An update on COVID-19

I wanted to provide an update on where we are as a state and how we move forward together, during the COVID-19 pandemic. So many in our country are in need of hope and look to government as a source of inspiration. 

These are challenging times and everyone is impacted by this pandemic. Many are afraid and fearful of COVID-19, and rightfully so. Those with underlying health conditions are especially vulnerable and have every right to be afraid.

We all have friends and family members who are impacted by this situation, and are afraid of possibly losing them. 

Others are fearful of how they will feed their families, due to being out of work; losing a family farm or business that has been in their family for five generations; or wondering if they will ever be able to reopen their businesses. 

Many of our fellow citizens are wondering what is happening to their retirement accounts or whether they will ever be able to retire.

Some are struggling with health conditions and cannot receive treatment because clinics, hospitals, and other facilities remain shuttered; many of these are very serious issues that need to be addressed in a timely fashion,

Still, others are fearful of the stress of the situation will force them to return to drugs and/or alcohol.

Also, some of our fellow citizens are afraid because they or the ones they love are working on the frontlines as nurses, CNAs physicians, police officers, or firefighters. All of these individuals are unsung heroes who deserve our praise and listening to their concerns is paramount.

These were some of the reasons why our fellow citizens are justifiably worried and afraid. 

In contrast, we have constituents who are rightly frustrated and worried, angry for many of the reasons listed above. They feel like nobody is listening or understands their concerns or frustration.

Many of our fellow citizens are upset due to: 

• A lack of personal protective equipment for workers battling this pandemic on the frontlines. 
• Their children are unable to complete the school year.
• Businesses they have spent their lives building or are committed to seeing thrive, are shuttered. 
• They are unable to go about living their lives as normal.
• Not being able to bury a loved one or come together as family and friends to grieve.
• The wedding they have spent months or even years planning, being canceled. 
• They are unable to worship at church with their friends and neighbors.
• Partisan politics is being placed ahead of the state and its people.

I understand how many of you feel and sympathize with those concerns. We are all in this together. I say that not as an elected official, but as a man with a family in this state. 

I am a husband, father, grandfather, business owner, and, yes, a State Representative. My story is not unlike yours. A good friend and business partner, Jim, recently passed away after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Yes, he was older and had underlying health issues, but that does make the pain any less for me, my family, or his loved ones. His wife, Rose, was also afflicted by COVID-19 and spent time in the intensive care unit. She is now on the road to recovery. 

My daughter, Jess, is a dedicated nurse in the COVID-19 unit at a local hospital. I cannot begin to tell you how concerned my wife and I are for her safety, every day. We worry about both her physical and mental health. She and all of our other frontline workers are heroes who deserve our gratitude, thanks. and admiration.

My son, Robert, and his wife, Lauren, have to children, Zachary (age 10) and Hallie (age 2). Robert and Lauren are thankfully both fully employed and like many of you, juggling their careers to ensure that someone is home with the children during the day. Homeschooling has been a difficult transition for both Robert and Lauren, and the children. They have learned to adjust, despite their initial difficulties and frustrations. 

My wife is still employed, but working from home. She is also running one of our restaurants which has become a carryout only business.

I have a real estate business that is essentially shut down, am a landlord who is unable to receive rent payments from tenants, and owner of a restaurant that is completely shuttered, despite having bills that need to be paid. I own a small restaurant in Saukville that is now doing carryout. I am grateful to the community for their outpouring of support.

I am also a State Representative who has spent countless hours during the past few months, returning phone calls, answering constituent correspondences, and responding to constituent inquiries regarding unemployment insurance and a myriad of other issues. I appreciate you taking time out of your schedules to contact my office and provide feedback on important issues, especially as it relates to COVID-19.

I understand why Wisconsinites are frustrated, angry, and afraid, and share those sentiments. I was in Madison last Friday, not to incite violence, but to listen to those who came to the state capitol, as I listened to the hundreds of constituents who contacted my office.

Since the outset of this pandemic, I have argued that we need empathy. Empathy is defined as, "the ability to understand, share, and relate to the feelings and experiences of others."

Imagine you were elderly and/or had underlying health conditions. How would you react if someone sneezed or coughed around you?

Imagine the fear and frustration that would grip you if scientific data indicated that 1,400 to 20,000 would perish in the next month.

Imagine being a frontline worker and all they are going through on a daily basis. They are unsung heroes.

Imagine being an expecting parent during this pandemic or a parent who is unable to see his or her child graduate. 

Imagine having a wedding you planned for months or even years, postponed. 

Imagine the pain associated with not being able to congregate to bury a spouse, if God forbid, something happened to him or her.

Think of those struggling with addiction and depression and the impact COVID-19 is having on them.

Imagine you were unable to obtain your Social Security check because the agency overseeing the program furloughed employees.

Imagine if your employer went out of business and unemployment benefits and healthcare were unavailable. 

Imagine not knowing where your next dollar would come from. Then and only then, can you understand how many business owners feel. 

I speak about empathy because I believe it unites people and is a good first step towards moving our state forward, together. Cooperation, collaboration, and compromise are of paramount importance during this challenging time. 

The concerns and fears expressed by citizens of our great state transcend ideology or political affiliation. We are all facing the same issues and must tackle them together. 

It is imperative that we develop a fact-based plan of action to reopen the state, a plan that balances a healthy society with a healthy economy; these are not mutually exclusive.

How do we accomplish this goal? We talk, we collaborate, and we listen. More importantly, we show empathy, particularly for those who are struggling. 

I have never been more frustrated as an elected official. Frustrated as I have listened to experts reference statistics that struck paralyzing fear into our society. Many of these projections were terribly flawed and resulted in decisions being made that were uncanny and unwarranted. 

That being said, however, there is no question that social distancing has been successful in halting the spread of COVID-19. Rather than focus on the past, it is imperative that we focus on the future and what we can do as a state and country, to protect health and get our state back to work.

We are at a point where Wisconsin needs to be open for business. This is why my colleagues and I have recently released a fact-based plan containing innumerable metrics that take into account health and economics.

The political reality is that Governor Evers and his agency leaders have acted unilaterally with very little input from the legislature. I agree that Governor Evers has unique authority under the emergency declaration. My concern stems from the lack of transparency and communication with the legislature, before consequential decisions are announced. All I ask is that the legislature be given a seat at the table. 

With Governor Evers' emergency powers on the precipice of expiration, it is time for us to work together on a plan for reopening Wisconsin. 

Unfortunately, however, Governor Evers has put together a plan that I believe is flawed. I do not agree with his approach or the one outlined by President Trump. We need a plan that is based on the realities of our state at the present time. We must develop a plan that is uniquely Wisconsin.

My colleagues and I recently finalized a plan we collaborated on with members of the healthcare and business communities. This proposal takes a regional, fact-based, and transparent approach to reopening Wisconsin.

What works for New York, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee, does not work for Saukville, Rhinelander, Kimberly, or Cuba City. It is critical to consider hospital capacity, availability of PPE, infection rates, and population trends in certain areas. 

With Governor Evers' original order set to expire, we have a situation in which the Department of Health Services-designee has extended the Safer at Home order until late May. My colleagues and I disagree with the latitude afforded Secretary-designee Palm, an unelected bureaucrat. 

In an effort to obtain greater clarification on the extent of Secretary-designee Palm's authority during a public health emergency, the legislature filed a lawsuit with the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The lawsuit claims that Secretary-designee Palm overstepped her authority by unilaterally extending the Safer at Home order.

Assuming the legislature is victorious, we will then have a seat at the table and afforded the opportunity to work collaboratively with the administration. Until then, however, it does not appear that we have a seat at the table, despite numerous entreaties by legislative leaders.

Others are not happy with the approach I just described, and believe the legislature should go further, by passing a joint resolution to suspend the Safer at Home order and immediately reopen Wisconsin. Doing so would require Governor Evers' signature.

Taking legislative action in the midst of a lawsuit would be ineffectual, as it would hinder our ability to obtain necessary clarification and/or gain a seat at the negotiating table. 

If the lawsuit is unsuccessful, all of the aforementioned legislative remedies will still be available. 

In the meantime, we ask Governor Evers to sit down with us to develop a common-sense, bipartisan plan for reopening Wisconsin, while also protecting the health and safety of our fellow citizens. I want to see our state embody its motto and move forward, together. I am confident that we can put our partisan differences aside and work together for the good of our state; you the people expect that from us. 

Safer at Home Updates

Earlier this week, Governor Evers loosened restrictions on certain business operations under the Safer at Home order.

Now dog groomers, repair services, and taxidermy services are permitted to operate under curbside, drop-off. Under these changes, only one staff member may be in a room at a time. All drop-offs and pick-ups must be scheduled ahead of time, and services must be paid online or by phone. Customers will not be allowed inside the business.

In addition, outdoor recreational rentals are now allowed. These include, boat, kayak, canoe, paddleboat, golf cart, snowmobile, and ATV rentals. The same business regulations related to curbside drop-off apply to recreational rentals. Rental equipment must be cleaned after each use. 

Entirely automatic car washes and self-service car washes may also reopen for service. High-touch surfaces must be cleaned between each use, or as frequently as practicable. 

State Parks Reopen

This week, Governor Evers announced that 34 state parks will reopen on Friday, May 1. The reopening is not without some restrictions. 

Guidelines include:

• Annual park sticker and/or trail pass will be required to enter state parks and trails.
• All public restrooms within the state parks will be closed.
• Properties will be closed each Wednesday for maintenance and upkeep.
• Hunting and fishing are permitted, during the same legal season.
• DNR boat launches will reopen.
• ATV trails will reopen.

Stay up to date

One of the best ways to date with what is happening in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking system. This service affords you with the opportunity to track legislative activities in Madison. Upon creation of a free account, you can sign up to receive notification about specific bills of committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject (i.e., health care, education, etc.).