I hope this e-update finds you healthy, safe, and warm. As we begin the month of March, I wanted to share some updates regarding various topics in our state, including new opportunities to provide your feedback and thoughts as the legislature shapes Wisconsin’s next state budget.
Please follow my Facebook or Twitter for more frequent updates. I hope they help keep you informed and engaged with what’s going on in Madison and Milwaukee.
As always, I welcome any feedback or ideas you may have. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.
Evan Goyke State Representative 18th Assembly District
Vaccine Eligibility and Distribution
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today that people ages 16 and up who have certain medical conditions will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 29th. This eligibility group includes individuals with medical conditions associated with an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
The next eligibility group includes individuals age 16 and over with the following medical conditions:
Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
Cancer
Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
Chronic kidney disease
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
Cystic fibrosis
Down syndrome
Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
Hypertension or high blood pressure
Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant, blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
Liver disease
Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30-39 kg/m2)
Overweight (BMI of 25-29 kg/m2)
Pregnancy
Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2 or more)
Sickle cell disease
Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
Individuals with the outlined medical conditions can access vaccine through a variety of options, including community-based clinics, health care providers, Local and Tribal Health Departments, and pharmacies. Wisconsinites with a primary care provider may hear directly from their provider. Visit the Wisconsin COVID-19 vaccine options page or call the toll-free vaccine hotline at 1-844-684-1064 to learn more.
Additionally, due to anticipated increases in vaccine availability, DHS anticipates the general public will be eligible for the vaccine sometime in May.
Joint Finance Committee Road Show
Our previous update included information about the introduction of the Governor's 2021-2023 budget. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau is currently finishing its analysis of the bill. When that summary and analysis is finished I will be sure to share it with you and will be able to answer any questions you may have.
One of the next steps in the budget process is public listening sessions held around the state by the Joint Finance Committee, of which I am a member. Yesterday the Committee Co-Chairs announced the details and schedule of these hearings.
The public hearing schedule is:
Friday, April 9, 2021: UW-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI
Wednesday, April 21, 2021: The Hodag Dome, Rhinelander, WI
Thursday, April 22, 2021: UW-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Wednesday, April 28, 2021:Virtual
You will notice that there isn’t a hearing anywhere close to our community. I encourage you to participate in the virtual option if you are able. I have mixed feelings about the locations selected and while I would like to see an even closer to us, I am mindful that these events themselves present a risk of COVID spread and would not encourage participation if it wasn’t safe even if the event were in our community.
Pre-registration will be required for the virtual hearing. The registration process and details are in development and will be released as soon as possible via the new committee website, which is also a portal for constituents to provide input.
The committee has also developed a dedicated email address to receive comments and testimony. The e-mail to submit your comments and testimony is budget.comments@legis.wisconsin.gov.
When more details are released for the virtual hearing I will be sure to share those with you.
Governor Evers' Listening Sessions
In addition to the committee public hearings mentioned above, Governor Evers announced on March 8th that he will be holding another round of 6 virtual listening sessions regarding the state budget and the Badger Bounceback initiative.
The release with information on dates, times, topics, and pre-registration may be found HERE.
Forward Wisconsin
On Wednesday, March 3rd Forward Wisconsin kicked off the first Budget Action Meeting on Criminal Justice Reform and Democracy. We are grateful to the Assembly Democratic legislators, organizations, and Wisconsinites for discussing and taking action on these important issues in the state budget. The live recording can be viewed HERE.
This week, we had our second Budget Action Meeting on Childcare, K-12, and Higher Education and covered key budget priorities including investing in student mental health and public schools to expanding high-quality child care options and college affordability. The live recording can be viewed HERE.
We hope you can join us next Wednesday, March 17th for the Climate, Environment, and Equal Rights Budget Action Meting to discuss and advocate for investing in climate resiliency, green jobs, improving water quality, and promoting equity and opportunity for immigrants and LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites.
Want to join the conversation and take action (virtually)? Follow Forward Wisconsin on Facebook and Twitter and mark your calendars for the upcoming listening sessions!
The Billion-Dollar Decision: BadgerCare Expansion
The most important decision facing Wisconsin in the upcoming budget debate is whether or not our State expands BadgerCare. I support expansion. Wisconsin is 1 of 12 states who have not expanded and each year we’ve lost out on saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
In his budget request, Governor Evers proposes to expand BadgerCare under the federal Affordable Care Act. The proposal would cover all low-income Wisconsin residents who earn incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). This is an increase from the current law, which is set at 100% FPL. The expansion will provide health care coverage to 90,900 additional Wisconsinites while saving Wisconsin approximately $635 million in the next two years alone!
Now, on top of that savings, the most recent stimulus bill passed by Congress includes an additional incentive for states that have not expanded to do so. The bill provides a temporary 5% increase in the federal government’s share of the cost, which over 2 years is an additional $1 billion to Wisconsin. This new $1 billion is one-time, only available now.
Add these together: expanding BadgerCare in this budget would result in saving $1.635 billion over the next two years!!!
Click the video below for a Nerd Power breakdown of the benefits of BadgerCare expansion.
Rep. Goyke in the Press
In order to help you stay up to date on my work this session, I wanted to share some interviews and articles I am featured in with you all.
The Near West Side Partners (NWSP) and United Methodist Children Services (UMCS) are partnering to host a cross community clean-up on Saturday, April 17th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The meeting place for this clean-up will again be Tiefenthaler Park on the corner of 27th and Cherry.
If you as an individual or your organization are interested in joining us, here is a link to register. We are asking each volunteer to please register and provide the information requested as we plan to keep volunteers up-to-date on any changes.
If you have any questions, or if your organization or business would like to be a partner or sponsor of this event, please feel free to reach out to Keith Stanley at (414) 350-4079 or Bill Schmitt at 414-708-8266, or via email.
Important Local COVID-19 Resources
During these unprecedented times, I want to make sure that you are connected to the resources that are available in our community. Each e-update will include resources and opportunities that may be helpful for anyone experiencing hardship due to the pandemic.
W-2 Emergency Assistance: One-time payment that can help qualifying low-income parents to pay for emergency housing or utility-related expenses.
Energy Assistance Program: Provides qualified Milwaukee County residents with a one-time, annual payment toward heating and electric bills. The funding pays a portion of energy costs determined by household size, income, and energy costs.
2-1-1 Social Service and Community Resource Referral Support through IMPACT, Inc.:
Dial 2-1-1, or (414) 773-0211
To avoid being charged a long-distance fee, call 2-1-1 toll-free at (866) 211-3380
Text your zip code: TXT-211{898-211} Mon- Fri 9 a.m.-9 p.m.