State of the State

On Tuesday night, Governor Walker gave his State of the State address. Below, you will find my response to his speech:

“Governor Walker and legislative Republicans have spent the last year pushing a special interest agenda, from making Wisconsin a right-to-work state to adopting new campaign finance rules that open the floodgates to election spending by special interests, corporations, and billionaires. Now, as we head into an election year, Governor Walker’s State of the State address offered only watered down solutions to the challenges facing working families in Wisconsin.

The agenda Governor Walker put forward tonight cannot combat the massive cuts to education and job training that he has already signed into law. Since gaining control in 2011, Governor Walker and legislative Republicans have cut more than $2 billion from our neighborhood schools, public universities and technical colleges in Wisconsin. Providing economic opportunity starts with investing in education and strong public schools, yet Republicans have gone the other way.

In 2015, Wisconsin racked up more than 10,000 layoff notices and was dead last in the Midwest in job creation over the last four years. Wisconsinites who remain out of work are looking for action from the state. Unfortunately, Republicans have taken no significant action to promote job growth in our state.

Governor Walker’s plan provides no substantial relief for most Wisconsinites with student loan debt and barely scratches the surface for others. Under the Democrats “Higher Ed, Lower Debt” bill, the 1 million Wisconsinites with student loan debt would be allowed to refinance student loans at lower rates, putting more money back into the pockets of hardworking Wisconsin families.

Instead of paying lip service to the middle class while doing little to help struggling families in Wisconsin, the Governor and Republicans should be looking to Democratic proposals to help grow Wisconsin’s economy. Providing relief and creating opportunity is fundamental to building strong communities, which is why we must put Wisconsin families first as this legislative session comes to a close. Governor Walker’s failure to propose real relief and new opportunities for struggling Wisconsinites is truly disappointing.”

“Safe Storage for Gun Safety” Package

This week, I circulated four bills as part of a “Safe Storage for Gun Safety” package. This package of legislation is to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have access to them.

Gun violence plagues our nation, posing a serious public health and public safety crisis. Much of this gun violence occurs when legally owned guns get into the hands of the wrong people. For example, the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education published a study examining 37 school shootings from 1974-2000.  That study found that in more than 65% of the cases, the attacker got the gun from his or her own home or that of a relative. More recently, the shooter in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting used guns belonging to his mother.

Lost and stolen firearms also present a significant risk, as according to a 2012 United States Department of Justice Report, “Those that steal firearms commit violent crimes with stolen guns, transfer stolen firearms to others who commit crimes, and create an unregulated secondary market for those who are prohibited by law from possessing a gun.” The same Department of Justice report indicates that of 1,944 firearms reported lost or stolen in Wisconsin in 2012, 1,882 of those firearms were stolen. Only 157 of those thefts were from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL), meaning the vast majority of stolen firearms were the result of thefts or burglaries from individual gun owners. This number is likely even higher, according to the DOJ, because of the number of firearms lost or stolen from individuals other than FFLs that may go unreported.

Many guns that are lost or stolen end up being used to commit subsequent crimes.  A U.S. Department of the Treasury study revealed that nearly a quarter of ATF gun trafficking investigations involved stolen firearms and were associated with over 11,000 trafficked firearms. Ten percent of these investigations involved guns stolen from residences.

Not only do we have a problem with intentional gun violence when guns end up in the hands of those determined to cause harm, but too often we see the tragedies that result from unintentional shootings, particularly when children get a hold of guns. Between 1999 and 2010, over 8,300 people in the United States were reported as dying from unintentional shootings, including 2,383 children and young adults under the age of 21. According to CDC statistics compiled by the Brady Campaign, an average of 3,185 children and teens were injured or killed as the result of unintentional shootings each year during the 5 year period of 2009 – 2013.

It is imperative that we keep guns out of the hands of children and out of the hands of individuals intending to do harm. The “Safe Storage for Gun Safety” package of bills is designed to address the serious problems that occur when guns end up in the hands of those who should not use them.

Here are the four bills included in the package:

• LRB-4399 would require reporting of lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours of discovering they are lost or stolen. This legislation enables law enforcement to trace guns more effectively, and makes for the successful prosecution of users of stolen guns more likely.

• LRB-4400 would require that at the time of sale or transfer of a firearm, the seller provide the individual receiving the gun with a secure lockable container or trigger lock for the firearm.

• LRB-4412 would require a gun owner to store firearms in a locked container or have a locking device engaged if a person who cannot legally possess a firearm lives in the residence.

• LRB-4423 would require a gun owner to store firearms in a locked container or have a locking device engaged if there is a child living in the residence or if a child is present in the home.

 The “Safe Storage for Gun Safety” package would make our communities safer by preventing gun violence and accidental deaths at the hands of those who should not have access to firearms.

Legislation to Support Nursing Mothers in the Workplace

Together with Representative Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) and Senator Julie Lassa (D- Stevens Point), I have circulated a bill to ensure nursing mothers do not face unnecessary barriers in the workplace. This legislation would bring Wisconsin law in line with federal employment regulations regarding breastfeeding and ensure that women who are taking unpaid break time to breastfeed or express breast milk do not lose eligibility for employer sponsored health insurance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for an infant’s first six months, with continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced. However, working mothers are less likely to initiate breastfeeding and are more likely to breastfeed for a shorter length of time than women who don’t have to deal with workplace barriers. In 2010, the federal government updated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), requiring employers to provide accommodations at the workplace which would enable nursing mothers to breastfeed or express milk at work. This bill codifies these changes at the state level and adds critical protections to ensure nursing mothers are not forced to choose between breastfeeding and health care.

Recently, a constituent contacted me about the challenges she faced as a nursing mother returning to work. Her employer has made accommodations for her to express breast milk at work and allowed her unpaid breaks to do so. Unfortunately, because these breaks are unpaid, she is now working slightly under the minimum threshold for health insurance eligibility. This bill ensures that nursing mothers are able to maintain their health care coverage by counting any unpaid breaks for the purpose of breastfeeding or expressing milk toward any minimum hours required for health care eligibility.

No mother should have to choose between making the healthy choice for her baby and providing health care for her family. This bill would ensure that no woman would have to choose between breastfeeding and health care.

Bill to Prohibit Budget Time Campaign Contributions

Last week, I circulated legislation that would prohibit any partisan state elected official from taking contributions during the time the legislature is debating the budget, from introduction of the budget bill to enactment.  

While major decisions are being made regarding the state’s multi-billion dollar two-year budget, legislators are able to receive contributions while we debate the budget. During the 2015-17 state budget deliberations Republican and Democratic legislative leaders and Joint Finance Committee chairs raised over $150,000 for their personal campaign committees.

The fundraising done during the budget process highlights the flow of money to power. No matter who is in control of the legislature, legislative leaders determine how much the state budget spends on hundreds of policies and programs. These decisions should not even have the appearance of direct special interest influence.

Republicans Take No Action on Citizens United  

Today, citizens from all across the state came to hold a citizens’ hearing on AJR8, which would place a statewide advisory referendum question on the ballot to give voters the opportunity to voice their support for a constitutional amendment overturning the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC.

Today marks the 6th anniversary of the Citizens United ruling, which opened the floodgates to unlimited election spending by corporations and special interest groups. Unfortunately, Republican legislators have continued their failure to act. This week they refused to take up AJR 8 on the floor of the Assembly and will not even hold a hearing on AJR 8.

Six years after the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United, outside spending on elections by special interests continues to increase, while rulings by the Wisconsin Supreme Court have allowed the sources of much of this spending to go undisclosed, keeping Wisconsinites in the dark about who is trying to influence their votes. Even more recently, Republicans have passed legislation that further deregulates election spending by special interests, corporations, and billionaires.

Unlimited election spending by corporations, Super PACs, and special interest groups has drowned out the voices of the people in our elections, and urgent action is needed to restore our democracy.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Day of Service

On Monday, I took part in a Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Day of Service event that was made possible by a $5,000 innovation award from AT&T. Nearly 350 students participated in a series of science workshops and community service projects as part of the fifth annual event.

The goal of the event is to inspire students to serve their community through volunteering while providing educational opportunities for them to engage in science, technology, engineering, art and math. The event was held in partnership with the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition, Urban League and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. 

Fun Wisconsin Fact

During the Civil War, Madison served as a center of the Union Army in Wisconsin. Camp Randall, currently used by the University of Wisconsin football team, was originally a training camp, military hospital, and prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers.

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