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Forward Fridays

Hello!

Welcome to my latest e-update! Here are highlights from the past week as your State Representative. 

As always, feel free to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns you have.

Forward together!   


Capitol Photo 10-29.jpgIt was a busy week in-district and in Madison, with various constituent meetings and committee hearings. Here's a recap of this week's events. 


 Doors

Brookfield Doors 10-25.jpgOn Friday, we chatted with constituents in Brookfield and Wauwatosa all day. The biggest issues we heard about were public education, partisanship(and bipartisanship) in the state and federal government, and gun violence prevention. 

Brookfield East Interns 10-25.jpgOur high school interns, Zach and Shagun, were able to join us in the afternoon!  


 District Meetings

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Monday morning we met with constituents in Brookfield to discuss physician's assistant legislation, workforce development, and vaping concerns. 

Pictured is a group from the American Lung Association, including a pediatrician who detailed the detrimental effects of vaping, specifically on kids.  

Rep Myers Mtg 10-28.jpgLater that day we met with State Representative LaKeshia Myers to discuss school safety in Wauwatosa. We are meeting with the Wauwatosa School District next month to discuss more on this topic, as a follow-up to our discussion in September. 


Health Committee

Health Committee 10-30.jpgOn Tuesday, I came to Madison for a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Health. On Wednesday, we voted on the following bills in an executive session:

Assembly Bill 70

Relating to: the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.

Assembly Bill 178

Relating to: eligibility for physician, dentist, and health care provider educational loan assistance programs

Assembly Bill 258

Relating to: Marquette University School of Dentistry rural scholarship program and making an appropriation.

Assembly Bill 287

Relating to: certifications for advance directives and findings of incapacity related to powers of attorney for health care.

Assembly Bill 304

Relating to: permitting pharmacists to prescribe certain contraceptives, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.

Assembly Bill 313

Relating to: establishing a tick-borne disease study committee.

Assembly Bill 317

Relating to: Department of Natural Resources' efforts to raise awareness about Lyme disease.

Assembly Bill 525

Relating to: implementing a suicide prevention program and making an appropriation.

Assembly Bill 526

Relating to: requiring continuing education on suicide prevention for physicians, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and substance abuse counselors and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority.


Adoption Bills

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We rolled out 6 more bills on Tuesday in response to testimony we heard on the Adoption Task Force and from the Dept. Of Children & Families. I’m the lead on this bill, and #2 on a bill that supports siblings separated into different homes the ability to meet up at a special Wisconsin foster care + adoption summer camp.

1. Wisconsin Adoption and Permanency Support program 

2. Adoption of children in foster care 

3. Driver's licenses for youth in out-of-home care 

4. Searching for a biological sibling who has been adopted

5. Scholarships for sibling connections and making an appropriation

6. University of Wisconsin and technical college tuition remissions for and grants to support foster care and other out-of-home placement students 

The bills are all linked here 

This article here gives you a general idea of why I co-sponsored only 1 of the 8 bills that were originally rolled out from the Task Force.

I did, however, return to the priorities outlined in our final wrap-up meeting with Dept. Children & Families, priorities that saw no significant opposition but weren’t reflected in the original bill rollout, and along with colleagues, we introduced 6 more bills that I believe more fairly represent what we heard from the the 7 task force hearings around the state.

Adoption isn’t an issue that should have ended up with a heavily partisan bill package. We now have 14 bills, offered by Democrats and Republicans, with significant common ground, and I hope we can come together and get some good, bipartisan bills passed to serve the people of Wisconsin. 


Children's Caucus

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Wednesday started with an 8:45am Children’s Caucus hearing. The topic was children of incarcerated parents. I deeply appreciate the partnerships that create the bipartisan, bicameral Children’s caucus, and its focus on bipartisan, evidenced-based solutions. 


Financial Institutions Committee

Financial Institutions 10-30.jpgThe Financial Institutions committee met on Wednesday to hear 2 bills. Some hearings last hours, others 28 minutes. Both bills are bipartisan, one notably had significant bipartisan work done in the Senate, and bipartisan bills like these sometimes move fairly quickly through committee. An executive session for the bills will be held next week. Pictured here: Representatives Doyle, Meyers, Hesselbein and myself. 


Urgent Action Needed to get Safe Harbor Passed

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A mid-week update was sent out on Wednesday regarding Safe Harbor legislation. This bill still hasn’t been put on the calendar. This means that Republican leadership have not scheduled this bill for a vote in either the Assembly or the Senate. 

If you think it deserves a vote, let your State Representatives, State Senators, and Assembly and Senate leadership (Speaker Vos and Senator Fitzgerald) know!

The Republican caucus has control of what gets a vote on the floor of the Assembly, and while there are 55 co-sponsors out of the 99 members of the Assembly, and it passed through committee unanimously and with no public opposition, the bill can't get out of the Republican caucus and to the floor. 

Find your legislators here: https://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/

In case you missed it, you can find it on our website here.   


Family Leave (FMLA or FMLIA)

Due to the length of this email, next week we will outline information on the recently introduced Family Leave bill, authored by Rep. Sondy Pope and Sen. Janis Ringhand. 


 DONUTS DURING DEPLOYMENT

Donuts During Deployment 11-9 (1).pngDONUTS DURING DEPLOYMENT

Saturday November 9th
11am-12:30pm
Cranky Al's 
6901 W North Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53213
Donuts will be provided!
RSVP @ Rep.Vining@legis.wisconsin.gov 
or on 
Facebook 

Share this graphic with your military friends, family, neighbors, including those in reserves!  


PELVIC HEALTH - TOPICAL TOWN HALL

Our first Topical Town Hall will be on Pelvic Health!

Free Pelvic Health Seminar
Saturday, 11/16 @ 3:00PM
Legacy Gym MKE
1535 Underwood Ave
Wauwatosa, WI
Facebook event

Have you had a baby? Did your body change as a result? Do you experience pain in your back, hips or pelvis? Do you leak urine when you cough or sneeze? Do you have bladder urgency? Women of any age can experience pain, urine leaking, bowel dysfunction and other physical changes with their bodies. You may consider these changes COMMON, but they are NOT NORMAL. Come learn about the changes women may experience with aging that can be easily addressed and frequently improved.
Colleen Wilkens, MPT, is a Physical Therapist who specializes in pelvic health. She will be sharing insight on these topics, preventative tips and treatment options.
Topical Town Halls Topics (1).pngI announced a new initiative called "Topical Town Halls" - neighborhood educational opportunities about five different topics, hosted around the district throughout the winter and spring -- November, January, February, March, April, and May. 

Read my press release here to see the topics, announcing our Topical Town Halls.  


 Capitol School Group Visits
Brookfield Elementary School 10-24-19.pngBrookfield Elementary came to tour the State Capitol last week and this week - we hope you enjoyed your visits!
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  Assembly Democrats Podcast

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Did you know that we have a podcast? Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! The latest episode is available now!

They're short, sweet, and keep you up to date on the basic happenings in the Capitol. 


Looking Forward 

Feel free to email or call my office with any questions or concerns, or meet with me at one of my in-district office hours or listening sessions.

Forward together,

Rep. Robyn Vining

 

Contact Us: 

State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708 

PH: (608) 266-9180
TF: (888) 534-0014

Email: Rep.Vining@legis.wi.gov 
Web: www.vining.assembly.wi.gov

 


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