It directs all individuals to stay at their place of residence, with limited exceptions (like going out for essential supplies and exercise).
All non-essential business and operations must end. If you are wondering about your employer or business, please read through the order above for the definition of "essential")
All public and private gatherings of any number of people that are not part of a single household or living unit are prohibited. The order does spell out limited exemptions for this.
Duration: The order is effective at 8 am Wednesday, March 25, 2020 and will remain in effect until 8 am Friday, April 24, 2020.
What do you do if, after reading through the order, you're not sure if you are considered essential or not?
After reviewing the order, if a business still has a question or is not exempted but believes their business is doing essential work, WEDC will be reviewing those cases. If this applies to you:
At the bottom of that page, there is a contact number for WEDC. Call them and talk through what your business situation is and why you believe your services are essential. You may need to try a few times to call because many businesses are likely going to be calling with the same questions.
If you cannot get through, contact our office and we will work on getting an answer for you.
We will continue to work on navigating this situation and do what we can to keep you informed on the latest developments. You can view up to date listings of the Governor's Executive Orders on our website at the following link: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/49/tranel/coronavirus-covid-19-info/governors-emergency-orders/. Despite the Wisconsin State Capitol being closed to the public, our office will remain open serving constituents primarily via phone and email.
U.S. Senate Reaches Agreement on Federal Stimulus Package
The U.S. Senate has reached what is believed to be a tentative agreement on a $2 trillion economic stimulus package, and voted unanimously voted in favor of passage. It now heads to the House of Representatives. The package includes a number of items intended to assist both individuals and businesses. Some highlights of what the package could mean for you:
$250 billion for direct payments to individuals and families. Individuals making less than $75,000 would receive $1,200, married couples combined making less than $150,000 would receive $2,500, with an additional $500 per child. The payouts scale down based on income.
$350 billion for loans to small businesses.
$250 billion in unemployment insurance benefits.
$130 billion for hospitals heavily affected by the pandemic.
$150 billion for state and local governments impacted
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation: https://wedc.org/blog/wedc-announces-targeted-grants-to-small-businesses-suffering-losses-due-to-coronavirus-emergency/ In another step toward assisting small businesses that suffer losses related to the COVID-19 health emergency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is creating a program to provide grants to targeted businesses throughout the state. The WEDC Board of Directors approved $5 million in funding for the program, which will be known as Small Business 20/20 (SB20/20). SB20/20 will provide grants of up to $20,000 to targeted businesses with no more than 20 employees to cover rent and to meet payroll expenses, including paid leave (including sick, family and other leave related to COVID-19).
U.S. Small Business Administration: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Upon a request received from a state’s or territory’s Governor, SBA will issue under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration.
The April 7th Spring Election will still be held. We would like to encourage you to vote absentee instead of voting in person although it is not required.
There are 3 ways voters can request an absentee ballot.
Go online to request an absentee ballot at myvote.wi.gov. This is the easiest method – all you need is a photo of your ID to complete the request.
Use the US mail to request an absentee ballot. Go to https://elections.wi.gov/forms/el-121-english and print off the absentee ballot request form, fill it out, and mail it in. Voters will need to know their local clerk contact information as well as enclose a copy of their photo ID with the mail in request.
Request an absentee ballot by emailing or faxing their local clerk.
For mail, email, and fax requests (options 2 and 3 above), voters will need to find their municipal clerk contact information. A directory of municipal clerks can be found at the following link: https://elections.wi.gov/clerks/directory
All absentee ballot requests must be made by Thursday, April 2nd at 5:00 PM for the April 7th election. Thank you for the hard work of our election clerks and volunteers for the work they do.
Additionally, if your restaurant or bar is offering delivery, take-out and curb-side in our area and is not included on this list, please contact my office and we will be happy to add you to our list. We will try to keep this list as up to date as possible, but with the rapid updates surrounding COVID-19, please check on the business's website for the most up-to-date information.
My office is here to serve the people of the 49th Assembly District so if you need anything, please reach out to my office at 608-266-1170 or Rep.Tranel@legis.wi.gov.
To stay up-to-date on what's going on in my office, please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Legislative updates are also added to my website here.
