New Community Vaccination Clinic in Rice Lake

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A new community-based vaccination clinic opened at UW-Eau Claire-Barron County in Rice Lake on April 20, and I had the honor of speaking there on April 21.  I believe this site will make it easy for those who choose to be vaccinated to get it done.  We are in the sprint phase to herd immunity, and I know of two ways to get there:  vaccination or catching the virus.  Having had COVID myself, I think I can say vaccination is definitely the better choice for those at risk!

To schedule an appointment at the UWEC-BC clinic, visit the state vaccine registry or call (844) 684-1064.  You may find other vaccination providers here.

Budget Update

The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee held two more public hearings on the 2021-2023 state budget this week - at Rhinelander on April 21 and at Menomonie on April 22.  (I was able to attend a portion of the Menomonie hearing, and I thought it was very interesting.)  The committee will hold its final budget hearing virtually on April 28.  While registration to speak at the virtual hearing has already closed, you may watch it on WisconsinEye.  The Finance Committee will also accept comments through its website or by e-mail until noon on April 30.

I scheduled a number of budget listening sessions of my own this week.  On April 19, I held a listening session in Rice Lake for a number of area school officials so I could get their thoughts about the budget's education provisions.  Later that day, I held a session for the general public in Barron.  I was joined at these listening sessions by Finance co-chair Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam), who provided many interesting insights about the budget and the process.

As I mentioned in previous E-Updates, I am holding three additional listening sessions on April 23, in Shell Lake, Cumberland, and Chetek.

Speaker's Task Force on Racial Disparities

Last fall, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos created a bipartisan task force to focus on racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards.  The task force included a Subcommittee on Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures, which held several hearings over the past six months and released its report this week.  The report includes several recommendations for legislation in the following categories:  use of force by law enforcement, law enforcement transparency and oversight, officer training and standards, and community engagement.

Residents of the 75th District may be interested to know that Rice Lake Police Chief Steven Roux served on the task force and the law enforcement subcommittee.

Legislative Website

If you are interested in learning more about bills that I have authored, co-sponsored, or voted on, please click here.  This link will take you directly to my Wisconsin State Legislative page.  Also, if you are interested in viewing my office website, click here.