Honoring Detective Joel Bateman of Oak Creek

On Tuesday I presented Detective Joel Bateman of the Oak Creek Police Department with the First Responder of the Year Award. This award was created in 2019 to honor first responders from around the state for their outstanding service to their communities.

Detective Bateman has been with the Oak Creek Police Department for 26 years. In that time, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership characteristics on the tactical team at the Oak Creek Police Department, and has excelled as an instructor, training law enforcement officers and members of the community alike on safety measures.

We are so lucky to have Detective Bateman in Oak Creek and are grateful for his service. Please join me in thanking him for his service to our community!

Thanks for Visiting!

On Wednesday, members of the 128^th Air Refueling Wing Community Council and the South Milwaukee Lions Club were in Madison for a tour of the 115^th Fighter Wing at Truax Field. While they were here, they were able to take a tour of the State Capitol and visit with Legislators. Thank you for coming to visit and thank you for your service to the State of Wisconsin and our community.

Trick-or-Treating around the 21^st Assembly District

The citywide trick-or-treat times in our community can be found below. Be safe and have fun!

October Floor Session Highlights

The Assembly was on the Floor on Tuesday and Wednesday, making this a busy week in the Legislature! We took up a couple different packages of bills.

Fixing Foundations

The Fixing Foundations package of bills aims to address the growing workforce housing shortage in Wisconsin. The availability of affordable housing is an issue that is affecting rural and urban communities in Wisconsin alike. The package of bills that passed on Tuesday aims to provide safer, more affordable housing options across the state. I’d like to highlight a few of the bills in this package.

Assembly Bill 156 (AB 156) would encourage the construction of new housing complexes by establishing a Wisconsin Workforce Housing Tax Credit – modeled after Wisconsin’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) – to incentivize the construction of workforce housing.

Assembly Bill 610 (AB 610) updates state appraisal practices to ensure fair and equal property tax assessments. This bill prohibits assessors from using projected rents, list and asking prices, or price trends to determine fair market value. Property taxes should not be subject to ever-changing housing prices.

Assembly Bills 156 and 610 passed with unanimous support and will now go to the Senate for consideration.

Time for Life

On Wednesday we considered a package of bills aimed at reducing the instances of induced abortions in Wisconsin. I’d like to highlight a few of the bills for you.

Assembly Bill 36 (AB 36) would, with certain safeguards in place, allow a woman to obtain hormonal contraceptives through a prescription from a pharmacist. In many circumstances women in our state may find it difficult to make an appointment with their primary care doctor or OB/GYN to get a prescription for birth control – whether it be because she lives in a rural area that is far away from her doctor, or because she works multiple jobs and has little free time. This bill will increase access to contraceptives by allowing pharmacists to prescribe them. Many of our rural Wisconsinites live closer to their pharmacy than they do to their doctor, and pharmacies have extended and weekend hours that can increase access for women who have busy schedules.

Assembly Bill 539 (AB 539) prevents an individual from being denied an organ transplant because they have a mental or physical disability. The Prenatal Diagnosis Information Act (AB 594) requires physicians to give certain educational resources and information to expectant parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal congenital condition diagnosis, and the Shield the Vulnerable Act (AB 595) is a common-sense bill that seeks to prevent discrimination by prohibiting abortions based solely on sex, race, color, national origin, ancestry, or diagnosis of a congenital disability.

Save the Date: In-District Office Hours

Happy Halloween!

Don’t Miss These In-District Events!

• Lights on Edgewood (101.5 FM) – October 29-31 at 7pm – 1322 Edgewood Ave, South Milwaukee https://www.facebook.com/LIGHTSONEDGEWOOD/
• South Milwaukee Library Halloween Party – Thursday, October 28 from 6-7:30pm – 1907 10^th Ave, South Milwaukee https://smlibrary.org/calendar/
• Halloween Safe Site – Sunday, October 31 from 4-6pm – Oak Creek Historical Society, 15^th Ave and Forest Hill Ave, Oak Creek https://www.facebook.com/events/403342224534783
• Hotel California “A Salute to the Eagles” – Saturday, November 13 at 7pm – Oak Creek PAEC, 340 E Puetz Rd, Oak Creek https://www.oakcreekpaec.com/tickets
• South Milwaukee’s Old Fashioned Christmas – Saturday, November 20 from 2-5pm – 2424 15^th Ave, South Milwaukee https://4thdistrict.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/screenshot-2021-10-14-8.18.25-am.png
• South Milwaukee Lions Club Lighted Christmas Parade – Saturday, November 20 at 5:30pm – 15^th Avenue starting at Madison Avenue and south to Marion Avenue, South Milwaukee https://4thdistrict.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/screenshot-2021-10-14-8.18.25-am.png
• South Milwaukee’s Old Fashioned Christmas: Tree Lighting – Saturday, November 20 following the parade – 2424 15^th Ave, South Milwaukee https://4thdistrict.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/screenshot-2021-10-14-8.18.25-am.png
• Light the Square Holiday Celebration – Wednesday, December 1 at 6pm – Drexel Town Square, Oak Creek https://www.oakcreekwi.gov/visitor/events/holiday-celebrations/holiday-tree-lighting-ceremony
• Oak Creek High School Theatre Presents: Crazy for You – December 10-11 at 7pm and December 12 at noon – Oak Creek PAEC, 340 E Puetz Rd, Oak Creek https://www.oakcreekpaec.com/tickets