Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Happy first official day of summer! Today, we are back on the Assembly floor, where we will be taking up a number of bills including an unconstitutional gag rule to silence student voices on UW campuses. Debate on these bills is expected to go well into the night. I will have an update on today’s floor session in next week’s newsletter.

In this week’s newsletter, you will find news regarding Wisconsin’s redistricting case, a budget update, and new information regarding the negative impact of repealing the prevailing wage law

If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office. 

Sincerely,

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Wisconsin Redistricting Case
The United States Supreme Court announced that it will hear arguments in Gill v. Whitford during the term beginning in October of this year. This is the case in which a federal three judge panel had previously ruled current Wisconsin Assembly Districts were draw in an impermissible partisan gerrymander, intentionally giving the Republican Party an unfair advantage. In addition to agreeing to hear the case, the Supreme Court put on hold the lower court ruling requiring Wisconsin to adopt a new map for the November 2018 elections.

Unlike other cases that the Supreme Court has heard related to partisan gerrymandering, the plaintiffs in this case measured what is called the efficiency gap. Justice Kennedy, who was a swing vote on partisan redistricting cases in the past, had noted the need for a tangible measure of how partisan redistricting impedes the ability of voters to choose who represents them and who holds majorities in legislative bodies. When applied to Wisconsin, the efficiency gap measure may provide the proof Justice Kennedy said is needed, and this may very well result in the Supreme Court finding in favor of the plaintiffs and requiring districts to be redrawn.

Attorneys on each side will be preparing their arguments to present to the Supreme Court this fall. It is my hope that the plaintiffs prevail. I will also continue to work toward passage of non-partisan redistricting reform so that we may have legislative districts drawn to ensure voters have the ability to choose their representatives, not the other way around.

No matter the outcome of the case before the Supreme Court, or future elections that may change the legislative majorities in Wisconsin, I will remain committed to the belief that redistricting should be done in a nonpartisan manner. Once again, I have co-authored legislation to have the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau instead of partisan elected officials.

Article V Constitutional Convention: A Dangerous Proposition
Last week, the Assembly passed a series of bills that would place the United States Constitution at risk. The bills called for an Article V Convention and set parameters to seize power at such a convention by stacking the delegate appointments heavily in their own favor. My Democratic colleagues and I fought passage of the bill, debating against the bill on the Assembly floor and casting our votes against it. Unfortunately, the Republican majority in the Assembly passed the bill, which will now move to the State Senate.

If enough other states pass resolutions similar to the one passed by the Wisconsin Assembly, an Article V Convention would convene. Unlike amendments that are developed in Congress related to a specific, single topic, and then sent to the states to be ratified, an Article V Convention is unlimited in scope. There is a very real prospect for a “runaway” convention in which delegates assemble and vote on a wide range of amendment proposals that go far beyond any stated purpose for the convention.

Budget Update
A new budget year begins on July 1, yet it appears unlikely the Republican majority will break their deadlock on critical issues like education and transportation in time to meet the statutory deadline. While state government will continue to operate under the current budget until a new budget is signed into law, the inability of Republicans to set ideology aside and work with each other to produce a budget is troubling.

There was good news out of the Joint Finance Committee last week when the Committee unanimously rejected Governor Walker’s potentially very costly plan to self-insure state workers. The motion also caps employee cost increases to no more than 10 percent.

The Joint Finance Committee also approved two 2% general wage adjustments for state employees. Both UW and other state employees will receive a 2% wage adjustment on September 30, 2018, and another 2% adjustment on May 26, 2019.

Under Governor Walker’s administration state employee salaries have been grossly shortchanged when adjusted for inflation. Cumulative wage adjustments under Walker have amounted to just 2% at a time when the Consumer Price Index has increased by 9.3%.

Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee also opposed the Governor’s plan to eliminate domestic partnership benefits for state employees. Republicans also voted to get rid of the domestic partnership registry for same-sex couples. This could have major implications for families, since the domestic partnership registry extends legal rights that include hospital visitation rights, death benefits, power of attorney, and victim notification. Partnerships already registered would be grandfathered for certain legal rights, but would lose health insurance and other benefits offered by local government employers. Democrats offered a motion to retain the domestic partnership registry and expand it to opposite-sex couples, but Republicans rejected it on a party-line vote.

Prevailing Wage Repeal is Harming Our State Economy
As of the beginning of this year, municipal public works projects are no longer governed by prevailing wage law, and the results are devastating. In the four months since Republicans passed their anti-prevailing wage bill, the number of municipal projects awarded to out-of-state contractors is up 53% from where it was at this point in 2016. Contractors from out-of-state are taking more work away from Wisconsin companies and our friends and family members in the construction industry.

This means millions of dollars that would have been spent right here in our state are leaving Wisconsin. This is money that is not helping a Wisconsin family pay the rent or mortgage, and these are dollars that are not being spent at a local restaurant or used to shop in a local store. Rather than circulating and bolstering local economies throughout Wisconsin, these dollars are leaving the state.

Most importantly, Wisconsin workers have lost critical wages they count on to support their families. This is one of many Republican actions over the last six years to drive down wages in our state. Ordinary Wisconsinites suffer under these policies, and our middle class continues to shrink.

I believe that we need to have policies in place that support living wages and enable working individuals and families to achieve economic security. Policies that serve to drive down wages and incomes harm our local economies and make it much more difficult for businesses to succeed. Repealing prevailing wage law is a mistake.

Dane County Announces Small Business Funds Available
Last week, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced that Dane County’s Microenterprise Business Loan (MBL) Program will start to accept loan applications totaling $1,500 to $8,000 for eligible small businesses to help establish a new business or create jobs for low- and moderate-income residents.

The Microenterprise Loan Program is funded through federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The MBL program will be administered by the Dane County Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OED) and is overseen by the Dane County CDBG Commission.

Click here for more information regarding eligibility and applications for the program.
 

School is Out! Cyber Safety is In
The internet offers a world of opportunities for entertainment and communication, but there are risks too. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection asks parents and guardians to talk with their children about how to be safe, secure, and responsible when surfing the worldwide web.

Follow these tips to help your children make smart cyber choices over the summer break:

• Restrict access to age-appropriate content by using parental controls. There are specific kid-friendly search engines that limit results to sites that are suitable for children. Consider locking devices with a password so your children can't download or purchase any apps without your approval.

• Be smart about smartphones. If you want your children to have a smartphone in order to stay connected over the summer, understand the capabilities of the device. Research apps and try them out yourself. Download and install software updates and set the phone to lock automatically with a password. Turn off in-app purchase capabilities.

• Teach your children what NOT to click. Clicking on links in unexpected text messages or in pop-up windows could infect a device with malware and put the family at greater risk of identity theft.

• Establish rules for downloading. Teach kids to be wary of exciting offers for "free stuff" that prompt them to act immediately and provide personal information. These pitches are likely either malware transmission ploys or "phishing" traps set to steal their personal information.

• Talk to your kids about the importance of privacy. Make sure they understand not to share personally identifiable information (PII), especially on social media sites. PII can include their full name, birth date, home address, telephone number, email address, or Social Security number.

• You may not have the summer off with your children, but you can take steps to ensure their safety and protect their identities in your absence.
  
  Click here for additional information or to file a complaint. You can also call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-422-7128 or send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov.

Fun Wisconsin Fact
Chris Farley, actor and comedian who was a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended Edgewood High School and spent his summers at Red Arrow Camp in Minocqua, Wisconsin. Chris graduated from Marquette University in 1986 where he majored in communications and theater. Chris was in several films and TV shows before his death in 1997 at the age of 33.