Rep. Berceau urges the governor to veto Senate Bill 92, which passed the Legislature on March 13, 2012.

AB 154 bans insurance companies that offer plans with abortion coverage from participating in Wisconsin’s health care exchange. Women will be forced to buy separate insurance coverage solely for abortion services from insurance companies that are not in the exchange. The entire purpose of insurance is to protect people from the unexpected. We don’t require people to anticipate their health care needs in advance and purchase riders that cover cancer, heart disease, or even pregnancy.

Today, Representatives Terese Berceau (D-Madison), Chris Taylor (D-Madison) and Kelda Helen Roys (D-Madison), along with Dane County Supervisor Melissa Sargent and other supporters joined together to assert the importance of encouraging public awareness, conversation, and support for reproductive rights and justice across the nation by proclaiming January 22-28 as Reproductive Rights Awareness Week.

State Representative Terese Berceau (D – Madison) and State Senator Lena Taylor (D – Milwaukee) welcomed legislation proposed by Republican State Representative Evan Wynn to ban the use of credit histories in employment decisions. Berceau and Taylor introduced almost identical legislation last October.

Yesterday, the majority of Republicans on the Joint Legislative Council rejected recommendations to reduce infant mortality made by the non-partisan Special Committee on Infant Mortality. The Assembly Education Committee advanced Assembly Bill 337, rolling back current statutes that guarantee sex education instruction is medically accurate, age appropriate, and comprehensive. These two issues are interconnected because reducing teen pregnancy is an essential component to reducing infant mortality rates.

State Representative Terese Berceau (D – Madison) today decried Governor Walker’s apparent lack of concern over multiple felony charges filed last week in an ongoing criminal corruption probe. Timothy Russell and Kevin Kavanaugh are accused of embezzling over $60,000 for personal and political use from a charity set up to aid military veterans and their families. As county executive, Walker appointed both men to high-ranking positions in Milwaukee County. Last week, Walker said he was “very disappointed” about the alleged theft.

In response to the disingenuous decision made by the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) November 15th on student IDs, Representative Terese Berceau (D – Madison) wants students to prepare themselves for the harm the Walker administration will do to their ability to vote.

It is clear that Wisconsinites need jobs. Since last year, unemployment in Wisconsin has increased five times the national rate, and in September alone we lost 12,400 jobs. Despite this obvious need for jobs, the Republican controlled legislature focused on everything but job creation legislation.

The Voter Security Act would stiffen penalties and provide increased flexibility and tools for local law enforcement and the Department of Justice to crack down on voter suppression at polling places.

Republican legislators are developing new rules that will allow guns on the Assembly floor and in the Assembly galleries. The Assembly Committee on Organization will be voting to allow guns on the Assembly floor and in the Assembly viewing galleries Thursday afternoon.

Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison) today introduced the Fairness in Hiring Act, which would prohibit employment discrimination based on an individual’s credit score. Berceau’s proposal limits the use of credit scores to situations where credit history is substantially related to the circumstance of a particular job.

Rep. Berceau responds to Rep. Nass's letter on Capitol Security Costs that insults working law enforcement officers.

Filling downtown Madison with added security was purely political theater, a desperate attempt to discredit tens of thousands of peaceful protesters. Now, taxpayers bear the $8.1 million burden of this unnecessary security. Gov. Walker’s own paranoia toward the people he represents is no reason for taxpayers to have to shoulder millions of dollars in unjustifiable costs.

Rep. Berceau asked Gov. Walker to use his veto to restore funding for nine comprehensive health care centers run by Planned Parenthood. These clinics serve as partners to other health care providers, providing important medical care such as cervical and breast cancer screening, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, and birth control.

Today the Department of Administration (DOA) released a revised estimate to repair costs for the Capitol, lowering its initial estimate of $7.5 million to $270,000. I’m interested in seeing on what page of notebook paper this latest DOA estimate is based. The short summary memo released today suggests the cosmetic changes recommended are heavily based on cleaning costs. This entire episode highlights the incompetence and deceitfulness that are hallmarks of the Walker Regime.

Scott Walker’s budget moves dangerously toward a Governor-takeover of healthcare for Wisconsin seniors. His biennial budget proposal would force thousands of seniors to abandon their reliable prescription drug coverage and find a complex federal plan instead.

The Republican majority has again firmly entrenched itself with Scott Walker and against working people in our state. By voting for a non-fiscal bill that was mere hours old, the majority party revealed what we already knew; their efforts to destroy collective bargaining are unconnected to Wisconsin’s fiscal health. Scott Walker and Republican leaders in the legislature maintained that stripping collective bargaining rights was needed for the budget.

Scott Walker’s ascension toward new heights of hypocrisy continued unabated Tuesday in his disingenuous budget address. He extolled the virtues of democracy, while subverting it on a daily basis with his shadowy edicts to silence dissent and literally close the doors of government from the people. He refuses to talk with anyone other than national pundits or people he thinks are his corporate benefactors.

Friday morning Assembly Republicans once again broke Assembly rules to rush through Walker’s assault on state workers. The corruption and lawlessness displayed by both Walker and majority Republicans during this entire process is unprecedented in Wisconsin history. Assembly Republicans not only moved aggressively to silence the voices of thousands of Wisconsin working people, but reached new extremes in silencing the voice of the Assembly itself with their improper vote.

Governor Walker demanded unfiltered media exposure Tuesday evening to speak to Wisconsin about his proposal to strip workers’ rights and make other changes unrelated to Wisconsin’s budget. The speech was broadcast in the state and is part of Governor Walker’s unwavering commitment to increasing his national exposure.

I am completely disgusted that the new Walker regime is choosing to pit different sectors of the state workforce against each other. Instead of showing leadership by bringing all Wisconsinites together to address the challenges we face, the governor is fomenting resentment between public and private employees, between unionized workers and those who don’t have the right to bargain.

I am writing to reiterate my request for a legislative audit of the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR). As you know, last fall I asked for an audit in light of the details surrounding the case of Calumet County District Attorney Kenneth Kratz. (Letter attached) The need for an audit was only reinforced by a recent series of articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding the lack of discipline for lawyers, even those who have been convicted of serious crimes.

Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison) was wholly unimpressed with Governor Walker’s refusal to offer any specific details about his plans for the upcoming state budget. Instead, this week Governor Walker is releasing a rehash of his previous talking points about what will not be in his budget. The Governor also has not provided any significant information about the budget adjustment bill he will introduce in the next few days to deal with a $137 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, even though he apparently wants the legislature to pass it as early as next week.

Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison) was disgusted by the blatant hypocrisy on display by Assembly Republicans today. Republican Majority Leader Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) boasted about open government on the floor of the Assembly Wednesday. However, Republicans spent the entire day rushing through legislation dedicated to secrecy and political favoritism.

Republicans passed a bill to require a 2/3 “Supermajority” to increase the state sales, income, or franchise taxes and a businesses tax deduction worth between $83 and $279 per new employee hired. “I strongly oppose the Republicans’ proposal to have Wisconsin adopt a California style of accounting, a process that has shattered that state’s budget and would mandate devastating cuts to local government or massive property tax hikes. We quite literally cannot afford to handcuff state and local government, jeopardizing state support for education and healthcare in the process.

I am deeply disappointed in the decision by Governor Walker to cancel the proposed upgrades to the Charter Street plant that would transition from dirty coal to clean energy use. The project would generate thousands of good-paying jobs for Wisconsin workers and cultivate sustainable economic activity through the use of our natural resources. We should be promoting, not impeding, steps to develop clean energy here in Wisconsin.

MADISON- Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison) expressed her disapproval Tuesday of Republicans’ special session legislation that ignores the concerns of Wisconsin workers. Assembly Republicans moved quickly to push forward on Governor Walker’s wish list for corporate giveaways in the new legislative session.

MADISON- Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison) voiced her strong opposition Monday to Republicans’ proposed Voter ID legislation. The bill would dramatically infringe the voting rights of many Wisconsin citizens, especially college students. The bill would prohibit the use of college ID cards for voter registration.