Step Therapy Reform One Step Closer to Becoming Law
Ending the Miller Park Tax
Upcoming Events
The Wirch Report
Dear Friend,
Welcome to my e-newsletter. I will use this to update you on issues in the Capitol and around the state, as well as events taking place in our community. I hope you find it interesting and informative. As always, don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance or just to share your thoughts.
Joint Finance Committee Wraps Up Budget Work; Legislature Will Vote Next Week
The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee (JFC), sometimes referred to as the budget committee, has finished its work on the 2019-2021 state budget. Following the release of Governor Tony Evers' budget proposal in late February, the JFC started work on their on budget. Traditionally, the JFC works off of the Governor's proposal, making tweeks and changes in different areas. However, this JFC's Republican majority threw tradition out the window, more or less starting from scratch. There were some areas of agreement with the Governor, but there were also some major differences. You can find a comparison of major issue areas in the two topics on my website. The next step in the budget process is for both houses of the Legislature to vote on the Finance Committee's version of the budget. If an identical version passes both houses, it goes to the Governor to be signed or vetoed. The Governor of Wisconsin has one of the most powerful vetoes in the country, with the ability to strike portions of the budget document without invalidating the whole thing. You can read a great summary of the Governor's veto powers from The Capital Times newspaper. If the Governor chooses to veto the entire budget bill, things could get tricky, as he and legislative leaders would enter into discussions over a budget bill that they can all agree upon. You can read further analyses and comparisons of the different budget proposals from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Taxpayer Cost of Partisan Redistricting Continues to Climb
Legal fees resulting from the extreme gerrymander that resulted from state Republicans' 2011 redistricting plan continue to pile up. With the latest bills submitted to the Legislature, the overall total cost to taxpayers has now climbed to $3.8 million. The unprecedented and blatantly political bias that went into the drawing of new maps resulted in numerous lawsuits. The legal bills result from the state's defense of those maps, which were found unconstitutional by a federal three-judge panel in 2016. The mounting costs once again demonstrate the need for Wisconsin to move to a non-partisan redistricting process. States with nonpartisan redistricting don't face the legal challenges - with the accompanying legal bills - that Wisconsin has. The voters want it, it's better from a good-government standpoint, and it makes fiscal sense. We need nonpartisan redistricting. Check out this wispolitics.com story for more details on the cost of partisan gerrymandering.
June 19th Recognized As Juneteenth Day in Wisconsin
Juneteenth Day is the oldest celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. The event dates back to June 19, 1865, a full two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, bringing news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved people were now free. Today Juneteenth recognizes African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. Juneteenth is currently recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states, including Wisconsin.Racine has one of the biggest and best Juneteenth celebrations in the entire state. This year, the theme of the day was "Seeing is Believing", and former NBA star and Racine native Caron Butler was on hand to cut the ribbon the new "Dream Court" basketball court, which will eventually include a playground and two additional courts. PBS's African-American History Blog and the website of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture have more information on the history and impact of Juneteenth.
Sen. Wirch with other community leaders at 2019's Racine Juneteenth Celebration
Step Therapy Reform Approved by the Legislature
Many people who rely on insurance coverage to help purchase prescription drugs have experienced the frustration of having to go through what is known as the "step therapy" protocol. Step therapy often requires patients to try, and fail, a cheaper alternative before insurance will cover the actual medication the doctor prescribed. This is meant to keep costs down, but it often ignores a patient's medical history and creates burdensome barriers to effective treatment for the patient. A bipartisan effort to improve the process has begun to see results, as step therapy reform legislation that I have co-sponsored has recently passed both the State Senate and State Assembly. Under current law, a patient can be required to try an alternative medication even if he or she has already tried the cheaper drug under a different health insurance plan or the cheaper alternative interferes with other medications they are taking. While there is an appeals process for patients, it can be confusing and very time consuming, causing a delay in proper treatment. The approved legislation does not ban step therapy; it simplifies and clarifies the process to get necessary medication to patients much sooner, allowing them to get relief the medications provide. A wide range of patient and provider advocacy organizations, such as the Cancer Action Network, Coalition of Wisconsin Aging and Health Groups, Arthritis Foundation, and American Lung Association, support the bill, and many legislators of both parties were co-sponsors. I am happy that this bill has been approved by the Legislature and hope that Governor Evers will sign it into law quickly to help patients get their needed medications. To find out more about step therapy and step therapy reform, check out the Wisconsin Step Therapy Coalition. You can read the reform legislation at the Wisconsin State Legislature's website.
Legislation Would End Miller Park Stadium Tax
Since 1996, residents of Racine, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha Counties have been paying an extra 0.1% sales tax to fund construction and operation of the Milwaukee Brewers' baseball stadium. After 23 years, the tax is one step closer to being retired, due to legislation I've co-sponsored. The bill, which was just approved by the State Assembly, specifies that the tax must end no later than August 31, 2020, with any excess collections being returned to the counties. The bill now comes over for a vote in the State Senate.
Track specific legislation, see the latest bills to be introduced, or found out how your legislators voted on a bill through the Wisconsin State Legislature'slegislation page.
Constituent Services
No responsibility that I have directly affects the lives of the average person, or gives me as much satisfaction, as that of constituent services. These can come in many different forms. Some people contact me because there is a problem with their unemployment benefits; it could be a delay in receiving a tax refund; or maybe someone is having difficulty in getting a state-issued occupational license. These are sometime simple fixes. Then there are more complex problems: things like health care issues; disputes with utility or insurance companies; or problems with a mortgage lender. Whatever the issue is, big or small, I am happy to help or point you in the right direction.
State Senator Bob Wirch 127 South, State Capitol PO Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882 (608)267-8979 or (888)769-4724 sen.wirch@legis.wisconsin.gov||
Upcoming Community Events
