Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


January 26, 2018

 

Contact Me

 

418 North, State Capitol

P.O. Box 8953

Madison, WI 53708

 

PH: (608) 266-7521

TF: (888) 534-0078

FAX: (608) 282-3690

 

rep.subeck@legis.wi.gov

Website

 

Things happening in the district & around Madison


Winter Clothing Drive
Ongoing until January 28th
Elver Park Shelter for Drop Off
1250 McKenna Boulevard

Madison Parks, in partnership with the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc. (CAC), hosts a winter clothing drive each year at select warming shelters. New and gently used winter clothing such as: coats, snowpants, boots, hats, scarves, mittens and gloves may be dropped off during this special event each year.

 


Ecological Restoration Work Party
Arboretum Core and Curtis Prairie

Saturday, January 27
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

UW Arboretum
1207 Seminole Highway

Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and W. Beltline Frontage Rd. More information: (608) 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu.

 


Winter Animals Arboretum Family Nature Program
Sunday, January 28
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

UW Arboretum
1207 Seminole Highway

Learn about animals that stay in Wisconsin through the winter and how they survive the cold. Naturalist-led walk, 1:30–2:30 p.m., indoor activities, 2:30–3:30 p.m. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
Contact608-263-7888, info@arboretum.wisc.edu

 


West Madison Senior Coalition Free Lunches
Tuesday-Thursday,
January 30, 31 & February 1
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.

Nutritious meals are offered to those 60 and older. The meal is served at noon and participants must arrive on time. The suggested minimum donation is $4.00 but participants are encouraged to pay what they can afford. Transportation to the meal is available with an additional $1.00 donation. Meal and bus reservations or cancellations should be made by noon the preceding day by calling 238-0196.
 


Love is in the Air
Tuesday, January 30th
6:30pm-8:30pm

Alicia Ashman Library
733 N High Point Rd.

Valentine's Day is coming! Join us in making your own custom card for a friend or loved-one. Professional crafter Jamie Statz-Paynter will provide all the material and instruction you'll need to leave with a personalized, professional-quality card of your own. Space is limited, so please register in advance.

 


Chess Club
Wednesday, January 31st
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.

Learn how to play chess and play against others with varied levels of experience. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult.
 


Once in a Blue Moon Night Walk
Wednesday, January 31st
6:30pm-8:00pm

UW Arboretum
1207 Seminole Highway

We will venture out under the second full moon of the month to stargaze and listen for owls and other animals active on a winter night. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
 


Drop-in Preschool Storytime
Thursday, February 1st
9:30 am - 10:15 am

Alicia Ashman Library
733 N High Point Rd.

A happy blend of stories, fingerplays and songs that help preschool children develop print ans phonologic awareness, vocabulary, letter knowledge and narrative skills. Groups welcome. Siblings welcome. No registration required. *Note: no Storytime on March 29*
 


Knitting at the Library
Thursday, February 1st
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.

Learn to knit or bring your current project. Supplies provided. Children under 8 must have an adult present.
 


Tiny Kind Comics
Thursday, February 1st
3:30pm-4:30pm

Alicia Ashman Library
733 N High Point Rd.

Learn about "wiggle eye-bombing" and give it a kind twist by filling speech bubbles with kind words for your newly created silly faces to share with strangers. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult. No registration necessary.
 


Literacy Network
Thursday, February 1st
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.

Improve reading, writing and computer skills! Call Ezi at 244-3991 Ext 10 to register, space is limited.
 


Storytime for the Very Young
Friday, February 2nd
10:30 am - 11:15 am

Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.

Enjoy stories, songs and rhymes. No registration required. (For children ages 0-30 months.)
 


Hidden Voices: African American Writers
Friday, February 2nd
6:30pm-8:00pm

Alicia Ashman Library
733 N High Point Rd.

Join three Madison-area African American writers - poet Fabu, novelist Sherry Lucille, and playwright and novelist Catrina Sparkman - as they discuss their poetry and prose in relation to the work of three African American literary giants who also lived and worked in the Madison area during the 20th century. No registration required.
 


Visiting the Capitol
Whether you are planning a visit to the state Capitol as part of a large group, small gathering, or just by yourself, our office can assist you in scheduling a free guided tour of the Capitol building during normal business hours.

Free tours are offered daily, year round. Tours depart from the ground floor Information Desk Monday through Saturday at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm; and Sundays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm. A 4:00 pm tour is offered Memorial Day through Labor Day. The sixth floor museum and observation deck are also open during the summer months.

 

 
 

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

 

The Assembly was on the floor earlier this week voting on a long list of bills that do little to address the priorities of the people of Wisconsin. Instead, Republicans continue with the giveaways to special interests. The most egregious bill passed by the Assembly this week weakened building inspection laws, making it harder to protect our neighborhoods from slumlords who do not keep up their properties. The bill also weakened protections for victims of domestic violence facing eviction due to the actions of an abuser and made other changes that could increase the cost of even just applying to rent an apartment. There were a number of other provisions in the bill, as it read like a laundry list of campaign promises to big rental companies and developers who helped fund the author’s campaign.

Also this week, the Governor presented his State of the State address, which felt more like a desperate campaign speech than a real reflection of the current state of our state. Read on for more on my take on the Governor’s speech.

Also in this week’s newsletter is an update about a Republican effort to oust the Elections and Ethics Commissions’ Administrators and information about one of the bills I worked on as part of the Foster Care Task Force.


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

Sincerely,

Lisa Subeck
State Representative
78th Assembly District

 


State of the State
For the eighth straight year, Governor Scott Walker gave a State of the State address that did nothing to reflect what life is really like for Wisconsin’s working families. Instead, the Governor gave a thinly veiled campaign speech, flip flopping on major issues and making more empty promises in a desperate attempt to get reelected.

Governor Walker’s agenda over the last 8 years may be working for big-money special interests and extreme ideologues, but it certainly isn’t working for the people of Wisconsin. While the Governor tries to sell his policy flip flops and glosses over the problems he has created, Democrats will continue working for the people of Wisconsin.

Click here to watch a video I put together ahead of Governor Walker’s address, and catch a glimpse of the real state of our state.
 


Republicans Put Special Interests Ahead of Our Neighborhoods
On Tuesday, the State Assembly passed of AB 771, which makes a wide range of changes to laws regarding rental properties and real estate development. The Republican bill puts the very same special interest that fund their campaigns ahead of the people of Wisconsin by allowing wealthy developers and big rental companies to rake in profits at the expense of our local communities.

Among the many changes made by this bill are provisions that eliminate key protections for renters who are treated unfairly, make it more expensive to even apply to rent a home, and make it harder for our cities, towns, and villages to identify and crack down on slumlords.

All it takes is one slumlord on your block to change the entire fabric of a neighborhood. Sadly, in the name of political payback, Republicans are dead set on making it even harder for our local communities to crack down on the few bad actors who put our neighborhoods at risk.
 


More Attacks on our Most Vulnerable Neighbors
Last week, Governor Walker called for a special session to take up bills that would limit access to our safety net for Wisconsin’s most vulnerable families. After eight years of Governor Walker’s so called ‘reforms,’ families across Wisconsin are still living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to make ends meet. Instead of expanding new opportunities or increasing wages for working families, the Governor is threatening to limit access to food and shelter for struggling families with children. As Governor Walker and Republicans call this special session in a naked attempt to score political points at the expense of our most vulnerable neighbors, Democrats will continue fighting for reforms that create family supporting jobs and policies that make it easier, not harder, for Wisconsin families to get ahead.

On Wednesday, January 31 the Assembly Committee on Public Benefits Reform Committee will hold a joint hearing with the Senate Committee on Public Benefits, Licensing and State-Federal Relations.
[Add specific details if we have them before we send i.e. time and room]
 


Update: Clean Government Under Attack
While we were on the Assembly floor earlier this week, the Senate was on the floor, too. At their meeting, Republican members of the State Senate followed through on their threats to not confirm the appointments of Michael Haas as the Administrator for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Brian Bell as the Administrator of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. To be clear, this action was taken as part of an eerily McCarthy-like witch hunt, with Republicans attacking these men simply because they previously worked for the Government Accountability Board.

In order to prevent chaos during the upcoming spring elections, the Wisconsin Elections Commission subsequently took the action of reappointing Administrator Haas through April 30. Governor Walker and Senate Republicans are taking action to prevent Mr. Haas from performing his duties. Although some Ethics Commissioners had expressed a desire to reappoint Mr. Bell, he returned to a position he had previously held with another state agency.

In the case of both Mr. Haas and Mr. Bell, the Senate Republicans rejected the appointments due to these gentlemen having worked in the former Government Accountability Board (GAB) at a time when an investigation into Governor Scott Walker’s 2012 recall campaign, known as John Doe II was underway.

Whether Mr. Haas or the respective Commission members choose to file lawsuits over the actions of Republican Senators remains to be seen. Unfortunately, it could be an expensive lesson for Republicans with taxpayers having to pay the bill.

I will continue to support strong ethics and elections laws and, most importantly, the ability of individuals who are tasked with enforcing those laws to do so without fear of retaliation from politicians who feel they, or members of their party, are above the law.

 


Health Committee Works to Improve Dental Care for Children
While we witnessed partisanship at its worst this week in the Senate, the Assembly Committee on Health did hold a hearing on legislation that has bipartisan support.

Assembly Bill 781 helps children placed in out-of-home care who have significant unmet dental health needs. Health is defined broadly in this population, including oral health. Currently in our statutes, the term “ordinary medical and dental care” is not defined for children in out-of-home care and therefore health care providers and counties apply it inconsistently across the state. Foster parents and organizations have expressed frustration with their inability to provide these ordinary dental services to this vulnerable population.

Often, when these routine dental services are not provided, children in out-of-home care end up in the emergency room to deal with the issue. This experience is costly to the provider and traumatic for both the child and foster parent.

This proposal would define ordinary dental care in statute, giving both parents and the provider the clarity they need to adequately provide these critical services for children placed in out-of-home care. By defining what these services are, providers will not be so reluctant to provide these critical services to children in out-of-home care given that they are specifically defined in statute.
 


Madison Winter Festival at Elver Park
The 14th annual Madison Winter Festival, a family-friendly event, returns to Elver Park this year on February 3rd and 4th. This community festival first started in 2005 and promotes outdoor sports, recreation, the arts and maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout the winter.

The festivals will have activities for adults and children of all ages and even your pets. There are over 14 different events including a 5 km running race, a free kids fun run, and a free learn to ski clinic, snowshoe run and a recreational candlelight ski & snowshoe tour. In addition to those events there will also be skijoring, adaptive and open ski opportunities, sledding and ice skating.

National snow sculpting champs will be there to show off their amazing skills and local sporting-goods stores will be on site to help if you never cross-country skied or snowshoed before. Also, rentals of sleds, skates and skis will be available at the park.

Click here for more information or to register for specific events.
 


Sunday is Data Privacy Day: Shrink Your Digital Footprint, One Step at a Time
New online applications are launched every day, and internet users are only a couple of clicks away from downloading these programs and setting up accounts. With each new account we create, we continue the spread of our personal (and often financial) information across the internet, expanding our "digital footprint."

To remind everyone of how important it is to consider the amount and types of information we share online the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) asks Wisconsin residents to set aside a couple of minutes on that day to evaluate their online presence and the steps they take to protect their personal information.

Our names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers and more are stored throughout the internet in databases owned and maintained by businesses, government agencies, healthcare organizations and educational institutions. We rely on these organizations to safeguard our data, but we can help protect our information by making decisions on how and where we share our information online.

To better protect their digital footprints, consumers could use Data Privacy Day to:

  • Delete apps that they no longer use. Having an abundance of unused, out-of-date apps can create vulnerabilities that could threaten your accounts and your devices.

  • Purge the application permissions list in their social media accounts. Many people use their social media accounts to log into other services rather than creating usernames and passwords for those apps. These connections could give the third-party service the right to reuse information from your social account such as your name, birthdate, contacts and even your messages. This could put your social accounts at risk if a linked service is compromised.

  • Review the settings of each app to see which services it accesses in their devices. Some apps may access your device's camera, seek your physical location (using information from GPS, cellular and Wi-Fi networks or Bluetooth), or access your device's mobile pay features. Turn off any connections you are uncomfortable with or delete the app altogether.

  • Pay close attention to requests for data or device services that appear during the setup stage for a new app or online account. If you are uncomfortable with any of the data or services that the program will utilize, deny the request.

  • Update passwords. Be sure they are long and strong, with a combination of at least eight uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.

  • Update all web-enabled devices to the latest operating system and antivirus package in order to protect against the newest viruses and vulnerabilities.

  • Remind friends and family members not to click on links in unsolicited emails or social media posts and to avoid completing unsolicited surveys that ask for personal information.

For additional consumer information or to file a complaint, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at https://datcp.wi.gov, send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-422-7128.
 


Fun Wisconsin Fact
91,379 Wisconsinites fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Most Wisconsin soldiers were trained at Camp Randall, now the home of UW-Madison Badger athletics. Nearly 4,000 Wisconsin soldiers were either killed in action or mortally wounded.

Most Wisconsin troops served in the western front, although a few Wisconsin regiments did fight in the east forming the Iron Brigade. The 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment fought in the western part of the war, at the Battle of Iuka, the Siege of Vicksburg, the Red River Campaign, and the Battle of Nashville. The 8th Wisconsin is most known for its mascot the owl, Old Abe (pictured left).
 

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