Lisa Subeck

State Representative

78th Assembly District

Annual Poverty Report Highlights Need for Well-Paying Jobs; Critical Role of Safety Net Programs

This week, the University of Wisconsin - Madison Institute for Research on Poverty and the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association released its annual Wisconsin Poverty Report.

The report highlights the critical role safety net programs like FoodShare, affordable housing programs, and Energy Assistance play in keeping people – especially families with children, the elderly, and disabled individuals – out of poverty.   That is why it is so disheartening to read about President Trump’s budget blueprint and the cuts he proposes.  Those cuts include $193 billion from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (what we call FoodShare in Wisconsin) over the coming decade, amounting to a 25% cut.

Far too many Wisconsinites go to work every day but still struggle to feed their children and keep a roof over their families’ heads. This is why Republican cuts and new barriers to accessing these safety net programs on both the federal and state levels are so devastating.

To combat poverty and reduce dependence on government assistance, it is time to make work pay by ensuring every Wisconsin worker earns a living wage. Nobody who works hard should have to be poor.

Click here to view the report.

Budget Update

The Labor and Industry Review Commission

The Labor and Industry Review Commission (LIRC) is a vital check and balance for workers as they pursue justice in matters of Unemployment Insurance, Worker’s Compensation benefits, and Equal Rights claims.  Given the role of the LIRC, there was strong opposition when the Governor proposed to eliminate it in his budget proposal.

Democrats on the Finance Committee introduced a motion to maintain current law as it applies to LIRC, but that motion failed on a party line vote. The motion that eventually passed would retain LIRC but eliminates some staff positions and directs the Supreme Court to survey LIRC decisions and submit their findings to the Governor and the Finance Committee.

Wisconsin Technical College System

To improve college affordability and increase access to opportunities for workforce development, Democrats on the Finance Committee introduced a motion to institute free tuition at Wisconsin technical colleges. The Republican majority on the Committee rejected the motion on a party-line vote.

University of Wisconsin System

The Joint Finance Committee was scheduled to vote on the UW System budget on Tuesday, but the Committee delayed action due to Republican disagreement over provisions related to tuition.  This is not the first time during the budget process that Republican in-fighting has led to delayed decisions.

Meanwhile, Democrats offered a motion to insert the language of the Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill (Assembly Bill 143) into the budget. The Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill would provide much-needed relief to Wisconsin’s student loan borrowers by allowing them to refinance their loans at a lower rate, like they already can a car loan or a mortgage. The proposal would also allow borrowers to deduct their student loan payments from their state income taxes, putting hundreds of dollars back in their pockets.  The motion failed on a party-line vote, with all Republicans voting against providing this much needed student loan debt relief.

Department of Children and Families

The committee unanimously approved a plan to allow families to stay in the Wisconsin Shares child care program as their incomes increase. Whereas current law has a benefit cliff, this change in law will enable families to receive the assistance they need for longer and reduce the effect of this benefit cliff.

Shared Revenue County and Municipal Aid

County and municipal aid shared revenue payments are a key part of local government budgets. Under Republicans, this funding has been cut three times in the last 14 years, and none of those cuts have been restored. The funding level today is 21% less than it was in 2003.  At the same time, local governments have been operating under levy limits since 2005.  Those limits became even more restrictive in 2011, allowing levies to increase by net new construction only.  As a result, local governments have been forced to reduce service levels with some municipalities struggling to pay for even the most basic public safety and maintenance services.

Finance Committee Democrats offered a motion to increase funding for county and municipal aid by 5% and increase future aid according to inflation, but it failed along a party-line vote.  Instead, Republicans opted to keep aid to local governments at current levels for the next two years, again tying the hands of our counties, cities, towns, and villages working to balance their own local budgets.  Democrats also introduced a motion to provide shared revenue to municipalities for the purpose of hiring firefighters, law enforcement, EMS, and 911 dispatch. Even that was rejected by Republicans.

WEDC and Business Start-Up Woes

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) was created by Governor Walker in 2011.   The public/private agency replaced the Department of Commerce. WEDC has been fraught with problems from day one, and key recommendations provided by the Legislative Audit Bureau have been ignored by.

According to a new audit released this week, WEDC is still not properly collecting data on job creation. Also, the delinquent loan balance has grown from $1.3 million in December, 2014, to $11 million as of December, 2016. The agency failed to comply with state law by not annually verifying jobs related information submitted by tax credit recipients. The agency continues to double count some jobs and touts others from firms no longer operating in the state.

It is bad enough that WEDC is handing out cash to existing companies and then not following through to make sure job creation requirements are met, but it is even worse that the agency has paid little to no attention to efforts to foster business creation.  As a result, The Kauffman Index of Startup Activity last month named Wisconsin dead last among all 50 states in business startup activity for the third year in a row. This is a clear indication of the Republican failure to tend to our economy and make Wisconsin competitive and attractive to new business growth. 

Nonpartisan Redistricting Update

I have heard from many of you recently about nonpartisan redistricting reform. With a Wisconsin case currently headed to the Supreme Court, the issue of how we could more fairly draw our legislative district maps has been getting needed attention.

In terms of legal actions, all eyes remain on the United States Supreme Court. At the federal level, lower courts determined that the current legislative district boundaries are not constitutional and ordered a new map to be in place by November 1 of this year. Wisconsin Republicans have appealed to the Supreme Court, but it remains to be seen if the Supreme Court will take up the case. Unfortunately, Republicans in Wisconsin appear determined to use private lawyers and the same closed door process they did when the current unfair maps were drawn.

Democrats have again introduced a nonpartisan redistricting reform bill that would turn over the drawing of legislative maps to our nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.   We will continue pushing to move this legislation forward. Most recently, Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee raised the issue during budget deliberations.

Redistricting reform has been strongly supported by nonpartisan good government groups, residents in every corner of the state, and countless newspaper editorial boards throughout Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the prospect of passing nonpartisan redistricting reform under Republican majorities is not promising.

Welcome to Our New Intern, Caitlin

I am excited to introduce Caitlin, the newest addition to our office. Caitlin is originally from Cottage Grove, just to the east of Madison. She is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin - Madison studying Political Science. Caitlin’s main focus within her major is international relations. Her father, a teacher at the Madison East High School and active member of his union, encouraged her from a young age to be involved in politics. Post-graduation, Caitlin hopes to attend law school or graduate school to continue her education. It is great to have Caitlin interning in my office this summer.

Honoring WISCAP’s Bob Jones

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting a legislative citation to Bob Jones, who is retiring from his position as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP). I was pleased to honor Bob for his dedicated career working to improve the lives of children and families, the elderly and disabled, and low-income Wisconsinites. Bob will officially retire in June after a 40 year, distinguished career with Wisconsin’s community action programs. Bob has worked in the field since 1977 when he operated summer youth programs under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. In 1993 Bob was one of twenty-five individuals from Wisconsin invited to White House to discuss federal budget and related impacts with President Clinton, Vice-President Gore and other administration officials. During Bob’s career at WISCAP a few of his accomplishments include: passage of Reliability 2000, which quadrupled state funding for weatherization and created statutory low-income needs formula locking in funding levels in future years as a percentage of need; worked to maintain statutory exemption in property tax law for low-income housing; worked to preserve statewide coverage of Skills Enhancement program; and worked to preserved funding for the Job and Business Development program.

Have a Safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Many people will be traveling over the holiday weekend to attend Memorial Day events and to spend time with family and friends. Whether you are traveling far away or staying close to home, ReadyWisconsin has these tips to help keep you and your family safe.

• If traveling the highways, make sure your car is in shape to make the trip. Having a first-aid kit, bottled water and some energy bars is a good idea in case you get stranded. A car adaptor for your cell phone is also a good idea in case you need to call for help.

• Schedule your road trip at times to help avoid the holiday travel congestion. If possible, leave before rush hour traffic Friday and travel home Monday before 4 p.m. or after 10 p.m.

• Check www.511wi.gov or call 511 for the latest traffic and road information on your route.

• Never leave people or pets inside a parked car. Temperatures can climb to dangerous levels even on a cloudy day.

• If you are planning on barbequing, never leave the grill unattended and have a fire extinguisher available.

Click here for more information and other safety tips.

National EMS Week

This week is National EMS week to celebrate Emergency Medical Service practitioners and the important work they do in our community.

Each and every day, EMS practitioners help save lives by responding to medical emergencies. The Madison Fire Department responded to an average of 58 emergency medical calls per day in 2016—a total of 21,291 calls last year. They provide critical medical care during emergencies and in transport to hospitals. Please join me in recognizing and thanking EMS practitioners for their service to our community.

Foster Care Awareness Month

May is National Foster Care Month, a month set aside to acknowledge foster parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policymakers, child welfare professionals, and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.  There about 7,300 children and youth in foster care throughout Wisconsin and the individuals who serve as foster parents play a critical role in the lives of children who need a temporary home. There is always a need for additional kind, responsible adults to serve as foster parents.

Click here if you are interested in changing the life of a child through foster care.

Fun Wisconsin Fact

Between 1836 and 1848, the territory of Wisconsin rejected proposals to become a state four times, due to fears of higher taxes, stronger government, and losing claims to the land around Chicago and what is now the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. However, on May 29, 1848, they yielded these claims and became a state in order to improve communication and prosperity. Wisconsin was the 30th state to enter the Union on May 29, 1848.