Let me start of this week's eUpdate with a couple of reminders:
Day Light Savings ends this weekend so be sure to remember to turn your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night so you can enjoy that extra hour of sleep on Sunday!
Open enrollment for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) starts today and runs though December 15th. Wisconsinites can now apply for 2020 health plan, renew their current plan or pick a new plan through the ACA’s Health Insurance Marketplace. If you are not insured or need affordable coverage, please visit healthcare.gov.
This past week was another busy one. I held a listening session with Supervisor Steve Peters and Alder Barbara Harrington-McKinney at the new Southwest Madison Employment Center. We had a great turn out. On Tuesday I provided testimony on legislation in front of the Assembly Committee on Family Law, and introduced additional adoption legislation with members of the Task Force on Adoption (specifics on both of these are covered later in the newsletter). Additionally, the Health and Local Government committees on which I serve held hearings.
Next week, both the Senate and Assembly will be in session, and there will be an unveiling of a women veteran's exhibit in the Capitol Rotunda.
As always, 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
On Tuesday, I appeared before the Assembly Committee on Family Law and offered testimony on Assembly Bill 564, which makes changes to the eligibility threshold for adoption assistance. This proposed change comes in response to testimony heard during hearings held by the Speaker’s Task Force on Adoption.
Certain adoptions from the child welfare system are considered “special needs” adoptions and are eligible for federal or state adoption assistance payments, but the federal government has no definition for “special needs,” and is then up to each state how to interpret the law.
My bill expands eligibility for adoption assistance by directly amending the DCF rule that defines “special needs.” While there is a rather long list for what can be considered a special needs adoption in Wisconsin, the proposed bill update the definition of children with special needs if the child is seven years of age or older if age is the only factor in determining eligibility (the current threshold is age 10), and if the child is a member of a sibling group of two or more children that must be placed together (currently it is three or more).
The hope is that making this change could assist in achieving permanency for children whose age presents challenges to finding permanent adoptive placements and to keep siblings together through an adoption. By easing the burden of additional costs sometimes associated with such placements, the legislature has the opportunity to make a real difference for these children and their forever families by assisting with costs for these special needs adoptions.
I was joined by fellow members of the Task Force on Adoption introducing six bills that better reflected the goals the task force was charged with addressing: barriers facing biological and adoptive families, reduce costs associated with adoption, and raise awareness of adoption.
As vice-chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Adoption, I was humbled to hear from so many families who have adopted children and from others involved in the adoption process. I am excited to bring forth these bills that will improve the lives of these families, so that they can spend more time with their children and less time worrying about the financial burden or the paperwork.
The Speaker’s Task Force on Adoption held seven hearings around the state this summer, gathering input from various judicial authorities, social/case workers, parents, adoptees, state agencies and private organizations. The bills introduced this week have been drafted as a direct result of testimony shared during the hearings.
We are committed to ensuring that Wisconsin’s children get the very best we have to offer because they deserve safe and stable homes with loving, caring families. I am proud of the work we have done to get Wisconsin closer to that reality.
On Thursday, November 7th, Governor Tony Evers and Secretary Mary Kolar will be unveiling the Veteran’s Museum’s new traveling exhibit, I Am Not Invisible, in the Capitol Rotunda. The exhibit showcases women from all over the state who have served in the military in an attempt to increase awareness about their contributions to both the military and their local communities.
Wisconsin is the first state to integrate audio clips of five-minute oral histories with photos of some of the veterans. This project began in Oregon several years ago, and has since grown to be a project in nine states. There are roughly two million living female veterans, come honor them for their service at this event.
The latest edition of the Wisconsin Blue Book is here! If you'd like a copy please email my office at Rep.Subeck@legis.wisconsin.gov, and I will have my staff provide you with your very own copy. If you find yourself downtown during normal business hours, you can also stop in to my office (Room 209 N in the Capitol) to pick one up in person.
I also have plenty of the new state highway maps on hand, so feel free to request a copy of one of those as well.
Long before “On, Wisconsin” was used to excite Badger fans, it was used as a battle cry in the Civil War. On November 25, 1863, Wisconsin’s 24th Volunteer Infantry Regiment and other members of the Union Army met Confederate resistance at the Battle of Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Confederate soldiers guarding the hill shot down Union flag bearers, but that only emboldened 18 year old Lieutenant Arthur MacArthur, Jr. He rescued the flag and rushed up the hill, exclaiming “On, Wisconsin!” as he staked it into the ground. His action, for which he received the Medal of Honor, helped rally the regiment and break the Confederate line to win the Battle of Missionary Ridge. “On Wisconsin!” indeed.
Things happening in the district & around Madison:
Artful Women November 2 - December 7, 2019 All Day Skylight Gallery (surgical waiting room) UW Hospital, 600 Highland Ave., Madison
Artful Women is a juried art show and sale which provides a venue for women artists to exhibit their work. The show benefits the Wisconsin Women’s Network.
Herb Faire November 2, 2019 9 am - 3 pm Olbrich Gardens 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison
“Wisconsin’s Wild and native herbs” is the theme of the 37th annual Herb Fair of the Madison Herb Society. The fair features speakers, information, and an herbal marketplace. Admission is free.
UW Wind Ensemble Concert November 3, 2019 2 PM Hamel Music Center 740 University Ave., Madison
Come see UW Wind Ensemble perform in the beautiful new Hamel Music Center this Sunday. Free and open to all.
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets November 3, 2019 2 PM A Room of One's Own Bookstore 315 W. Gorham St., Madison
Read aloud selections from the 2020 Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar
UW Diversity Forum November 5 & 6, 2019 8 AM - 5 PM UW Union South Varsity Hall 1308 W. Dayton St., Madison
This year’s Diversity Forum, “Building Bridges to a Better Future: Opportunities Through Access and Exposure,” will feature a keynote address by John Quiñones, longtime ABC News correspondent. RSVP for the day you wish to attend here.
Community Engagement Open House November 6, 2019 4 PM - 7 PM UW Discovery Building 330 N. Orchard St., Madison
Learn and take environmental action with local experts, organizations, and public officials!
I Am Not Invisible: Exhibit Unveiling November 7, 2019 12 noon Wisconsin State Capitol Rotunda
Please join us in celebrating this new exhibit about female veterans’ contributions to the military and their communities.
Voice of our Youth Research Summit November 8, 2019 8 AM UW Union South 1308 W. Dayton St., Madison
This event is an opportunity for researchers, community partners and youth to come together to learn about DCYA research findings, discuss strategies on using the findings to advocate for youth needs and resources, and share how DCYA data is being used to educate the community.
