Coronavirus Update 

Because the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus have gone through a number of rapid changes this week, I wanted to make sure all of you are up to date on the latest developments by passing along some information I recently received from medical specialists.

Yesterday, the White House gave a briefing on the coronavirus to legislators from all over the country, and on a local level, I got the opportunity to sit down with representatives from the Door County Medical Center to see how our area is getting prepared for an eventual outbreak. Furthermore, my colleagues and I are continually getting updates from the state Department of Health Services on the ever-evolving situation.

I want to be clear right up front that I am not a communicable disease expert. I am putting my trust in those who are and will let them lead the way in making the decisions on how to best protect our state. I see my role as making sure our medical communities have the resources they need to slow this thing down. I will also work hard to keep you informed on all the latest details.

I feel it's important to point out that we can't let politics get in the way of our efforts and we must all work together. No matter what we do, there are going to be some people who say we overreacted, while others will claim we didn't move fast enough. That's simply the way it is, and we are going to have to put our differences aside if we are going to get through this potential crisis.

In fact, this virus is going to affect practically every single government department or agency, from tourism to corrections to elections to education. Simply put, we have to work together or we run the risk of the coronavirus having a much larger impact on our state.

I don't want to sound the alarm, but our health experts say it's only a matter of time before the virus becomes widespread in Wisconsin. Our goal is to prevent a spike in cases, like what happened in China, which would overwhelm our healthcare facilities. Many of our hospitals are already operating at near-full capacity because of the aggressive flu season. While controlling the spread of the coronavirus might make it last over a longer period of time, not as many people are expected to get sick and we will be better prepared to deal with the serious cases.

An important component of controlling the spread will be the ability to test suspected cases rapidly. Department of Health Services officials told us that the labs in Wisconsin can currently conduct about 200 tests per day, which has been more than enough so far. DHS has requested more test kits in anticipation of an increase in cases over the coming weeks.

Symptoms of the coronavirus can include a fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing problems. The elderly, those with weakened immune systems and people who have underlying chronic conditions – including asthma, diabetes or heart disease – are more at risk of severe effects and even death. Fortunately, 80 percent of those infected will only experience mild illness and only two percent are expected to require hospitalization. If you feel sick or have questions, please contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Door County is keeping an especially close eye on the situation because of our aging population and the large number of nursing homes in our area. Right now, only essential medical personnel are being allowed into nursing homes so we can stand a better chance of stopping the virus from reaching these vulnerable populations. Please remember that while you may be a healthy person who doesn't fall into any of the at-risk categories, you can still easily pass off the virus to people with health complications.

The best things you can do to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus is wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, disinfect surfaces, cover your coughs and sneezes and stay home if you do not feel well.

Because the situation is constantly changing, the state Department of Health Services has created a website to provide the public with the latest information. That site can be accessed by clicking here. The Door County Medical Center also has a website with similar information, but with more of a local approach. That site can be found by clicking here.

By working together, we will get through this.

Nitrogen Pilot Program

Another e-update, another detailed explanation of one of my bills that was passed by the Assembly during our final two scheduled floor sessions of the year.

This week I am going to discuss my AB 796, which is based on the final recommendations of the Speaker's Task Force on Water Quality. The bipartisan legislation establishes a nitrogen optimization pilot program where the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection can award grants to farmers or producer-led watershed groups in targeted areas for the purpose of implementing projects that limit nitrogen loading, thereby reducing nitrates in our drinking water.

Nitrogen is probably the most critical nutrient for plant growth and farmers use commercial fertilizers or manure to meet those needs. The challenge is getting the optimal level of nitrogen to the plant at the time it is needed without having the excess be converted to nitrates, which are washed into the groundwater.

The process is far more complex than it might appear on the surface. Different soils allow leaching at different rates and crops differ in their needs for nitrogen and their ability to take them up. The area of our state with the most serious nitrate problem is the Central Sands, where they grow a lot of potatoes and corn. The sandy soils there allow for the nitrates to quickly reach the groundwater.

Farmers are some of the most responsible stewards and conservationists of our lands, so it only makes sense to take advantage of their vast knowledge and get them further involved in lessening the amount of nitrates in our water.

It is essential that we work together to tackle this issue because of the health risks that come with ingesting excessive nitrates.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to higher levels of nitrates has been associated with increased incidence of cancer in adults and possible increased cases of brain tumors, leukemia and nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) tumors in children. Nitrates are also known to cause "blue baby syndrome," a condition where an infant's skin turns blue due to decreased hemoglobin in their blood.

Under my bill, DATCP will be required to work with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Center for Watershed Science and Education (CWSE) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and UW-Extension to monitor the implemented projects and use the data to further study nitrogen loading reduction methods.

After the different agencies are able to conduct ample research through the pilot program, a report will be presented to the state Legislature that will provide recommendations on how to improve nutrient management plans and the state’s cost-share system. The report must also give an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the different nitrogen reduction practices and the feasibility of a permanent nitrogen optimization grant program.

Because I've been interested in this issue for some time, I created a Nitrate Work Group in early 2019 that consists of some of the top environmental scientists in the state. The panel's members also include lawmakers, conservationists, farmers and industry representatives. My co-chairman is Russ Rasmussen, who worked extensively on the groundwater problems in Kewaunee County while he was with the DNR. Russ now works for the EPA.

The work this group did over the past year was instrumental in drafting AB 796 and moving it through the legislative process. We are all looking forward to spending the next several months determining which areas of the state we should target for the pilot program. We will also be figuring out which approaches to implement so we can generate the most optimal results.

We expect AB 796 to be voted on by the Senate later this month. It will then be sent to the governor's desk to be signed into law. 

Transportation Grants

The recipients of the $75 million local transportation grant program have been announced and several communities in the 1st Assembly District will benefit from the additional resources.

 In Door County, the Village of Egg Harbor will receive $1 million to reconstruct and widen the "rural portion" of Church Street, Door County will get $450,000 to work on the County Road J bridge, the City of Sturgeon Bay will obtain $200,000 to improve South Neenah Avenue and the Town of Brussels will collect $142,900 to enhance Cemetery Road.

In Kewaunee County, the Town of Pierce will secure $106,100 to replace the culverts and shoulders on a one-mile stretch of Eighth Road and repave and reseal the roadway. The Town of Lincoln will also get $63,625 to reconstruct portions of Cedar Road.  

 While there were many other worthy applications submitted by municipalities in our district, it's unfortunate that they will not be receiving a share of the $75 million. All told, local governments asked for $1.47 billion to complete about 1,600 projects. However, the Department of Transportation decided there was only enough money for 152 of them. 

The state Legislature included $90 million in one-time funding for local road improvements in the 2019-21 budget, but Gov. Evers used his veto pen to decrease that amount to $75 million. In his veto, the governor also opened the program up to other transportation-related projects, like bicycle and pedestrian paths. In fact, Milwaukee County is getting $1 million to purchase new buses.  

The large discrepancy between the requests and the available grant funding shows just how much we need to focus on making sure the resources are there for our communities to fix our roads. I am hopeful that we will be able to continue providing programs like this one in the future, but I would rather see the money used strictly for road improvements.   

Upcoming District Events

This week's e-update will not feature any upcoming district events because many local gatherings are either in flux or have been cancelled due to the coronavirus situation.