It's been a busy week once again in the legislature where the Campaigns & Elections Committee held a public hearing the Joint Committee on the Review of Rules held an executive session today, and yesterday the Legislative Study Committee on which I served concluded it's recommendations to the legislature.
Next week, Governor Evers will host his final Budget Listening Session on Wednesday, December 16 at 6 p.m. This session will focus on schools and education. You will need to register of this event, and can do so here.
And as we start this second night of Hanukkah, let your light contiune shine a bit brighter for hope, health, and peace for all. 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
Today’s Campaigns and Elections Committee was completely disappointing in many respects such as the hyper-partisan roster of invited speakers, the omission of Wisconsin’s highest election official, and the time limits imposed on testimony and questioning. However, the most disheartening part of the spectacle was the repeated impugning without any evidence the integrity of Wisconsin's elections officials.
Wisconsin’s elections have always been safe, secure, and transparent. This last election was no different. Our election clerks, poll workers, election officials, and National Guard members acted honorably in their duty, and remarkably so, in the face of the added obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our time today could have been much better used addressing the COVID-19 obstacles Wisconsinites are currently facing. It has been 240 days since the Legislature took any significant measures to help Wisconsinites suffering from COVID-19, and anymore delay is entirely unacceptable.
I do want to extend a “Thank You” to Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell for taking the time today to testify to try to set the record straight after a day of the conspiracy theories and political theatre that proceeded his testimony.
The Joint Legislative Council’s Study Committee on Public Disclosure and Oversight of Child Abuse and Neglect Incidents held its final meeting yesterday. The study committee unanimously voted to approve three bill drafts and recommend their introduction by the Joint Legislative Council during the next legislative session. The final versions of the three bill drafts approved by the committee are summarized as follows:
WLC: 0001/1: Current law requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to prepare quarterly reports summarizing all reports of certain types of sexual abuse of a child placed in out-of-home care that are received during the time in which the child is placed in OHC, regardless of when the alleged incident occurred. The bill draft requires the quarterly reports to only provide information on reports of certain types of sexual abuse of a child alleged to have occurred while the child was placed in out-of-home care. The bill draft also requires that DCF specify in the reports whether, in substantiated cases of certain types of sexual abuse, the abuse was caused by the child’s out-of-home care provider.
WLC: 0004/1, as amended: Federal law requires that citizen review panels report annually and provide a summary of the activities of the panel and recommendations to improve CPS systems at the state and local levels. In addition, within six months, DCF must submit a written response to the citizen review panel. The bill draft requires DCF to transmit to the appropriate legislative standing committees both the annual reports from citizen review panels and DCF’s written responses to those reports.
WLC: 0006/1, as amended: Current law requires that DCF prepare summary reports on certain information related to child abuse or neglect incidents of death, serious injury, or egregious abuse or neglect (critical incidents). The bill draft requires DCF to include certain information about DCF’s summary reports on critical incidents in the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Report (CAN Report), an annual report that DCF is required to prepare under current law. Specifically, the bill draft requires that the CAN Report include: aggregated information on DCF’s summary reports, trend data identified by DCF, including any trend data identified from in-depth practice reviews; and changes in polices or practices that have been made to address any issues raised in DCF’s review of critical incidents in the summary reports. In addition, the bill draft requires the appropriate legislative standing committees to conduct a hearing at least annually on the CAN Report.
It was an honor to work on this committee to be able to help craft mechanisms to help protect Wisconsin's most vulnerable children. I look forward to working on the legislation that comes from these recommendations in the upcoming legislative session.
Open enrollment, the annual period to enroll in a health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov or an agent, is set to end Tuesday, December 15. If you are in need of health insurance coverage for 2021, I encourage you to explore the options available on the marketplace to find a plan that fits your needs and budget.
There are more Options for health insurance in the individual market for Wisconsinites since the launch of the Wisconsin Healthcare Stability Plan. Assistance is available for free to all Wisconsinites who need help selecting a health insurance plan. You can call 2-1-1 or visit WisCovered.com to find free help from an expert. Individuals can also work directly with a licensed insurance agent to buy an individual plan if they choose not to use HealthCare.gov. If you would like to explore your options by county, please visit the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance’s Map of Comprehensive Health Insurers - Individual Market.
On December 11th, 1901, in Whitewater, Morris Pratt incorporated his school of spiritualism - the first in the world - which he had founded in 1888.
During this time period, many people began believing in spiritualism to try to contact family and friends that they had lost in the Civil War. Initially, the building was used for public séances, but later, Pratt decided to turn it into a school for spiritualists, focusing on science, literature, morality, and communication, as well as spiritualistic instruction. The purpose of the school was not just to train mediums, but to offer courses for all who sought self-improvement whether they were a Spiritualist or not.
Pratt died in 1902, just after his 81st birthday, but the school continued. However, the Depression in the 1930s led the school to suffer, and it shut down. The building was then used as a dorm by what later became UW-Whitewater, and was ultimately demolished in 1961.
The school reopened in 1977 in Wauwatosa, and continues to this day.
