Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It has been a hectic week here at the Capitol, as the State Assembly
voted on the budget yesterday only a week after the Joint Finance
Committee finished its work. Today, the State Assembly considered the
Senate changes to the bill that gives a $3 billion corporate subsidy to
Foxconn.
In this newsletter, you will find what may or may not be our final
budget update, how to find out if you were impacted by the Equifax data
breach, and an announcement of an art and essay contest honoring the
Capitol’s 100th Anniversary.
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
Budget
Rigged Against Working Families
This may or may not be our final budget update for the year. While the
Assembly passed a budget yesterday, it appears infighting amongst Senate
and Assembly Republicans is not over, so whether or not there are future
changes remains to be seen. If Senate Republicans amend the bill in
order to pass it, then the bill will be sent back to the Assembly.
The budget passed by Assembly Republicans is rigged against working
families, putting the interests of a wealthy few over the needs of
ordinary Wisconsinites. This budget is rigged against working people,
small business owners, seniors and individuals with disabilities, and
against our schoolchildren and our most vulnerable neighbors.
Republicans are rigging the system against the people we are elected to
represent – ordinary working families struggling now more than ever to
make ends meet. My Democratic colleagues and I fought for a budget that
provides opportunities for hardworking Wisconsinites to get
family-supporting jobs. Instead of massive tax breaks for millionaires,
let’s put that money back in the pockets of workers and families.
We need a budget that invests in our neighborhood schools, gets road
projects back on track, and protects our clean air and clean water.
Wisconsin needs a budget that puts ordinary Wisconsin families first.
Click here for video: Fighting for health care for all.
Click here for video: Standing for a better budget.
$3
Billion Foxconn Boondoggle Passes Assembly… Again
It is hard to believe that Republicans could make a bad Foxconn deal
even worse, but they managed to do so by giving Foxconn unprecedented
power over our legal system and appeals courts. Today, the Foxconn bill
passed the Assembly for a second time and it is now on its way to the
Governor for his signature. I again voted no.
Republicans are rigging the system against ordinary Wisconsinites and in
favor of a single foreign corporation. The Foxconn corporate welfare
giveaway doubles down on yesterday’s vote by Republicans for a budget
rigged against the people of Wisconsin.
This convoluted corporate welfare scheme and unprecedented power grab is
not the way to grow our economy. We can bring good jobs to Wisconsin
without selling out our environment or mortgaging our children’s
futures.
This deal is fundamentally unfair to the people of Wisconsin who will
pay the price well into the future. The Foxconn boondoggle is a bad deal
for our state, and it is hardworking Wisconsin families who will be left
paying the price.
Madison
Women Legislators Distribute 300 Backpacks to Area Children
During the last three weeks Representative Terese Berceau,
Representative Melissa Sargent, Representative Chris Taylor and I
distributed 300 backpacks to elementary school students in Madison. The
backpacks and supplies were donated by the Office Depot Foundation and
distributed through the National Foundation for Women Legislators.
The backpacks were distributed by the legislators at the Lussier Family
East YMCA, Meadowood Neighborhood Center, Lussier Community Education
Center, and the Salvation Army of Dane County. As of last year, the
Office Depot Foundation has helped more than 4 million children since
the National Backpack Program began in 2001. This is the 12th year of
the partnership with the National Foundation for Women Legislators.
Photos:
Click here for a slideshow from backpack events.
Equifax
Data Breach: What Do You Do Now?
Equifax, one of the nation's three major credit reporting agencies,
reported a data breach that may affect as many as 143 million Americans
– nearly 44% of the United States population. Equifax has set up a
website (www.equifaxsecurity2017.com) that allows consumers to check if
their information may have been exposed in the breach. The Wisconsin
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) advises
all affected Wisconsin consumers to take additional steps to protect
their credit record.
According to Equifax, hackers gained access to certain files between
mid-May and late July of this year. Information in the breach includes
consumers' names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses.
Some consumers' credit card numbers, driver's license numbers, and
dispute documents (that contain personally identifying information) were
also accessed.
Equifax has established a dedicated call center at 866-447-7559 to
answer consumers' questions about the breach. The call center is open
every day (including weekends) from 6:00 a.m. – midnight, Central Time.
If you believe you may have been affected by this data breach, take
these next steps:
-
Download a copy of the DATCP fact sheet "Data Breach: What to do if
it happens to you."
-
Consider placing a free 90-day (renewable) fraud alert on your
credit reports by contacting one of the three major credit reporting
bureaus: Experian (888-397-3742), TransUnion (800-680-7289), or
Equifax (888-766-0008). When you place a fraud alert with one
bureau, that bureau will relay the request to the other two
companies on your behalf. A fraud alert warns creditors that you may
be an identity theft victim and that they should verify that anyone
seeking credit in your name is actually you.
-
For an even higher level of protection, you may wish to place a
security freeze on your credit reports. A freeze bars access to your
reports to almost anyone without your express permission. Additional
information about freezes is available in DATCP's credit report
security freeze fact sheet.
-
Request a free credit report from the three credit bureaus by
visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or calling (877) 322-8228. Check
your report for irregularities.
If you have additional questions about identity theft or wish to file an
identity theft complaint with DATCP, visit datcp.wi.gov or contact the
Bureau of Consumer Protection by phone at (800) 422-7128 or by email:
DATCPWisconsinPrivacy@wi.gov.
September
is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Take time this month to learn more about how to reach out to those
affected by suicide, raise awareness and connect individuals with
suicidal ideation to treatment services. It is everyone’s responsibility
to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the
resources they need to discuss suicide prevention.
Over 40,000 Americans die by suicide each year, leaving behind loved
ones who face the tragedy of loss. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of
death among adults in the U.S. and is the 2nd leading cause of death
among people teens and young adults.
Here are some crisis resources to prevent suicide:
-
If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call 911 immediately.
-
If you are in crisis or are experiencing difficult or suicidal
thoughts, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273 TALK (8255)
-
If you’re uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can also text NAMI
to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on
the Crisis Text Line.
Capitol
Commission Art and Essay Contest
The 100th Anniversary State Capitol Commemorative Commission is
sponsoring an art and essay contest to help commemorate the 100th
anniversary of our beautiful and historic building. Students in grades
K-12 are invited to submit either a piece of art or an essay which
details or symbolizes the importance of the Capitol building and what it
means to Wisconsin.
Rules: Essays should be no longer than one page and either typed or
legibly written. Art pieces should be two-dimensional, made out of
non-breakable material, and no larger than 24 inches by 30 inches. Art
pieces must be mountable to a board or on a canvas that is already
attached to a wooden frame for display on an easel.
The Commission will select one art piece and one essay from each grade.
Selected art and essay pieces will be displayed on the first floor of
the State Capitol building this fall from November 9th through November
30th. Winning entries will be recognized by the Governor and retained by
the Wisconsin Historical Society. All entries will receive a certificate
acknowledging the submitted work and those not retained by the
Historical Society will be returned upon request.
Contest entries will be accepted from September 1st through October
13th, 2017. Please include: the participant’s name and grade, name of
participant’s teacher and/or school, and contact information for the
school.
Send submissions to:
Wisconsin State Senate
c/o Dr. Tammy Wehrle
PO Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707
Click here for more
information about the State Capitol Commemorative Commission and the
Wisconsin State Capitol building.
Fun
Wisconsin Fact
The Wisconsin Supreme Court Room is where our seven justices of the
Supreme Court hear oral arguments during their term, and they use the
chambers behind the doors for working on written cases. There are four
murals in the room, each representing historical events that had a great
impact on Wisconsin Law. These include Caesar Augustus presiding over
the trial of a soldier, the signing of the Magna Carta, the first jury
trial in the state, and the signing of the US Constitution (pictured
right).