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Election Bills and Voting In Wisconsin

I have one clear message for Wisconsin’s election system; I want it to be easy to vote and hard to cheat.

In the 2020 election, liberal billionaire Mark Zuckerberg bankrolled Wisconsin’s five largest far-left counties to enable them to run months of electioneering, including ballot harvesting, unsecured private drop boxes, and “Get Out The Vote” campaigns, while the rest of Wisconsin had one day. In order to receive this money before the election, officials were required to change their election processes and rules to Zuckerberg’s strict specifications without public input and oversight from the Legislature. I’ve talked about this attack on public faith in democracy and the importance of restoring the integrity of Wisconsin’s elections countless times, which is why I’m proud to cosponsor Representative August’s constitutional amendment to prohibit out-of-state billionaires from buying our election. https://apnews.com/article/elections-wisconsin-legislature-constitutions-mark-zuckerberg-8e4babde80abc955cfc85b31aee38e80

Senate Joint Resolution 101 - To create section 7 of Article III of the constitution; Relating to: prohibiting the use of a donation or grant of private resources for purposes of election administration and specifying who may perform tasks related to election administration.

The process to amend the Wisconsin State constitution requires a Joint Resolution to pass the Assembly and Senate in two consecutive sessions. The proposed amendment will then go on to the voters of Wisconsin for ratification.

Continuing this effort, I have co-sponsored five of the following election bills to ensure Wisconsin’s elections are fair and free.

• Senate Bill 934 - maintenance of the voter registration list, training of municipal clerks, data sharing agreements, pre-election procedures, lines at the polls on election day, and granting rule-making authority

• Senate Bill 935 - certain kinds of election fraud, private resources and contracts for election administration, who may perform tasks related to election administration, defects on absentee ballot certificates, returning absentee ballots to the office of the municipal clerk, appointment of election officials, allowing an employee of a residential care facility or qualified retirement home to serve as a personal care voting assistant during a public health emergency or an incident of infectious disease, and providing a penalty.

• Senate Bill 936 - the resolution of complaints filed with the Elections Commission, submitting to the legislature copies of complaints filed with the Elections Commission, reports concerning possible violations of election laws, postelection audits of electronic voting systems, printing absentee ballot applications for recounts, and granting rule-making authority.

• Senate Bill 937 - status as an indefinitely confined voter for purposes of receiving absentee ballots automatically and providing a penalty.

• Senate Bill 946 - whistleblower protection for municipal clerks who witness and report election fraud or irregularities.

Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Assembly Bill 960 - Relating to: battery or threat to a health care provider or staff member of a health care facility and providing a penalty. By Representatives Vos, Magnafici, and Senator LeMahieu.

Under this bill, it will become a Class H felony to commit a battery against a person who is a health care provider, a staff member of a health care facility, or a family member of a health care provider or staff member, or to threaten such a person, if the battery or threat is in response to an action taken by the health care provider in his or her official capacity, or in response to something that happened at the health care facility.

Over 40 years ago, when I became a nurse, I never considered that I’d be putting myself in harm’s way. The thought of working in a caregiving profession and yet facing threats of violence while on the job is disheartening and demoralizing.

Healthcare workers should not be afraid to go to work. They work every day to provide excellent patient care, achieve quality outcomes, and make a positive difference in people’s lives. They don’t expect to be victims of verbal abuse from patients, family members, visitors, or coworkers. As healthcare workers, they place the safety and well-being of patients over our concern for ourselves. They see people and their loved ones at some of their most difficult moments and vulnerable states.

I’m proud to be a co-author of this bill because I believe it will help improve the safety of healthcare workers and patients across Wisconsin. I am confident this bill will empower those in my profession to have the courage to report the verbal abuse that too many of them experience. The public must know that our state stands behind its nurses and that abusive behavior towards those who provide care will not be tolerated. As the nursing and other healthcare profession face significant workforce shortages, supporting our current frontline caregivers for years to come is critical. A safer environment for nurses will also mean a safer environment for patients and a higher quality of care.

Committee on Mental Health

Mental health continues to be one of the most important issues facing our communities. As a member of the Assembly Committee on Mental Health, I am working hard to enact new policies to address our country’s growing mental illness and mental health crisis.

This week the Mental Health Committee held a public hearing on two bills I support: AB 952: mental health consultation program and AB 668: Law enforcement suicide prevention and reporting.

AB 952 is an innovative solution to our community’s mental health needs. AB 952 combines the child psychiatry consultation program with additional services, including perinatal, child, adult, geriatric, pain, and veteran, into a new mental health consultation program. This is capitalizing on the Child Psychiatry Consultation Program's success that connects primary care providers with child psychiatrists and alleviates months-long waiting periods for psychiatric help.

I firmly believe in protecting our communities, and protecting the mental health of law enforcement officers is an important way of supporting them. AB 668 addresses the growing mental health and mental illness problem among law enforcement officers. This bill directs the Department of Justice and Department of Health Services to work with Center for Suicide Awareness to create a training curriculum designed to prevent suicide committed by law enforcement officers and provides an annual grant to train officers.

Local Libraries and Local Events

I had a meeting with the Wisconsin Library Association, and I wanted to make my constitutions aware of what Libraries offer. Back 40 years ago, Libraries were quiet and mostly just physical books. Today they are busy, full of programs, events, spaces for children, and just as many books are online as in the library. Keep your local library in mind if you are looking for events!

This Saturday, the Osceola Fire Department hosts their 9th Annual Fireman’s Ball! Beginning at 7:30, show your support for our firefighters with a night of fun, dancing, live music, raffles, prizes, a silent auction! Learn more about this fun event and great cause here.

Luck Winter Carnival is happening now! Many winter events are going on tonight and tomorrow. At 4:00 – 5:30 PM, tomorrow is the 56th Annual Grand Marshal Reception at Ruby’s Retreat, 210 Park Ave.