2021-2022 Legislative Session Begins - Democrats Hit the Ground Running with COVID-19 Bill
On Monday January 4th, as the 2021-2022 Regular Legislative Session began my democratic colleagues and I hit the ground running with a COVID-19 Response Bill. Our bill focuses on protecting the health and safety of Wisconsin families and setting up our state for economic recovery. This bill includes the Healthcare Heroes Act, a bill I authored to protect and support frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic. This bill also includes provisions from Governor Evers’ COVID-19 proposal including funding for the Child Care Counts Supplementary Payment Program, the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program, the Food Security Initiative, and We’re All In Small Business Grants. Additional funding for these programs are essential for many Wisconsinites as we continue to face challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.
We need to fight for the survival of our small businesses, support our frontline healthcare workers, come alongside our schools and childcare providers, update the unemployment system, and do absolutely everything we can to protect the health and safety of each and every Wisconsinite from COVID-19.
Read my full statement on this proposal HERE.
Committee Assignments
This week committees were assigned. I look forward to working as a Ranking Member of both the Assembly Committee on Mental Health and the Assembly Committee on Small Business Development. I care deeply about these issues, and am honored to serve as the lead Assembly Democrat on these committees. I also look forward to returning as a member of the Assembly Committees on Health and Children & Families.
Read my full inauguration statement HERE.
Insurrection at U.S. Capitol
On Wednesday, insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol in opposition to the U.S. Congress meeting to certify the Electoral College votes. The violence at the United States Capitol is an attack on our democracy, but our democracy will prevail. I condemn the violence in all forms, including dangerous rhetoric escalating toward violence. It has been, and remains, the job of elected officials to behave in ways that perpetuate, not hinder, democracy, and we need leaders on all sides of the aisle to join together right now in one voice.
Read my full statement HERE.
Kenosha District Attorney Decision
On Wednesday, Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that no charges will be filed against the officer that shot Jacob Blake. I am thinking of Jacob Blake, his children, and his family in the wake of this decision. As I often am in situations like this, I am pained by the trauma for all involved in this terrible situation, and the lifetime of healing they will now face.
Read my full statement on this decision HERE.
Read the statement from the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus on this decision HERE.
Assembly Session Day - Assembly Bill 1
On Thursday, the Wisconsin State Assembly met to consider the first bill of this Legislative Session. Assembly Bill 1 (linked HERE) passed on a party line vote, and garnered no support by Assembly Democrats, Governor Evers, or Senate Republicans. In essence, this bill will go nowhere.
I spoke on the floor in support of the substitute amendment, which includes provisions from the proposal that Assembly Democrats introduced on Monday. Republicans voted to table the amendment, meaning they did not support including these provisions into Assembly Bill 1.
This amendment can be read HERE.
Watch my full floor speech HERE.
Read my statement regarding AB 1 HERE.
Letter to Vice President Pence to Invoke the 25th Amendment
On Thursday, following the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol, my colleagues and I signed onto a letter to Vice President Mike Pence calling on him to invoke the 25th amendment. As Vice President, he has the authority to invoke the 25th Amendment which deems the president unfit to leave. If invoked, there would be a transfer of power from the President to the Vice President. In this case, this transition would ensure a peaceful transition of power. President Trump’s actions this week caused a domestic terrorist attack on the most significant symbol of our system of self-government. He must be held accountable for his actions in order to protect our democracy.
Read the full letter HERE.
Anti-Violence Resolution
After the insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, I co-sponsored a resolution that confirms Wisconsin’s commitment to American democracy and the orderly and peaceful transfer of power called for in the Constitution of the United States.
Read the full resolution HERE.
COVID-19 Vaccination Update
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, our state has made great progress in amping up vaccinations since they began in mid December. Each day we are able to vaccinate larger groups of people than the day before. For example, the number of people vaccinated on Wednesday this week was nearly double the amount of people vaccinated on Monday. The state has also increased their vaccinator capacity at an impressive rate. As of December 14th, we had a vaccinator capacity of 108 and now it is up to 1,066. As of January 7th, there have been 110,207 COVID-19 vaccines administered in Wisconsin. In addition, by the end of the week, half of all the residents and staff in Wisconsin’s skilled nursing homes will have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. On January 25th, the state will start vaccinating those who work or live in assisted living facilities.
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit their website HERE.
Office of Children’s Mental Health Annual Report
This week the Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) released their annual report. OCMH works to collaborate among state agencies, nongovernmental mental health programs, advocates and people with lived experience to support Wisconsin’s children in achieving mental health and well-being. In their annual report, they discuss Wisconsin’s achievements including a two percent increase in high school graduations and an increase in screening for mental health issues. They also discuss the increases over the past ten years of students who feel sad or hopeless. According to OCMH, in 2019 almost 60% of high school students experienced depression, anxiety, self-harm, or suicidal ideation. They also cover significant barriers to mental health access in Wisconsin.
As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic, the discussion around mental health for both children and adults is more important now more than ever. I am grateful for all of the important work that OCMH does and I look forward to working in partnership with them this session.
Read the full report HERE.
Access resources and information from OCMH HERE.
State of the State
The annual State of the State address will take place on Tuesday, January 12th at 7pm.
Watch live on WisconsinEye at www.wiseye.org/live.
People's Maps Commission
The People's Maps Commission will hold a public hearing for the 4th Congressional District (Milwaukee) on Thursday, January 14th from 5-8pm.
More information and to register to testify or submit public comment can be found HERE.
Watch live on WisconsinEye at www.wiseye.org/live.
COVID-19 Update
For daily updated information on COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit the DHS website HERE.
Statewide
502,012 confirmed cases (increase of 3,474)
32.8% of total tests are positive, by person (for 1/8/2021)
22,206 hospitalizations (4.4% of cases- increase of 136)
467,069 recovered cases (93% of all cases)
2,390,538 negative test results (increase of 7,128)
5,119 devastating deaths (increase of 40)
0 patients at Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park
14th District Counties
Milwaukee - 88,244 confirmed cases
Waukesha - 36,041 confirmed cases
*Changes over day prior
