Budget Update

Earlier this week, the Assembly and Senate voted to pass the Republican version of the 2019-21 state budget after slashing many key provisions from Governor Evers’s budget proposal, including Medicaid expansion, a significant increase in special education funding, and major investments in clean drinking water. I voted against the Republican budget, which fell far short of the mark on the investments our state needs.

Governor Evers set the bar high with a budget proposal that made smart investments in our state and put people first. His budget reflected the values of the people of Wisconsin and pushed Republicans to do better. Unfortunately, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee cut Medicaid expansion and other key investments out of the budget, leaving a trail of missed opportunities.

The biggest missed opportunity was Republicans’ refusal to accept federal Medicaid expansion funds that would enable us to expand health care access in our state. Accepting the full expansion would lower health care premiums for everyone by 7 to 11%, save our state over $300 million, trigger $1.6 billion in new federal dollars invested in our healthcare system, and increase everyone’s access to affordable, quality care. Medicaid expansion would have allowed us to make investments to improve the health care system for everyone, such as Governor Evers’s “Healthy Women, Healthy Babies” initiative. This initiative would have improved women’s access to preventative care and addressed racial disparities in maternal and child health.  Wisconsin has some of the worst disparities in maternal and infant mortality rates in the country, and reducing these rates should be a high priority for the state.

The Republican budget also made drastic cuts to Governor Evers’s proposed investments in education, making it more difficult for school districts to cope with increasing costs of educating children with special needs. Republicans also eliminated funding for a program aimed at testing and remediating polluted private wells, passing on the chance to comprehensively address our water quality crisis.  

I voted against the Republican budget on Tuesday, because it misses critical opportunities to expand access to health care, address our water quality crisis, find sustainable funding to fix our crumbling roads, and provide our neighborhood schools the resources they need.  This budget forces Wisconsinites to pay more for health care and roads, while failing to make key investments in our state’s future. Wisconsin deserves a budget that puts people first.

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Governor Evers Vetoes Bills Limiting Access to Reproductive Health Care

Last Friday, Governor Evers vetoed Assembly Bills 179, 180, 182, and 183, a package of bills that would restrict access to abortion and other reproductive health care services.

I applaud Governor Evers for vetoing these divisive and inflammatory anti-women’s health bills. These bills are part of a coordinated effort to ban safe, legal abortion altogether in Wisconsin, an outcome we must not allow. I am proud of Governor Evers for trusting women to make our own health care decisions without interference from politicians.

If Republicans are serious about improving health outcomes for women and families, they should stop obstructing Medicaid expansion and follow Governor Evers’s lead in making needed health care investments such as the Healthy Women, Healthy Babies Initiative.

I am glad that Governor Evers has vetoed these anti-women’s health bills, and I am proud to stand with him as he stands up for Wisconsin women.

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Two Major Supreme Court Rulings

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two important rulings that will have a major impact on Wisconsin. I was pleased that the Court put a hold on the Trump administration's effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Unfortunately, the Court also dealt a significant blow to efforts to combat partisan gerrymandering.

Census Citizenship Question

On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump Administration’s stated reason for adding a question on citizenship to the census, making it unlikely that the question will appear on census forms next year. The addition of a citizenship question in the 2020 census would have significantly impaired the accuracy of the census by discouraging households with noncitizens from participating, potentially leading to an undercount of communities of color. Earlier this year, I joined a bipartisan group of elected officials and municipalities in filing an amicus brief against the citizenship question.

I am pleased that the Supreme Court rejected the Trump Administration’s efforts to weaponize the census against immigrants and communities of color, and I am grateful to the advocates who worked to draw attention to this crucial issue. Their decision will help ensure that every single Wisconsinite can stand up and be counted in the census without fear.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Unfortunately, the Court also issued a ruling rejecting efforts to rein in extreme partisan gerrymandering. This decision by a partisan Supreme Court majority further demonstrates the need for fair redistricting reform. Voters should have the right to choose their elected officials, not the other way around. Since 2011, Wisconsin Republicans have benefitted from rigged legislative maps that dilute Democratic votes and allow Republicans to maintain power against the wishes of the people of Wisconsin. This fundamentally unfair system endangers our democracy.  

The Supreme Court has abdicated its responsibility to address this crisis, but the fight for fair representation is not over. The people of Wisconsin can solve this problem by demanding that their elected officials support redistricting reform.

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DATCP Senior Guide

Earlier this month, Elder Abuse Awareness Day was recognized around the world. This global event gives us all a chance to consider the risks that the seniors in our lives face and to take steps to help them stay protected from fraudsters and identity thieves. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) offers some great resources for older state residents, including the Consumer Protection Hotline (800-422-7128; datcphotline@wi.gov). The hotline team is available during business hours to address any questions and to help Wisconsinites make sense of potential scam attempts.

Another excellent resource for older Wisconsin residents is DATCP's Senior Guide. This 50+ page booklet addresses the unfortunately common issue of financial elder abuse, providing tips on a wide range of scams and consumer protection issues. Get a free copy of the guide for yourself or a loved one by downloading the PDF version from the DATCP website. You can also request a printed copy by contacting the Consumer Protection Hotline.

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Update from the DNR

This is a great time of year to plant native species to attract and provide habitat for monarch butterflies. Habitat loss is considered the primary concern in the decline of monarch populations. Experts advise planting native milkweed, since milkweeds are the only source of food monarch caterpillars will eat.

Additionally, those headed out to lakes and rivers this summer are reminded to be on the lookout for blue-green algae.  Some blue-green algae can produce toxins that cause illness in people and animals who accidentally swallow, inhale, or have prolonged skin contact with the algae.  To help track the occurrence of blooms around the state, blooms may be reported to the DNR at DNRHABS@wisconsin.gov.  The agency is particularly interested in reports of especially severe or unusual bloom conditions.

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Fun Wisconsin Fact

Arguably, one of the best places in Madison to get ice cream is on the University of Wisconsin Campus at Babcock Hall. Since June is Dairy Month, this week’s Wisconsin fact is about the building’s namesake, Dr. Steven Babcock.

Dr. Babcock came to Wisconsin from New York after he accepted a position at the Agricultural Experiment Station (UWAES) at University of Wisconsin as chair of the Agricultural Chemistry department in 1888. A notable part of his many contributions to Wisconsin and the dairy industry was the development of the “Babcock Test.” This simple test allowed farmers and dairymen to determine the fat content of milk by adding a certain amount of sulfuric acid to a milk sample with the only part remaining at the end of the process was fat. At the time, this development was huge because some farmers were known to dilute milk or skim cream. Babcock refused to patent his discovery allowing the practice to be widely dispersed, and, subsequently, the Babcock Test became the worldwide standard to determine milkfat.  The Babcock-Test along with cold-curing (developed by Babcock and UW bacteriologist Dr. Harry Luman Russell) allowed Wisconsin to become the United States’ leading producer of cheese.

Before Babcock came to Wisconsin, he was working on the chemistry of feed ratios, and this was where his quest to perform the “single-grain experiment” or “hidden hunger test” began.  After a couple of failed attempts and twenty-five years of trying to get approval from his superiors, he was given the go ahead to work with a team to study the effects of a single grain (corn, bran, and wheat) fed to animals.  Ultimately, this study paved the way for developing nutrition as a science. Dr. Babcock provides a remarkable example of the Wisconsin Idea.

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