Welcome to my latest e-update. Here is a summary from the past week as your State Representative.
Starting on April 15th, state legislators are prohibited from sending out 50 or more pieces of identical materials from our office, including the e-update. That means we can write the e-update and post it online, but we cannot email it directly to you.
So, after April 15th, our weekly e-update will be posted on our legislative website and social media but will not be sent directly to your inbox. If you have any questions regarding this rule, please let us know!
As always, previous updates are available on our website and social media.
Please contact my office with any questions or concerns.
Forward together,
Robyn Vining
Happy Milwaukee Day!
Today, April 14th, is 4-14 or Milwaukee Day! On this day each year, the day that corresponds with our city’s area code 414, Milwaukeeans celebrate what makes our city unique. To celebrate I’m on doors in Milwaukee!
Check out this listof 14 things to do on 414 Day in the 414!
What is the 50 Piece Rule?
Starting tomorrow, April 15th, our office CANNOT send or distribute:
E-updates
Blue Books or Highway Maps
Contact or business cards
However, we can continue to:
Post on social media
Post on our website (e-updates included!)
Respond to constituent inquiries
So, starting tomorrow, our weekly e-update will be posted on our legislative website and on social media but will not be sent directly to your inbox. If you have any questions regarding this rule, please let us know by contacting us atrep.vining@legis.wisconsin.gov!
Additionally, if you would like to learn more about the 50 piece rule from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission clickHERE.
How to Find Our E-updates Starting Next Friday
Today, Thursday April 14th, is the last day our last weekly e-update will be emailed directly to inboxes. After today, due to the 50 piece rule, we cannot email you, but we can post these updates on our website and social media (twitter, facebook, and instagram)! Each Friday the e-update will be posted under “Press Releases and E-updates” on the homepage of our website and on our social media! Check out the photo above to see exactly how to get to our updates on our website. Here is a handy linkfor your reference. You may want to bookmark it on your phone’s home screen!
This Week, From the District!
The last two weeks my office has been sprinting to get as many Blue Books and door cards around our district as possible in our 14 Days til the 14th in the 14th Blue Book Sprint! My staff, John and Stephanie, also came to the 14th to drop off Blue Books at schools around our district! Check out where we went below.
We spent a sunny afternoon in northwest Brookfield this week, and chatted with Alderman Michael Hallquist. A fun day in the district meeting people and pups! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us!
Once upon a time (this week) I was delivering Wisconsin Blue books to local schools and one of Wauwatosa’s wonderful Alderwomen saw me and captured the moment as she picked up one of her kids. Thank you Alderwoman Meagan Holman O’Reilly!
Legislative Doors Day with the District 14 Office
John (Chief of Staff, left), Stephanie (Legislative Aide, right) and I spent a beautiful Tuesday morning in Lamplighter Park in Brookfield chatting with neighbors.
This week my staff traveled from Madison to the 14th district to get door cards out to as many of you as we could! Meet John, my new Chief of Staff, and Stephanie, my Legislative Aide. We traveled to two neighborhoods in Brookfield and had fun exploring more of the 14th district.
Knocking doors in the Washington Highlands, we stopped to chat with newly elected Alderman-elect Andrew Meindl!
The weather has been all over the place in the last week– Warm and sunny, and snowing and sleeting and raining! Pictured here very close to both our Wauwatosa and Milwaukee wards! Some blocks are both Wauwatosa and Milwaukee!
You asked, I delivered! I did my best to get to as many of the Little Libraries you suggested to us this week! I hope you enjoy reading about our beloved Wisconsin!
Last Week– Exciting Updates!
We prepped our e-update early last week, knowing we’d be in the district on Friday delivering Blue Books and legislative door visits, so we missed announcing some of the exciting news from last week! We’re combining last week’s exciting news with a very exciting inauguration that followed!
An absolutely brilliant morning watching Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee’s first Black mayor sworn in, surrounded by his wife, who delivered an exceptional speech, his three precious children, Senator Baldwin, Congresswoman Moore, Governor Evers, County Exec Crowley, Chairwoman Nicholson, Bishop Sedgwick Daniels, and his 2nd grade teacher, Carolyn Neumann!!! Praise Motivated sang the national anthem, and “Lift Every Voice.” Congratulations, Mayor Chevy Johnson!!!
On Thursday, April 7th, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. When Senator Tammy Baldwin, who voted for this confirmation, mentioned this exciting news at the inauguration of Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee’s first Black Mayor, the crowd went wild. This is an exciting moment in history!
On April 5th, Wauwatosans voted to elect Alderwoman-elect Margaret Arney, the first person of color to be elected to the Wauwatosa City Council. And, after a days-long tie, a single provisional ballot was cured, opened, and showed to have been cast for now Alderman-elect Sean Lowe. History has been made in Wauwatosa on the city council!
Also in Wauwatosa, Krista Lafave was elected as the first woman to serve as a Municipal Court Judge in Wauwatosa!
Milwaukee Delegation
The Milwaukee Delegation met at The Urban Ecology CenterMenomonee Valley (Three Bridges) and learned about how the 24 acres of beautiful (!) grounds are managed, where to catch salmon, the progress of cleaning the water (!), the artwork on the murals, the community involvement, the education program, etc, and we also laughed (shown) as we learned about energy and why it’s so important to care about renewable energies.
On our tour, the Urban Ecology Center explained the important role that the Urban Ecology Center plays in helping to educate local children about the environment and nature.
Pictured: Senator LaTonya Johnson and Reps. Andraca, Vining, Sinicki, Drake.
Fun day!
Wisconsin Health News Mental Health Briefing
Between inauguration and visiting homes in Wauwatosa on Wednesday, I served as a panelist at the Wisconsin Health News Mental Health Briefing. My fellow panelists and speakers are listed below.
We had an important discussion about how the pandemic has exacerbated depression and anxiety, and increased the need for mental health services across the area. We discussed the barriers Wisconsinites face in accessing mental health services – especially those in underserved and marginalized communities – and what can be done to help improve access. Also discussed was the effects of racism on mental health.
We also discussed the backlogs for mental health professionals’ licensures, the need to communicate services that are available, how to counter the stigma around mental health (mental healthcare is healthcare!), and how we can best respond– all of us at the table.
I’m again grateful to Governor Evers and Senator Baldwin for allocating funding for the Mental Health Emergency Center, the public-private partnership between MKE county & Childrens/Froedart/Ascension/Aurora, providing community-based care in MKE with an anticipated open date of September 6.
Included on the panel were:
● Jennifer Bergersen, CEO, Granite Hills Hospital
● Amy Herbst, Vice President of Mental and Behavioral Health, Children’s Wisconsin
● Mike Lappen, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Administrator
● Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa
● Brenda Wesley, Member, Milwaukee County Mental Health Board- Sponsor Remarks
● Jim Kubicek, Vice President of Behavioral Health Services, Ascension Wisconsin- Sponsor Remarks
And a special thanks to Moderator
● Tim Stumm, Editor, Wisconsin Health News
Madison in Milwaukee Night
After attending the Inauguration of Mayor Cavalier Johnson, serving on the Wisconsin Health News Mental Health Briefing, and visiting a few miles of constituent doors in the Washington Highlands in Wauwatosa, I went to “Madison in Milwaukee night!” This event annually brings together local and state legislators with business executives and community leaders from this region of our state. The reception highlights our elected leaders and showcases our region and its companies to show that the Southeast Wisconsin region is a world-class business location. As a legislator, small business owner, and Ranking Democrat on the Assembly Committee for Small Business, this is an important event to attend.
More Local Visits
I visited both the Elmbrook School Board, and the Wauwatosa School Board meetings this week to honor retiring members Shawn Rolland and Glen Allgaier. I also delivered Blue Books to the board members, and was able to chat for a few minutes before the meeting began.
I also visited the Wauwatosa City Council and was able to chat with current, retiring, and new members between committee hearings. And, you guessed it, I delivered some Blue Books!
Black Maternal Health Week
This year, April 11th-17th 2022, marks the 5th annual Black Maternal Health Week. This week is set aside as a time for all of us to consider the extreme discrepancies in Black Mother’s health compared to other mothers in the United States. Originally started by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), this week was first officially recognized last year, and again this year, by President Bidenand Governor Evers. I believe in centering the voices and needs of Black mothers in our state. This session I co-sponsored the Birth Equity Act (BEA) introduced by Rep. Shelia Stubbs and Sen. LaTonya Johnson. This 6 bill package would have been a start to interrupting the maternal and child health disparities we see here in Wisconsin.
Learn more about Black Maternal Health Week HERE. Learn more about the BEAHERE.
Homelessness Update from Milwaukee County
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recognized Milwaukee County for having the lowest number of unsheltered/ people experiencing homelessness per capita. Milwaukee County has continued to work and invest in housing first programming that saw a 70% decrease in homeless individuals from January 2020-January 2021. Although there are several caveats to this count, including the impact of the pandemic and the time of year (winter) that HUD chooses to take this count, Milwaukeeans should be proud of the success of their programs that are supporting their homeless community members. As of the January 2021 count, only 17 individuals were counted as not having shelter. This is tremendous progress for our community! I believe that housing is healthcare, and all Wisconsinites deserve to have access to affordable and high quality healthcare.
Something interesting to know if we have a number of wonderful constituents working to end homelessness, and create safe, secure, accessible and affordable housing. With this news from the county I reached out to some of them (Emily Kenney, Mary Lockwood, Deborah Heffner) and learned this has been exciting news for many of the partners working so hard to house Milwaukee County. Emily Kenney notes, “It’s also worth mentioning that this low number tells that we've gotten better at providing the right resource to shelter those outside. Our overall homeless number dropped steeply from 2015 and has since leveled off to about 800 on any given night. What this tells me is that we still have a long way to go to have stable, safe, affordable housing for everyone.” We can celebrate, and we should, and we must continue to focus on housing for all.
A word from our Milwaukee County Executive:
“Housing security is a key determinant of health for County residents. When you can’t count on having a roof over your head at night it compounds stress and anxiety and contributes mightily to the poor health disparities we see throughout the region,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “I’m happy to say that by prioritizing an evidence-based approach and maximizing collaborative efforts in the public and private sectors, we have reached this significant milestone, but the work is not done. As a County, region, and whole community, we must use this momentum to accelerate our efforts to invest upstream and end chronic homelessness in Milwaukee County.”
Read more about this update from Wisconsin Public RadioHERE.
Coming Up Next Week
As a member of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families, I will participate in this annual informational hearing on April 20, 2022.
This is a joint hearing with the Senate Committee on Human Services, Children and Families and the Assembly Committee on Children and Families that happens annually
We will hear testimony from invited speakers from the Department of Children and Families (DCF)
Each year, legislators on these two committees must have this hearing as required by law under s. 48.981 (7) (cr) 3. b., Stats. and s. 48.981 (9) (c), Stats.
To prep for the committee, offices create binders holding reports and documents for review.
This year these include:
2020 Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Report
90 Day and 6 Month Summary Reports of Incidents of Child Death, Serious Injury or Egregious Incident
Quarterly and Annual Reports of Sexual Abuse of Children Placed in Out-of-Home Care Submitted to the Legislature on 4/26/2021, 7/19/2021, 10/27/2021, and 1/28/2022
A Note on Possible Upcoming Session Days
Republican leadership adjourned our legislative session near the end of February. However, there are still two periods of time we have marked as days votes can be called. It’s important to note that these session days are different from previous days on the floor of the Assembly. April 19th-20th are floor days referred to as “limited business days.” At the end of each even-numbered year the Assembly schedules a floor period after the last general-business period in order to take limited action on: bill revisions, reconciliation between bills that were introduced by a committee or organization in either house that resolve conflicts between inconsistent acts of biennial session, or ratification of state employee collective bargaining contracts under certain state statutes.
May 17th-18th are also marked on our calendars as floor days referred to as the “Veto Review Period.” This floor period is also scheduled every even-numbered year and is a time that the legislature could choose to take action on gubernatorial vetoes or partial vetoes, pending nominations that require legislative confirmation, bill revisions, and reconciling bills, resolutions offering recognition or condolences. All bills that the Governor has vetoed are automatically put on the calendar for these days and can be taken up if Assembly leaderships decides to do so.
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
As of April 13th 9,423,372 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin and 64.2% of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose, with 60.9% fully vaccinated.
DHS has reported that newer data indicates that unvaccinated individuals are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and die from COVID-19 at 14 times higher rates than fully vaccinated individuals.
The best protection against any variant of COVID-19, is to get fully vaccinated and get a booster shot. All Wisconsinites ages 5 and over are eligible for a FREE COVID-19 vaccine series. Additionally, all those 18 years or older who had their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago, or got their Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months ago, are eligible for a free booster shot. DHS recently endorsed a second booster vaccine for adults over 50 and those who are immunocompromised.
