Lisa Subeck

State Representative

78th Assembly District

Update: Health Care

Last week, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that could leave 24 million Americans without health coverage, would eliminate critical protections for Americans living with pre-existing conditions, and gives massive tax cuts to the wealthy and billion-dollar corporations.

Republicans have turned healthcare into a political football, providing big giveaways to the rich at the expense of everyone else. They are putting Americans’ lives in danger in order to line the pockets of their wealthy donors and billion-dollar corporations that spend money to get them elected.

The bill passed in the House would need to pass the Senate and be signed by the President before becoming law.

Click here to view a handout on the impact of the Trump/Ryan bill that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

In light of the action on the federal level, my Democratic colleagues and I have introduced a set of bills to protect Wisconsin residents against the harmful effects of the Trump/Ryan American Health Care Act. As Republicans have been relentless in their quest to repeal the Affordable Care Act and roll back the clock on health care, we have an obligation to protect health care access for all Wisconsinites. Our healthcare package of legislation includes:

• Prohibiting the practice of denying coverage or increasing rates based on the presence of a preexisting condition.

• Prohibiting lifetime and annual limits for covered care.

• Requiring coverage and prohibiting cost sharing for preventive services under health plans.

• Requiring coverage of certain essential health benefits currently covered under the Affordable Care Act.

• Maintaining access to reimbursements to family planning providers under Medicaid.

Without protections in state law, thousands of Wisconsinites could lose access to health care, face skyrocketing premiums, or get buried in medical debt. I am proud that Democrats are leading the charge to expand access to health care, even as Republicans do everything in their power to diminish it. Click here to read more about this legislation.

Budget Update

First, I can share some good news. The Joint Finance Committee unanimously passed a motion to increase Treatment Alternatives and Diversions (TAD) grants, which help keep people with alcohol or drug additions in treatment and out of the corrections system, by $250,000. This is in addition to $2 million for TAD that passed the Legislature during last month’s special legislative session on opioid abuse. In Wisconsin, we spend far too much money imprisoning people who have alcohol and other drug addiction instead of providing needed treatment. This budget action is a small step toward addressing the significant alcohol and drug problems that plague our communities.

On a not so positive note, I had hoped to see similar bipartisan support for a Democratic proposal to require the Department of Health Services to reopen the emergency detention unit at Mendota Mental Health Institute. Currently, patients in crisis who require emergency detention must be transported to Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. Patients in crisis need care as soon as possible, and placing these individuals in the back a police car for a two hour trip to Oshkosh creates additional stress and delays care.  In addition, the City of Madison and other communities incur overtime costs for law enforcement officers who are tasked with transporting patients, and these officers are not available to meet our public safety needs.   

Democrats also offered a motion to institute nonpartisan redistricting reform. This budget motion incorporated the language found in Assembly Bill 44, which would remove partisan politics from the redistricting process. Additionally, Democrats introduced motions to end the costly practice of the Legislature hiring private attorneys and to place a cap on such legal fees, all of which Republicans rejected.

Finally, I was disappointed that Republicans on the Finance Committee voted to eliminate the Rental Unit Energy Efficiency program. Under the program, when a pre-1980s rental property is sold, either the current or future landlord must take action to ensure the property complies with energy efficiency standards relating to windows, doors, weather-stripping, caulking, and insulation.  Landlords who took these steps saw their property values increase, while these energy efficiency measures helped protect tenants from the burden of higher utility costs. The program was a win-win-win for landlords, tenants, and the environment, and it is shameful that Republicans support its elimination.

Stewardship Fund on the Chopping Block

The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund has proven to be one of the most popular conservation programs in Wisconsin.    Acres of land across the state that may have been developed or otherwise been made inaccessible to the general public have been purchased through the Stewardship fund and protected for future generations. During budget deliberations last session, Republicans proposed reducing available funds and not allowing any new land purchases. Public outcry helped us to defeat the moratorium on land purchases, though funding was reduced. Now, Republicans have introduced new legislation that again targets the viability of the fund and its conservation mission.

The latest effort to undermine the Stewardship fund comes under the guise of creating a new Wisconsin Merit Scholarship Program. While a new scholarship program may sound appealing, it comes at a great price, as it is paid for by raiding the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund.

The Stewardship program is very popular among state residents who wish to protect our land, water and wildlife habitat.  However, under the bill, the ability of Stewardship fund to purchase and protect land that is environmentally sensitive, unique, or at risk is squandered.

I am committed to working with legislators on both sides of the aisle to make college more affordable, but this Republican proposal is less about college affordability and more about taking another political swipe at land conservation and environmental protection. We cannot afford to put the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program on the chopping block.

Student Job Seekers Run Risk of Getting Schooled by Scammers

As high school and college students begin their search for summer employment, the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is warning of scams. While there are plenty of opportunities posted for students seeking temporary work statewide, blended among the legitimate listings may be a wealth of fake job ads posted by scammers looking to empty job seekers’ pockets and steal their personal information.

Officials from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and DATCP are asking students to be extremely suspicious of questionable job postings, particularly those that seem “too good to be true” or that ask for upfront payment.

Click here for more information and tips to help students protect themselves when they seek summer jobs.

DNR Announces 2017 Free Fun Weekend

Free fun is on tap June 3 and 4 for everyone in Wisconsin's great outdoors. On these two days, Wisconsin residents and visitors can fish for free, hike or bike state trails for free, enjoy free admission to state parks and forests and ride public ATV trails for free.

Free fun weekend is for Wisconsin residents and visitors alike:

• No fishing license is needed to fish any waters. This includes inland trout and Great Lakes trout and salmon fishing, which normally would require a trout stamp in addition to a license. Fishing rules such as limits on the size and species of fish that can be kept do apply, however.

• All state trail pass fees on all DNR-owned state trails are waived and cooperatively-run state trails also may waive fees.

• All state park vehicle admission sticker fees on all DNR-owned properties are waived.

• ATV registration and trail pass fees are waived.

Click here for more information about free fun weekend in Wisconsin's outdoors. 

Fun Wisconsin Fact

In 1977, University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni and Wisconsin native Kay Koplovitz founded the USA Network, and became the first woman to serve as network president in television history. The USA Network was intended to be an all sports service network, but is now host to such shows as Burn Notice, CSI, Law & Order, Modern Family and NCIS. In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Koplovitz to chair the bipartisan National Women’s Business Council.