Water Quality Task Force Hits the Road: First Stop, Lancaster!

Last week was National Drinking Water Week, and to celebrate, I wrote a column about all the work we’re doing around our drinking water. You can read it here.

Over the past month, the bipartisan Water Quality Task Force held two informational hearings at the Capitol to hear from state agencies and groups involved in clean water initiatives about their research and recommendations on improving surface and ground water in Wisconsin.

Now, we are heading out on the road. We began our statewide tour of public hearings in Lancaster on May 8, hearing from county board supervisors, scientists, health departments, and farmers about their work on improving water quality and how the state can help.

Citizens and organizations from across the state will have an opportunity to share their personal stories about water quality, express their specific concerns, and offer their insights and recommendations as the task force continues their tour throughout the summer.

As Vice Chair of the task force, I am committed to hearing from our community and am excited that we will be stopping in Stevens Point this summer. All are encouraged to attend!

When the hearing is scheduled, I'll include it in my e-newsletter. Until then, you can find more information on the task force website.

Photo: (above) Water Quality Task Force hearing locations around  the state

The People's Budget: Update & Next Steps

It has been close to two months since the People's Budget was released. The 2019-21 biennial budget prominently features investments in public education, health initiatives, environmental conservation, and infrastructure, as well as a 10% middle class tax cut.

Since the budget was introduced on February 28, Governor Evers and his cabinet have spent a significant amount of time touring the state to hear from voters about the impact that the budget would have on them, their jobs, and their communities.

The most frequent topics discussed by voters at listening tour stops were: Medicaid expansion, special education funding, and K-12 funding. I was excited about the budget and its significant investments in our community

However, last Thursday, May 9, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee voted to remove over 130 items from the budget, including:

• Accepting the Medicaid/BadgerCare expansion, which would cover 82,000 more people, and save the state $324 million
• Legalizing medical marijuana and reforming our state's marijuana laws
• Funding the replacement of lead laterals which contribute to high blood lead levels, a danger to public health
• Increasing the minimum wage
• Enacting automatic voter registration
• Investing in renewable energy
• Closing the dark store loophole
• Providing more funding to local governments
• More than doubling investment in rural broadband expansion​

You can read more about this here. While this news is very disappointing, I am committed to working with my legislative colleagues and investing in our roads, public education, healthcare, and natural resources. I will continue to advocate for a fair budget that works for everyone.

Looking Forward

As we move further into the biennial budget process, I encourage you to weigh in on the budget and any bills that come before the legislature. Feel free to call, email, or write!

I hold monthly office hours around the district, and encourage you to attend the next one, which will be announced on my Facebook and in the local papers.