I hope you did not experience any significant damage from the recent storms and managed to stay cool in the oppressively hot weather. I know I spent most of my week indoors, out of the heat and away from the storms.
The Capitol has been a busy place with committee meetings on some contentious and other less contentious issues. Two committees on which I serve met this week, including the Campaigns and Elections committee and the Joint Committee on Review of Administrative Rules. The former met for an informational hearing with a ballot printing vendor, and the latter met to extend a handful of emergency rules within the Departments of Natural Resources, Workforce Development, Children and Families, and Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.
In this week's newsletter, you will find information about how Governor Evers is protecting voting rights, news from the Education committee, and more.
If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office.
Gov. Evers on Tuesday vetoed six anti-voting rights bills (SB 203, SB 204, SB 205, SB 210, SB 212, SB 292) passed by the Republican controlled legislature. The bills would have instituted new hurdles for voting absentee, and would have limited who can return an absentee ballot for a voter. These vetoes halted yet another Republican attempt to rig the system through targeted voter suppression.
The right to vote ensures that every citizen, no matter who they are, and no matter what barriers they face, has an equal voice and equal say in our democracy. The bills vetoed by the Governor would have made it more difficult for Wisconsinites, especially those with disabilities, to participate in our elections. We should do everything in our power to make it easier, not harder, to cast a ballot on Election Day. I was pleased to join the Governor, legislators, and disability advocates in the Capitol rotunda as he signed these vetoes.
You can read the veto messages issued by Gov. Evers here.
Education Committees Hear Testimony on Anti-Critical Race Theory Bills
This week, the Senate and Assembly Education Committees held a joint hearing on two bills (Senate Bills 411 and 463) that would prohibit most anti-racism and anti-sexism education in our schools. These bills come as part of a national conservative movement and mirror legislation proposed in other states.
These proposals from Republican legislators are all about politics and division, not education, and strip our local school boards of the ability to decide what is best for their local schools. These bills could also endanger the progress we made in passing the Holocaust Education Act, which passed earlier this year.
It is important that our kids learn critical thinking skills so they are able to handle complicated topics and issues as they become adults. Teaching about racism and sexism, and their context in our history is a vital, and we should not ignore truths about our history simply because they make some people uncomfortable.
Federal Extended Unemployment Benefits End September 4
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is encouraging Wisconsin residents to prepare for the end of federal Unemployment Insurance programs. Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the extension of federal unemployment programs ends Sept. 4, 2021. Individuals with claims pending for weeks prior to Sept. 5, 2021 will be paid for each week they are found eligible. This includes Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC).
National Breastfeeding Month is celebrated to advance advocacy, protection and promotion of breastfeeding to ensure that all families have the opportunity to breastfeed.
To help promote breastfeeding in Wisconsin, and make it easier for new moms to breastfeed when they return to work, I have introduced the Healthy Babies, Working Mothers Act to ensure that new moms who take unpaid break time to breastfeed or express breast milk do not lose eligibility for employer sponsored health insurance as a result. The bill would also require appropriate accommodations such as privacy while pumping and refrigerated storage for breast milk, and would update Wisconsin law to bring it in line with federal standards.
No new mom should have to choose between making the healthy choice of breastfeeding her baby and returning to work to provide for her family. This Act would update state law and remove barriers for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace.
I have introduced this bipartisan legislation in each session since 2015, after hearing from a constituent who lost her family’s health insurance because the short, unpaid breaks she took to pump breast milk put her just below the hours threshold needed to qualify for insurance. This year, with bipartisan sponsors and support in both legislative chambers, I am more hopeful than ever that we can get this legislation across the finish line.
The City of Madison team has begun the process of acquiring land required to implement its proposed Hawks Landing North Flood Mitigation project. The resolution requesting approval to move ahead was introduced and passed at the Madison Common Council on August 3. This project aims to fix drainage issues and alleviate flooding during large precipitation events that plague parts of the 20-year old Hawks Landing development.
My office has free Wisconsin State Highway maps available. Please email Rep.Subeck@legis.wi.gov to have one mailed to you. Be sure to include your complete address, please.
The newest edition of the Wisconsin Blue Book (2021-2022) is not yet available, but we still have some 2019-2020 Blue Books. We would be happy to send you one if you email your address to Rep.Subeck@legis.wi.gov.
You may also stop by my office (109 North) in the Capitol to pick up items during business hours. Please note that all visitors must wear a mask.
Orland Loomis will always be Governor-elect of Wisconsin. He was elected Governor of Wisconsin on November 4, 1942, but passed away from a heart attack on December 7, 1941, before he could be inaugurated.
Loomis was born in Mauston in 1893 and received a law degree from the UW Law School in 1917. After serving in WWI, he practiced law in Mauston and served as the city attorney until 1931. A Republican, and later a Progressive, Loomis served a single term in each house of the legislature between 1929 and 1935, including a stint as president pro-tem of the Senate. From 1935 to 1937, he served as director of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) in Wisconsin, a position he earned due to his work in the legislature promoting the regulation of public utilities. He served a single two-year term as Attorney General beginning in 1937. After losing the 1940 gubernatorial election to Julius Heil, he defeated Heil in their 1942 rematch.
Things happening in the district & around Madison:
Family Night on Lake Mendota
Tuesday, August 17
4 PM - 6 PM
Memorial Union | Outdoor UW
800 Langdon St
Madison, WI 53706
Bring your family to the Memorial Union Terrace for a fun evening on the lake! Join our Outdoor UW paddling instructors for some awesome games, sightseeing, and paddling on Lake Mendota. Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Meet at the Outdoor UW desk in Memorial Union.
Learn to Fish with Madison Parks and theWisconsin Department of Natural Resources! There is no cost to attend (advanced registration is required), however, anglers ages 16 and older will need a Wisconsin fishing license, which can be purchased online atGo Wild. For first-time license buyers, the cost is just $5 for an annual permit. Seelicense options . Wisconsin DNR's Fishmobile will be onsite with all the fishing equipment needed to participate. This event is open to adults and children and is ideal for persons aged 7 years and older. Children must be supervised by a parent or adult guardian. Participants will be asked to sign a waiver for themselves and their children, upon arrival.
Visit the Middleton Public Library at the Walter R. Bauman Aquatic Center for Park & Recreation's annual Middle School Pool Night! Middle School students will have full use of the pool just for themselves! Proceeds will benefit the Middleton Youth Center. Open to those in grades 5-8 from 6-8pm on Thursday, August 19. Please note this event is ONLY for Middle Schoolers, and the pool will be closed to all others . Registration:https://middleton.recdesk.com/Community/Home
Teen Outdoor Movie Night
Friday, August 20, 2021
8 PM - 10 PM
Verona Public Library
500 Silent St
Verona, WI 53593
Snack on some popcorn while you watch Shrek on a big screen in our parking lot theater! What to bring: mosquito armor, blanket for cooler night temperatures, and a camp chair (some will be provided). Either bring a mask or be prepared to social distance.
Your neighborhood, vendor-run, community farmers’ market featuring a diverse selection of fresh produce, Wisconsin cheese and meats, honey, eggs, fresh bakery, cut flowers, plants, hand-crafted foods and more, all from Wisconsin farmers & food artisans.