Election Day is Today

Today is the Spring General Election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Click here to find your polling place. 

Remember: You must present an acceptable photo ID card to vote in Wisconsin. Click here to find out if you have the correct identification and to get information on how to obtain a free Wisconsin State ID Card for voting purposes.

Click here to see what is on your ballot.

Click here to read the “Candidates’ Answers” on the League of Women Voters of Dane County website.

Equal Pay Day

Today is Equal Pay Day, which marks the day each year when women’s pay finally catches up to what men earned during the previous year. Equal Pay Day is no cause for celebration because in Wisconsin, women earn just 78 cents on the dollar compared to men. African American and Latina women fare even worse, with African American women earning just 62 cents on the dollar and Latina women earning just 53 cents on the dollar.

It seems we have been moving backward since Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature repealed our Equal Pay Enforcement Act in 2012. On the federal level, just last week, President Trump rescinded the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order that protected women in the workplace.

Click here to read more about how Wisconsin women are faring on the 21^st anniversary of equal pay day.

Highlights from Today’s Assembly Session

Today, the State Assembly is meeting in both regular session and special session. The day began with the annual State of the Tribes address delivered by Shannon Holsey, President of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.

Following the State of the Tribes Speech, the Assembly went into Special Session to consider a number of bills addressing the opioid crisis in Wisconsin.

While today’s legislation takes some positive steps toward reducing access to opioids and providing additional treatment and diversion programs for individuals whose lives are impacted by addiction, there is more work to be done.

Wisconsin continues down the road of treating the symptoms of this public health epidemic, but to truly end the crisis, we must address the broader issue of access to health care and its impact on prevention and treatment of addiction. Governor Walker’s refusal to accept federal Medicaid expansion funds has hampered our state’s ability to address our serious public health crisis that is opioid addiction.

Additionally, we will debate regular session bills. Watch for more information about action taken on these bills in next week’s newsletter.

State Budget Update

Last week the Joint Committee on Finance had the opportunity to be briefed by agency staff and ask questions about the 2017-19 state budget proposed by the Governor.   The Joint Finance Committee will have a very limited number of public hearings on the proposal – none in Madison or Milwaukee.  I am joining my Democratic colleagues to hold additional listening sessions to ensure that more people can be heard.  I also very much appreciate the efforts people are making to share their concerns with me through letters, emails, and phone calls.

One of the issues that was brought to light by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) staff was the enormity of the structural deficit that exists in the budget introduced by Governor Walker.  If passed without changes, the budget bill will have a structural deficit which will exceed $1 billion.  A structural deficit occurs when ongoing revenues are less than ongoing spending.

The Governor’s version of the budget has been labeled a “re-election budget” by many observers. Some areas targeted for cuts in his prior budgets see a fraction of their prior funding restored; tax breaks continue for the wealthy; and there is no new revenue to address our transportation funding crisis. To avoid a $1 billion deficit at the end of the biennium, our state would have to experience economic growth that is unlikely to occur.   Without this growth, our state would enter the next budget facing a choice of increasing taxes or cutting programs.   As we have seen in the past budgets signed into law by Governor Walker, our communities have suffered, and fairness and opportunity have disappeared for low and middle income Wisconsin families.

Local governments, businesses, and families prepare budgets by examining current spending, considering new spending, and taking a realistic look at what they can realistically expect in income. You cannot commit to spending more money and then cross your fingers and hope the money will somehow appear, but the LFB makes it clear that is precisely what Governor Walker’s proposed budget does. 

Family Medical Leave Act Expansion Proposed

Recently, a group of Democratic legislators led by Representative Sondy Pope (D- Mt. Horeb) and Senator Janis Ringhand (D- Evansville) reintroduced a proposal to expand Wisconsin’s current Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The bill would allow eligible employees to take medical leave or family leave to care for grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, and those with eligible family members deployed overseas by the military. Current law guarantees these protections, but only to care for oneself, a spouse, child, or parent. 

The proposal would create a medical leave insurance program that gives workers without paid sick leave the option to obtain it and would make it easier for employees of smaller businesses to receive such benefits. This bill would make it possible for individuals who cannot afford to lose pay to take needed time off when sick or to care for a sick family member. This legislation gives families peace of mind that they can take care of their loved ones without fear of losing their income.

Crestwood Students Earn Golden Badger Award

Last year, the 4th grade classes at Crestwood Elementary School teamed up to retell the classic Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus, using block-print, paper-cut animation. Students served as the screen writers and directors of the production as well as the artists behind the animation. The five minute film was featured in this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival. For their efforts, the students were awarded a prestigious Golden Badger!

Click here to watch the award winning movie.

Don’t Get Swept Away in Sweepstakes Scams

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has recently received a handful of inquiries about possible sweepstakes scam operations.  DATCP asks Wisconsin residents to be on the lookout for fraudulent calls and mailings that promise major prizes in exchange for a payment for "fees" or "taxes."

Click here to read more information and helpful tips to protect yourself.

Fun Wisconsin Fact

The territory of Wisconsin had long been occupied by various Native American tribes before the Europeans arrived in America. These tribes included the Ho-Chunk, Oneida, Ojibwa, Sauk, Fox, Kickapoo, and Pottawatomie. The first settlers to come to Wisconsin were French fur traders. Following the French and Indian War in 1763, the British took control of the area. Now, you can see traces of these different cultures in place names, family names, and cultural activities.