CNA Pay Act Introduced
This week, with the support of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and individuals who depend on their care, I formally introduced the CNA Pay Act. The package of bills would increase wages and expand access to training for CNAs working on the frontlines of long-term care and nursing facilities.

LRB-4743 would create a tax credit for tuition costs for CNAs. After working for 1 year as a CNA, an individual can claim a one-time $1500 capped refundable tax credit for the cost of CNA training.

LRB-4744 would provide $500,000 annually to give grants to technical colleges in order to expand access to CNA training in underserved areas.

LRB-4745 would increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate for personal care services by accepting the Federal Medicaid expansion dollars. The bill requires that the reimbursement increase go directly to increasing wages of frontline caretakers.

The three bills will soon be assigned a bill number and be referred to a committee.

Click here to learn more about the CNA Pay Act.

Protecting You at the Pump
When you fill your car up at a gas station located within the City of Madison, you can rest easy knowing that thieves hoping to steal your credit card information will have a hard time doing so. After Madison gas stations were hit by criminals using credit card skimmers, the Madison City Council took a common sense, preventative approach and adopted an ordinance requiring that each gas pump have a separate and unique locking device installed.

Unfortunately, the state response has been inadequate. Rather than taking steps to prevent the criminals from installing credit card skimmers, the Republican led Assembly passed legislation that simply protects service station owners from being liable for losses due to skimming and increased penalties for people who install skimmers. Thieves have it easy because in areas that don’t have an ordinance like Madison requiring separate and unique locks, they can often open pumps with a universal key that is all too easy to get.

Along with State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), I am introducing legislation to require gas station owners across Wisconsin to use separate, unique locks and keys on their pumps – just like gas stations in Madison. I believe that you should be able to fill your car with gas anywhere in Wisconsin and know that thieves were not able to easily open the pump and skim your card information.

Wisconsin Continues to Lag Behind in Job Growth
For Wisconsin residents who are looking for a new job, or who are unemployed or underemployed, the release of another national jobs report offers little in the way of hope. The national jobs report is touted by Governor Walker as being the “gold standard” in terms of providing accurate information about jobs and the economy.

Policies put into place by Governor Walker have slowed Wisconsin’s economy over the past six years and resulted in 110,000 fewer jobs than what would have been created had the state kept pace with the national average. In other words had Governor Walker never been elected and the state not adopted his legislative agenda, but merely tagged along for a ride on the national economy under the Obama Administration would have resulted in 110,000 more jobs being created in Wisconsin. While Wisconsin once was once known for being above average in jobs creation prior to Governor Walker taking office, our state has now gone through 6 straight years of trailing the nation in job growth.

The one thing that drives the economy and causes employers to create jobs more than anything else is demand. Yet, Republicans have focused on having Wisconsin win a race to the bottom. The Republican focus on cutting wages and benefits, increasing cost for health care, outsourcing jobs, and taking away the rights of people to organize have led to a period of economic stagnation in Wisconsin unlike anything most Wisconsin residents have ever seen in the past. Under the Republicans, more and more families find it difficult just to pay the monthly bills – let alone spend money on other things that could drive up demand and grow our economy.

Growing our economy and creating family supporting jobs requires undoing the damage done under Governor Walker’s administration and making Wisconsin a state where hard worked is honored, appreciated, and rewarded.

Health Care Survey
The Affordable Care Act has helped tens of millions of Americans gain access to affordable health care and has saved countless lives. Recent Republican efforts would increase the number of uninsured Americans, eliminate patient protections and significantly raise out-of-pocket costs on working families and seniors. Wisconsin Democrats are fighting to maintain and expand healthcare. Please share your health care story and thoughts on the Affordable Care Act.

Click here to share your thoughts on our health care system:
 

Verona Road Open House Meeting
An open house meeting will be held late next week to discuss design and construction activities for Stage 2 of the Verona Road (US 18/151) Project in Fitchburg. I encourage you to stop by and learn about the project improvements, including the anticipated 2018 construction schedule.

When: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017
Where: Verona Road Project Field Office, 6200 Nesbitt Road, Suite B, Fitchburg
No formal presentation is scheduled; stop by at your convenience.

Stage 2 construction extends along Verona Road from Raymond Road to south of County PD (McKee Road) and County PD, between Fitchrona Road and Commerce Park Drive. Construction in the Fitchburg area is currently scheduled to be completed in fall 2020.

Maps and exhibits of the Verona Road improvements will be on display. Wisconsin Department of Transportation representatives will be available at these meetings to discuss the project on an individual basis.

Reminder: Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is still underway. This year, the Trump Administration cut the enrollment period in half and Republicans also cut funding for Affordable Care Act outreach and advertising efforts. I hope that you will help in spreading the word about the ongoing open enrollment period. Open enrollment ends next week Friday!

If you, or someone you know, needs health insurance you can visit healthcare.gov (Cuidadodesalud.gov) to enroll.

'Tis the Season for Fake Shipping Emails
More and more consumers are shopping for the holidays online and are accustomed to the influx of purchase and delivery confirmation emails. This added email traffic creates a scenario where scammers can sneak malware-laden spam emails into consumers' accounts masked as shipping or delivery alerts.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection warns consumers to be on the lookout for phony shipping emails and to avoid clicking links or opening attachments in these messages.

Watch out for emails or texts that warn you about a problem with a delivery, that request account information for security purposes, or that ask you to open an attached "shipment label" in order to claim a package from a local office. Scammers often use the names, logos and color schemes of major shipping companies and retailers to add legitimacy to their messages, and they may also spoof the company's web address in the sender's email address.

In actuality, there is no product waiting for delivery, and the alarming language in these emails is intended to make recipients act quickly without considering consequences. By clicking on a link in the email, a recipient risks downloading malware or handing over personal information to the scammers. If you receive a similar email, delete it and do not click any links.

If you are expecting a shipment that may be delayed, contact the shipper directly to inquire. Some e-commerce companies offer package tracking features right on their websites.

Here are some common elements to look for in fake shipping emails:

• Poor grammar and spelling errors in emails that claim to come from major businesses. If the message is sloppy, it likely did not come from a legitimate company.

• Sender addresses that don't match the URL for the company that supposedly sent the email. For example, the "From:" line in a fake FedEx email gave an Italian email address for the sender, not a fedex.com address.

• Shipment emails that lack specifics about the sender or the package's supposed contents.

• Emails asking you to open an attachment in order to review an order. Never open an attachment in an unsolicited or questionable email.

• Emails containing threats that a package will be returned to the sender and that you will be charged a fee for not responding to the message.

For additional information or to file a complaint, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at datcp.wisconsin.gov, call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-422-7128 or send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov.

Fun Wisconsin Fact
Wisconsin’s state grain is corn. The legislature named corn as the official state grain in 1989 to bring attention to its importance as a cash crop in Wisconsin and to make people more aware of corn's many uses. Our state is one of the top corn producing states in the nation. More than 15,000 farmers grow corn on approximately three million acres in Wisconsin. The corn is used for livestock feed, ethanol fuel, sweeteners, biodegradable plastics, and more. The corn industry is so important to Wisconsin that in 2004 the U.S. Mint included corn on the Wisconsin State Quarter (pictured left).