Representative Lisa Subeck Calls on Senate Republicans to Follow Assembly Lead and Remove Yom Kippur from Legislative Session Calendar

February 14, 2019

MADISON – This week, the State Assembly unanimously passed Assembly Joint Resolution 6 (AJR 6), a bi-partisan resolution to change the 2019-20 legislative calendar to eliminate the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur as a session day on which the Legislature may meet. Representative Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) voiced her objections to the inclusion of Yom Kippur as a potential meeting day when the calendar was first considered in early January. At that time, Republican leadership in the Assembly refused to alter the calendar but this week agreed to support the change at Rep. Subeck’s urging.

 “From the start, Yom Kippur should not have appeared on the legislative calendar,” said Representative Subeck. “A possible session day would never have been scheduled for Christmas or Easter, and the same should be true for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.”

Despite the action taken by the Assembly, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald refused to consider the resolution when the Senate met the next day. Rep. Subeck expressed her disappointment in Senate Republican leadership and called on Sen. Fitzgerald to respect the Jewish community by passing AJR 6.

“This is not the first time Republicans have proposed possible session days on the Jewish high holidays. Just last session, I objected to the 2017-18 legislative calendar because it included a possible session day on Rosh Hashanah,” said Subeck. “As a matter of basic respect for Jewish members of our legislature, our staff, and our constituents, I urge Senator Fitzgerald to do the right thing by bringing AJR 6 to the floor the next time the Senate meets, as his continued inaction sends the wrong message to our Jewish community.”

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