Forward Fridays: September 3rd, 2021

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

Governor Evers Announces $25 Million in Federal Funding for Public Transportation

This week Governor Evers announced that $25 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be invested into public transportation in Madison and Milwaukee. Milwaukee County will receive $19.7 million. Thank you to Governor Evers for filling the gaps in public transportation funding. I know how important public transportation is for so many people in our community who depend on it to get to work, the doctor, the grocery store, and more.

Read Governor Evers’ full announcement HERE.

Beam Signing Ceremony for New Mental Health Emergency Center in Milwaukee

Together with the area health systems - Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Health - Milwaukee County has developed the new joint venture Mental Health Emergency Center.

Tuesday was the beam signing ceremony for this new facility at 1525 N. 12th St, the next major milestone in the community’s journey to offer more accessible, community-based, patient-centered and equitable mental health care.

I appreciate the vision of our county and the partnership of our health systems to come together to provide these crucial services to the county’s residents. Tuesday was an exciting day!

Big thanks to all the city council members, county supervisors, Mayor Barrett, County Executive Crowley, Congresswoman Moore, Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office, Governor Evers, and my democratic colleagues in the state legislature who attended on Tuesday. Forward together.

http://MentalHealthMKE.org

At the beam signing ceremony, Governor Evers announced that he is investing $5.7 million to the Mental Health Emergency Center in Milwaukee. The investment is part of Governor Evers’ commitment to improving Wisconsin’s mental health and substance use services.

Read Governor Evers’ full announcement HERE.

Welcoming Afghan Refugees to Wisconsin

Fort McCoy, a military installation in Wisconsin, has begun receiving refugees from Afghanistan. Wisconsin is proud to welcome refugees from Afghanistan to Wisconsin. The families and individuals arriving at Fort McCoy deserve our support and compassion as they may be experiencing trauma and grief.

Read my full statement HERE.

Read Governor Evers’ announcement on opportunities to support Afghan evacuees HERE.

Find more ways to help from the Department of Children & Families HERE.

Welcome Back to School!

Wednesday was the first day of school for many students. Thank you to Wauwatosa Schools for inviting me to welcome the families back Wednesday morning! I was honored to take part in the national anthem and flag raising at Lincoln Elementary, and then cheer the kids on as they walked the red carpet into their first day at school. And a big thank you to wonderful principal Dr. Miner for taking me to peek into the classrooms to see the renovations! Welcome back to school, everyone! Thank you teachers, administrators, faculty, and staff, for your hard work serving our families!

Labor Day

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Labor day Weekend!

State offices will be closed on Monday September 6th for the holiday. Feel free to send us an email on Monday and we will get back to you the following day.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today that eligibility for the $100 COVID-19 Vaccine Reward Program will be extended to Sunday, September 19th, 2021. The program opened August 20th and is available to anyone ages 12 and up in Wisconsin who gets their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 19th. Read the full announcement HERE.

As of September 3rd, 6,142,156 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin and 55.1% of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose, with 51.7% 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.