Congrats to County Executive Crowley on his first in-person State of the County Address!

We sure miss our former colleague in the Assembly, but it is a joy and an honor to watch him shine at the County.

I appreciated this speech, and County Exec. Crowley’s focus on being the healthiest county in Wisconsin. 

“When we meet the needs of everyone, 

we can create a safe, healthy county 

where everyone has what they need to thrive.” 

-County Exec. David Crowley
 

He’s leading Milwaukee forward toward health and race equity.

We know that part of being healthy is having safe, secure, and affordable housing. People should be able to live where they work, and work where they live! Wauwatosa and West Allis are two cities partnering with the county on creating affordable housing. This is important! And all part of the greater mission we elected County Exec. Crowley to lead.

Mental Health is also part of the mission, and we heard about the hard work to deliver mental health services in the county at a time they are most needed.

We have heard this year the State of the Union, State of the State, State of the County, and will soon hear the State of the Tribes. The last 2-4 years have presented tremendous challenges, and—many of our leaders have stepped up and worked hard to meet the moment. We are seeing momentum forward. Thank you, County Exec. Crowley, and your dedicated staff, for your hard work. Many challenges remain—lead on.

Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s takeaways from the speech here, and check out photos from masterful photojournalist Lee Matz here.

Watch the full State of the County speech here.

Governor Evers included part of my EpiAccess bill in his budget proposal!

We have worked for the last 4 years to address the fact that not all ambulances in Wisconsin have epinephrine on board. This means that if you’re in an emergency situation and call an ambulance, that ambulance might arrive and only then will you find out it does not carry epinephrine on board–imagine if you are in a rural area and 40 minutes from a hospital–scary, right? I want to change that! I want to make Wisconsin safer! And thank heavens Governor Evers does, too, because for 4 years the Republicans haven't even given my bill a public hearing! Like with many of the bills I write, this bill will SAVE LIVES, and I am so grateful the Governor has acted to do just that!

The details: Governor Evers included funding to put epinephrine on all of Wisconsin’s  public, volunteer fire department, and non-profit ambulances. No ambulance should have to be without epinephrine because of the cost, and this funding can ensure that the cost of epinephrine can be reimbursed for emergency responders across Wisconsin, making it much more likely the medicine you need in an emergency will be available to you when that ambulance arrives.

Our caucus met this week for a briefing on the concerning behaviors from nationwide rightwing think tanks (like ALEC, WILL, etc). One notable concern is what they’re proposing as a sequel to “CRT”, and working to develop it as part of the everyday lexicon. 

These are fear-based tactics intended to scare and divide Wisconsinites. A divided public is a more easily manipulated public, which is why rightwing groups spend so much time, money, and energy dividing the public. As many of you know, I have long clung tightly to the saying, “Love Wins.” This saying is based on the belief that Love > Fear. In 2011, when Scott Walker used divide and conquer strategies on the Wisconsinites he’d sworn to serve, I marched around the Capitol with my hand painted Love Wins sign. That protest sign now hangs above my desk in my Capitol office.

And so as we meet this new nefarious character, the “new CRT”, the new attempt to divide the people I love and serve, I am on guard, and will do everything I can to fight against it. Divide and conquer techniques are inhumane and have no place in America. 

Love > Fear.

A people united will never be divided.

Love wins.

Read this article written by my colleagues Rep. Hong and Rep. Shelton for more.

The snow didn’t stop Delicious Bites from their GRAND OPENING on Wednesday, and I was thrilled to be there! And well, now I’m full of delicious cupcakes. You can fill your tummies with cupcakes and cookies and sandwiches and wraps and salads, and they also cater! That chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing was delicious! 

Store hours: 

Wednesday-Thursday 8am-6pm

Friday 8am-8pm

Saturday 8am-2pm 

Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Wisconsin will receive $80 million in federal funding for small businesses through the American Rescue Plan Act. 

“More than 99 percent of Wisconsin businesses are small businesses that employ nearly half of Wisconsin workers, and we know they’re more likely to hire locally, buy supplies locally, and reinvest locally back into our communities. One of our focuses in recovering from the pandemic has been ensuring our small businesses receive the resources needed to thrive,”
 

–Gov. Tony Evers. 
 

“In Wisconsin, our small businesses and Main Streets are the lifeblood of our communities and make our state the great place it is to live and raise a family. But, many of our businesses struggle to expand their reach and need resources to grow and thrive. I was proud to vote for the American Rescue Plan to help Wisconsin’s small businesses reach more customers, entrepreneurs access the resources they need to get their businesses’ off the ground, and create good-paying jobs in all corners of the state.”
 

–Senator Tammy Baldwin
 

“We’ve helped fuel our economic recovery by harnessing the ingenuity and homegrown talent we already have right here in Wisconsin, investing over $1 billion into supporting our small businesses and Main Streets, affected industries, and local communities.”
 

–Gov. Tony Evers
 

These funds will enable us to continue Wisconsin’s economic momentum. Thank you, Senator Baldwin and Governor Evers! See the full press release here.

On Tuesday in the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Prevention we heard a rule— rules are sometimes “promulgated” after a bill is signed into law. It’s very in the weeds but we are happy to explain it anytime, if you’d like! That’s what we are here for! Just call or email our office if you’re ever eager to know more about the rules process!

Also: pictured next to me is the nonpartisan state attorney assigned to our committee. Wisconsin has a great process in how we have nonpartisan attorneys available to our committees.

I’m anxious to get rolling on hearing legislation related to mental health as I know this is a very important issue to so many people in our district. So I hope we will see some good legislation in committee soon!!!

A large bipartisan group of legislators (twice this size, actually) joined Attorney General Josh Kaul at the Milwaukee Crime Lab on Wednesday to see and hear about what they do. Over the next few months we will be working on the state budget, and trips like this help us understand why we have an ask before us to increase 13 toxicologists to 17–the first increase in a very long time, and an ask coming at a time that drugs are becoming more and more sophisticated, and more and more difficult to identify.

We ended with a press conference (see Attorney General Kaul’s press release here), so you’ll likely see tv news and various press stories on WUWM, or WNPR, etc.

There are 3 crime labs in the state: Milwaukee (the newest), Wausau, and Madison. We toured toxicology, forensics, DNA testing, and more. The three locations are not identical in what they study, and they work together.

Happy Public Schools Week! All week we have been celebrating public schools. Every child in Wisconsin has the right to a world class public education—that’s a right in our state constitution, and it’s a mission handed to every legislator sworn-in to uphold that constitution.

This is a wonderful mission to be part of, as public schools are not only a massive economic engine in our state, drivers of your property values, but also the hearts of our communities!

It is an honor to be part of the mission to fulfill the right of every child’s access to a world class public education—as the daughter of a fantastic public school teacher, wife of a dedicated professor at a public university, mother of two kids educated in the Wauwatosa Public Schools since age 4, and legislator committed to the people of the 14th Assembly District.

Happy Public Schools Week!!!

WE LOVE YOU, TEACHERS!

I’ve watched both my mom and my husband weep over their students, with deep love-care-concern for the students’ success in school and in life—we know how much you love our kids, and we thank you! For teachers, this is more than a job-it’s who you are. Thank you, teachers!

From my 2019 Budget Speech I have been repeating the same things over and over again-- The Wisconsin Idea is a brilliant idea, and our world class UW educational system has a 23:1 ROI on the taxpayer investment.

I was elected in 2018, spoke on this in my first speech in 2019, and I won’t quit.The Wisconsin Idea is a brilliant idea

”We should also protect the tax payer’s investment in our world class, city on a hill university system and trade schools, to fight for the Wisconsin Idea drafted into the hearts and minds of Wisconsinites across this state, and uphold the constitutional oath we took in January to provide a world class education to every person in Wisconsin.” -2019 Budget Speech

Again and again and again and I’m not changing my tune: the Wisconsin Idea is a brilliant idea and one to be protected, fought for, and preserved.

Writing to constituents is a value in our office. It’s important to me that we not only respond to constituents who contact us, but that we also reach out to members of our community. We set a goal to send as many letters to constituents as possible this session—some letters we sent this week were related to childcare, others to people who stopped by my office when I wasn’t there, and others for articles we have seen in the news and wrote in response to those news stories. 

Three cheers to my staff, Bryce & Ben, for keeping these letters teed up for me because when I’m in the Capitol it’s VERY busy and we are making the most of EVERY MINUTE we have each week! I’m grateful for my very talented and hardworking team!

Please see this important press release from the Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus:

Over the last nine months, three Black transgender women have been murdered in Milwaukee. Their names are Brazil Johnson, Regina “Mya” Allen, and Cashay Henderson. The Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus released the following statement:

“The hate and violence against transgender people must end. Everyone, in every community, should have the opportunity to live their life and be who they are without fear. It is extremely alarming that over the last nine months, our state has lost three Black trans women to gun violence. 

“Brazil Johnson, Regina “Mya” Allen, and Cashay Henderson should be alive today. They should have had the opportunity to live a full life. Our thoughts are with their families and friends as they deal with the unimaginable loss of their loved ones. 

“Across our country, the volume of legislation aimed against the LGBTQ+ community has exploded, particularly against trans people. It is clear that these attacks have devastating real-life consequences for the LGBTQ+ community in every state—especially because actions like these particularly impact trans women of color, who suffer violence and homicide at disproportionate rates. The attacks must end. 

“We need to do everything we can to make sure that everyone in Wisconsin has the opportunity to love who they want, be who they are, and live a free and happy life. The Black trans community deserves better than this. Black Trans Lives Matter.”

Our Legislative Trails Caucus met on Thursday and heard about the exciting and impressive economic impact of our trails on Wisconsin communities. 

We also heard updates on trails projects. The Wisconsin River Bridge project, for example, will connect the Great Sauk State Trail and the Walking Iron Trail, which connects the trail systems of Dane and Sauk County.

We are fortunate to have many beautiful natural areas in our state. Wisconsin’s trails provide a space for Wisconsinites and visitors to hike, bike, and run, while enjoying our many beautiful natural areas. One of my favorite things to do with my family over the last decade has been to ride the Hank Aaron trail to the lakefront from our home in Wauwatosa.

I met today with pediatric residents from Children’s Wisconsin and heard about their concern related to lack of access to dental care for kids. There’s a waiting list of thousands of children (ballpark of 9,000) who need dental care. The longer they wait, the more serious the medical need can become.

I appreciate the time these hard working doctors took to come to Madison to advocate for Wisconsin kids. I’m grateful for a politically engaged Wisconsin—especially one that loves and wants the best for Wisconsin kids.

March is Women’s History Month. This month we celebrate the women who helped us pave the way and the women who are working hard to create a more equitable society.

Last legislative session, there were more women in the Wisconsin Legislature than ever before (41!), although we had not reached parity across the legislature (132 seats total). This session we have more women Democrats than last session, but less Republican women. This is the case even though the newly gerrymandered maps gave the Republicans more seats— so we have less Democratic seats this session, but more Democratic women. The Democrats continue to elect more and more women! 
 

There are: 

35 Democrats in the Assembly, including 20 women.

64 Republicans in the Assembly, including 13 women. 

11 Democrats in the State Senate, including 5 women.

21 Republicans in the State Senate, including 3 women. 
 

When I was elected in 2018, the Democratic Caucus achieved gender parity for the first time, we increased our numbers again and we now have 20 women–more than half! Women currently comprise more than half of the Democratic caucus, however even on these newly gerrymandered maps that have given the Republicans 64 seats, only 20% of the Republican caucus is women (it’s only 15% in the state senate), so the overall statistic of women in the Assembly is 33% women.

We know that it is fundamentally harder to run for office as a woman, with increasing threats of violence as well as online harassment and intimidation. The women in our caucus today, many of us, endured very difficult campaigns to get here, and their tenacity and grit is inspiring. 

Electing women matters. Representation matters. It is an honor to represent the 14th Assembly District, and to be part of the 106th Wisconsin State Legislature.

While I was touring the Milwaukee crime lab, my staff (Bryce) and intern (Tommy) were able to meet with architects for their day of advocacy!

Among the biggest issues discussed was the accessibility of professional opportunities for women in architecture. While almost half of architectural students in Wisconsin are women, less than 1 out of every 4 licensed architects are women. 

One of the bills that was discussed to help close this gap is LRB-1132, which sets a goal for the Department of Administration (DOA) to have at least 5% of state building projects contracted with woman-owned architecture and engineering firms. These goals have not only been standard practice in every neighboring state in the Midwest, but DOA already has similar policies for Minority-owned and Disadvantaged Veteran-owned businesses.

Here are the bills I co-sponsored this week:

Coverage of Breast Cancer Screenings, LRB-2159

This bipartisan bill requires health insurance policies to provide coverage (with no patient cost-sharing) for supplemental breast screening examinations for people who are at an increased risk of breast cancer. 

Early cancer detection saves lives, and women should not have to dig into their savings and pay more than $1,000 to get additional breast cancer screenings. I have already heard from several constituents glad I have co-sponsored this bill! As a woman and someone who has experienced this screening, and billing, first-hand, I understand why this bill is so important to constituents.

Proclaiming March 31st, 2023 as Cesar Chavez Day in Wisconsin, LRB-2037

I once again joined my colleagues in the Latino Caucus in supporting this joint resolution to honor Cesar Chavez, a Mexican immigrant who spent his life fighting for better conditions for migrant workers, improving the lives of thousands of farm workers!

Observing March 15th, 2023 as Equal Pay Day in Wisconsin, LRB-1848

Women as a group (averaged overall) still earn around 20% less than men in the workforce. These numbers are worse for women of color, especially for those who do not have a high school degree. This is unacceptable!

I believe in equal pay for equal work, and narrowing the pay equity gap in Wisconsin will help to maintain Wisconsin families’ high quality of life. 

The Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural hair (CROWN) Act, LRB-2223

Everyone should feel comfortable wearing their natural hair while at work, but unfortunately that is not always the case. Studies have shown that 80% of African American women are likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work, and Black women are 50% more likely to be sent home, or know of a Black woman who was sent home from their workplace because of their hair. 

This bill will update our laws to ensure protection against discrimination based on hairstyle, and is long overdue. I am happy to join Representatives LaKeshia Myers, Shelia Stubbs, Dora Drake, and Senators Lena Taylor and LaTonya Johnson from the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus in once again supporting this bill!