joint health committee hearing on a couple of bills: Assembly Bill (AB) 24, relating to step therapy protocols for prescription drug coverage and Assembly Bill (AB) 137, relating to pharmacists and pharmacy students administering vaccines. I am a proud co-sponsor of these two proposals and I want to take a moment to share a little bit about them with you.


AB 24

AB 24 is an important bipartisan reform regarding step therapy.  Step therapy is a process that health plans use when certain prescription drugs are prescribed by a doctor. This process requires a patient to try a less expensive treatment first and for that treatment to fail before they are allowed to try a more expensive treatment. The goal of step therapy is to help keep healthcare costs down while still providing high-quality healthcare. However, there are times when following step therapy protocols are not in the best interest of the patient and exceptions need to be made. What AB 24 does is create a clear exception process for patients making it easier for them to receive the care they need.

AB 137

Currently, a pharmacist in Wisconsin is allowed to immunize anyone 6 years old and older. AB 137 increases access to immunizations by eliminating this age requirement and allowing pharmacists to immunize children at any age if additional training has been completed by the pharmacist. The changes made by this bipartisan bill will be extremely helpful in rural parts of our state, like the 87th Assembly District.

If you would like more information on these bills I encourage you to watch the hearing on WisconsinEye.

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Under the Dome

Project Lead the Way  

I was happy to visit with students from Medford Area Senior High on Tuesday. The students were at the Capitol as part of Project Lead the Way, a national, non-profit organization focused on STEM experiences. Jobs in the STEM field are critical to our state's economy and I was truly impressed by these students' ability to design and build their projects.  They even made me a small, 3D-printed model of the State Capitol building for my office in Raider red of course. Keep up the great work!

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Research in the Rotunda

On Wednesday, students from the University of Wisconsin system came to the Capitol to share their research with lawmakers and the public. It was great seeing Carly Rhyner from Medford, a student at UW-Stevens Point, sharing her research on entry-level communication skills. Great job, Carly!

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Wisconsin Hospital Association

Later in the day on Wednesday, I met with members of the Wisconsin Hospital Association including folks from hospitals in Ladysmith and Medford to talk about legislative issues important to them this session.

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Wisconsin Corn Growers

To finish off a busy Wednesday at the Capitol I met with representatives of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association including Ben Augustine from Sheldon.  We discussed their support for science-based practices for improving and protecting groundwater quality, transportation, and other issues important to their industry.

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Bruce High School Forensics Team

Last Friday the Bruce High School Forensics Team came down to Madison to compete at the state level at UW-Madison. Unfortunately, I was back in the district, but my staff was available to show them around the Capitol a bit. The team brought home five gold and four silver medals. Congratulations!

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Thanks for Stopping By

It's always great to have people I know stop by the office to see me. Earlier in the week, my good friend Tony, who was in Madison on a school trip with his son, stopped by the office to chat for a bit. If you are ever in Madison, please feel free to come by the office and say hello. Hopefully, I will be there to meet you, otherwise, my staff would be happy to show you the office as well. Thanks again, Tony!

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Around the 87th 

School Assembly on Distracted Driving

I was pleased to speak to over 200 students at Winter High School on Monday about the dangers of distracted driving. As a part of the "It Can Wait" campaign, a joint effort by AT&T, AAA, and the Wisconsin State Patrol, students are encouraged to sign a pledge that they will not text while driving, which has been illegal in Wisconsin since 2010. I hope that bringing awareness to this issue will help to keep these kids safe on the roads and protect others as well.

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Congratulations to Don Koeller

While I was attending the Annual Meeting of the Town of Rib Falls, Senator Petrowski and I presented Don Koeller with a citation from the State of Wisconsin honoring him for his 54 years of service as the Town Treasurer for the Rib Falls Township. Don's service began in 1965 and came to end in this year, with his decision not to run for reelection. Congratulations, Don, and thank you for your service to the community!

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Stay Up to Date

One of the best ways to stay up to date with what is going on in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking service. This service allows you to follow legislative activity in Madison. Once you create a free account you can sign up to receive notifications about specific bills or committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject area (i.e. agriculture, veterans). You can sign up for this service at notify.legis.wisconsin.gov.