Forward Fridays: July 23rd, 2021

Welcome to my latest e-update. Here is a summary from the past week as your State Representative.

Baby Bond Bill

On Thursday, I introduced legislation with my colleagues State Representative Sondy Pope (D-Mount Horeb) and State Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) to establish a Baby Bonds program in Wisconsin, as part of the Building Economic Security Together (B.E.S.T.) Agenda introduced by Sen. Agard. For babies born to Medicaid eligible families in Wisconsin, the state would invest in bonds worth $3,000 - access to these funds would be granted at 18, the money could be used to buy a home, pursue higher education, start a business, contribute toward retirement or investments, or pay for childcare.

Read my full statement on the introduction of this bill HERE.

These are the other bills in the B.E.S.T. Package -

Congratulations to the Bucks!

Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks! What an exciting series here in our beloved city. Governor Evers proclaimed July 22nd, 2021 as Bucks In Six Day to celebrate the amazing Bucks team and their incredible season and win.

View the full proclamation HERE.

This Week in Meetings

This week I met with a number of organizations including the National Association of Social Workers, the Nurses Association, the Wisconsin Department of Justice in addition to the new Wauwatosa Schools Superintendent Dr. Demond Means and constituents. Although it is summer, we remain busy at work in the legislature!

Extraordinary Session Next Week

We were notified late today that Assembly Republicans have called an extraordinary session next Tuesday, July 27th. An extraordinary session occurs when the Assembly meets outside of the normal legislative session. We anticipate this is because the Republicans would like to override one, or more, of Governor Evers' vetoes. Unfortunately the Republicans have not been forthcoming with the bills on which they plan to call a vote. What is clear is they want to pick a fight. This is especially disappointing to me because the state of Wisconsin is in a moment of statewide unity, and I wish this moment of unity and shared celebration were not disrupted by partisan fights.

Committee Next Week

Next Thursday July 29th at 9AM, the Assembly Committee on Health will be meeting to hold a public hearing on a number of bills.

Watch the public hearing live at wiseye.org/live.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

As of July 22nd, 5,762,454 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin and 51.3% of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose, with 48.9% fully vaccinated.

If you have not yet been vaccinated, now is a critical time to get your vaccine. The vaccine protects individuals and communities from getting seriously ill or dying of COVID-19, including the variants. Currently, Wisconsin is seeing a rise in cases as the Delta variant spreads among the unvaccinated. The Delta variant spreads more easily and can cause more severe illness. Find more information of COVID-19 variants HERE.

En español, AQUI. ¿Tiene preguntas sobre la vacuna contra el COVID-19? Llame al 844-684-1064 (llamada gratuita)

For more information about where you can get a vaccine, visit the DHS website HERE.

For more information about where to get vaccinated in Waukesha County, visit their website HERE.

For more information about where to get vaccinated in the city of Wauwatosa, visit their website HERE.

For more information about where to get vaccinated in the city of Milwaukee, visit their website HERE. En español AQUI.