Violence Prevention, Community Support, and Bipartisanship

January 28, 2025

Governor Evers’ 2025 State of the State Address laid out a bold vision for a safer, smarter, and healthier Wisconsin, and I’m proud to stand with him and my Democratic colleagues in support of these efforts. I’m especially grateful for the Governor’s commitment to include comprehensive gun violence prevention measures in his budget—policies that will make a real difference in keeping our families and communities safe.

As a longtime advocate for gun safety, I’m eager to work with the Governor and legislators on both sides of the aisle to turn these plans into action. Together, we can uplift policies that support Wisconsin’s kids, families, and seniors, ensuring a brighter future for everyone in our state.

In his 2025 State of the State address, Governor Tony Evers declared 2025 as the "Year of the Kid," emphasizing a comprehensive approach to support the health, safety, and well-being of Wisconsin's children. He outlined several key initiatives aimed at addressing critical issues such as mental health and suicide prevention among the state's youth.

Year of the Kid

Governor Evers underscored the importance of investing in the future of Wisconsin by focusing on our youth. He proposed investments to ensure that children have access to the resources they need to thrive, both in and out of the classroom. This includes initiatives to support families, enhance educational opportunities, and promote overall child well-being.

Mental Health Support

Governor Evers highlighted the importance of mental health among Wisconsinites. As part of the "Year of the Kid," Governor Evers announced a $300 million investment to provide comprehensive mental health services in schools. This initiative aims to ensure students have access to critical resources to succeed both academically and personally.

The governor spoke on the need to enhance mental health care access for individuals of all ages. By advocating for increased funding and support for community-level services, Wisconsin aims to reduce barriers and serve more residents in need. One mechanism for this suggested by Governor Evers was expanding BadgerCare to ensure broader access to mental health care as part of a holistic approach to health care for Wisconsin residents. Supporting healthcare accessibility is something I am adamantly in favor of and working to expand this session.

Suicide Prevention

During his address, Governor Evers highlighted the loss of former state Representative Jonathan Brostoff, who died by suicide in November. Former Rep. Brostoff is someone that I highly respected. I am grateful to have had the privilege to work with him and learn from him.

Evers proposed the creation of a program that would allow individuals to voluntarily and temporarily restrict themselves from purchasing firearms as a preventive measure against suicide. This initiative reflects a proactive approach to suicide prevention, aiming to provide individuals with tools to protect themselves during vulnerable times. This initiative has been a priority of mine as well. I have been drafting legislation to put this into practice and I am excited to collaborate with my colleagues to make it happen. 

As someone who has long been committed to gun safety advocacy, I am thrilled to see Governor Evers take action to create a statewide Office of Violence Prevention. This initiative is a critical step toward ensuring that every Wisconsinite can live, work, and play free from the threat of violence. By collaborating with law enforcement, schools, local leaders, and gun owners, this office has the potential to make meaningful progress in interrupting cycles of violence in communities across our state.

While the creation of this office is an important milestone, we must also take further legislative action to address this issue. I’m eager to work with Governor Evers and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance evidence-based measures that will keep our families, friends, and neighborhoods safe.

From day one as a State Representative, I have fought to address the kitchen table issues that make life easier for Wisconsin’s kids, families, and seniors. This legislative package will do just that by lowering the cost of housing, groceries, and prescription drugs to support working families and seniors across our state. 

It is clear that my constituents want legislators to focus on the issues that matter to them and improve their health and livelihoods. Access to healthy meals, vital healthcare, and a safe and dignified place to call home should not be partisan issues, so I hope we are able to find common ground with Republican colleagues as we kick off this legislative session.

The Lowering Costs, Improving Lives bill package that my democratic colleagues and I are collaborating on, aims to reduce the tax burden for renters and homeowners with the Homestead Tax Credit by raising the income eligibility and indexing the credit for inflation. We are working to lower prescription drug costs by capping the cost of insulin and eliminating cost-sharing payments for low-income households. We are prioritizing families, helping them save money on groceries, and reducing schools’ administrative burden by providing students the chance to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no cost to their families. This would apply to all families no matter their economic background.