Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


January 12, 2018

 

Contact Me

 

418 North, State Capitol

P.O. Box 8953

Madison, WI 53708

 

PH: (608) 266-7521

TF: (888) 534-0078

FAX: (608) 282-3690

 

rep.subeck@legis.wi.gov

Website

 

Things happening in the district & around Madison


MLK College Readiness & Success Summit
Saturday, January 13
9:45 am – 2:00 pm

Predolin Humanities Center at Edgewood College
1000 Edgewood College Drive

The event aims to help high school students of color, first-generation prospective college students and parents navigate college admissions and financial aid. There will be breakout sessions throughout the day with topics like “Strategies for Searching & Applying for Scholarships” and “The Sit Down: Admissions & Scholarship Interviews.” Students can register online for the free event.
 


Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Young Person Breakfast
Sunday, January 14
8:00 am – 10:00 am

Edgewood High School
2219 Monroe St

Organized by the Urban League of Greater Madison, the event brings hundreds of students, parents, teachers, school officials and community leaders to celebrate students, who are honored with awards and scholarships for academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and community service.
 


Annual King Holiday Ecumenical Service
Sunday, January 14
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Fountain of Life Covenant Church
633 West Badger Road

The interfaith service honors “Dr. King’s dream of social justice and equality to break down the walls of discrimination.” Rev. Alex Gee of Fountain of Life will preside over the service, which will include remarks from Pastor Charles Yu of Blackhawk Church, Rev. Marcus Allen of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Rabbi Renee Bauer of Jewish Social Services, Rev. Karen Armina of James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation, former Madison poet laureate Fabu Phillis and Dr. Ruben Anthony, Jr. of the Urban League of Greater Madison.
 


Black Excellence Youth Conference
Monday, January 15
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Best Western Plus InnTowner Madison
2424 University Ave

Sabrina "Heymiss Progress" Madison's free event will celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of 100 African-American high school kids. Judge Mitchell is the keynote speaker.
 


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute & Ceremony
Monday, January 15
12:00 pm

Capitol Rotunda
2 E. Main Street

The celebration features performances by Chicago's Victory Travelers Gospel Quartet and Milwaukee Children's Choir, as well as a keynote address by Muhibb Dyer, a Milwaukee Community activist and a founder of the I Will Not Die Young Campaign, a program that mentors youth and teaches conflict resolution. The free event will be broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.

 


Annual Madison-Dane County King Holiday Observance
Monday, January 15
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Overture Center
201 State Street

The event starts with a freedom sing-in at 5 p.m., and the official program begins at 6 p.m. Frank A. Humphrey, president of the NAACP Wisconsin State Conference, will be the keynote speaker, with performances by the MLK Community Choir. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Mayor Paul Soglin will present the MLK Humanitarian award.
 


Climate Change in Wisconsin
Tuesday, January 16
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.

Meteorologist Bob Lindmeier will discuss the causes of climate change, climate change's effects and what we can do about it
 


Visiting the Capitol
Whether you are planning a visit to the state Capitol as part of a large group, small gathering, or just by yourself, our office can assist you in scheduling a free guided tour of the Capitol building during normal business hours.

Free tours are offered daily, year round. Tours depart from the ground floor Information Desk Monday through Saturday at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm; and Sundays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm. A 4:00 pm tour is offered Memorial Day through Labor Day. The sixth floor museum and observation deck are also open during the summer months.

 

 
 

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,


With rumors that the Assembly will adjourn for the year in early spring, things are moving quickly at the Capitol. We will be back on the Assembly floor next week, and I will have a full update in next week’s newsletter.

In this week’s newsletter, you will read about how Scott Walker’s plan to waste millions of dollars on advertising that could be spent to strengthen our schools and our communities. You will also find information about the Madison West DMV office move and a list of events happening this weekend to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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

 


Walker Wastes Money on Advertising
This week the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy held a hearing on Assembly Bill 811, a plan by the Governor to provide approximately $7 million in advertising to encourage Chicago area millennials to move to Wisconsin.

Coincidently, the 2017 National Movers Study by United Van Lines, showed more people moved out of Wisconsin than into it in the last year. The study found Wisconsin was one of the top 10 states in the nation for people moving out and 60% of those moves were for jobs.

People increasingly want to live where there are good public schools and strong transportation infrastructure. People also want clean air, clean water, and public parks and other amenities which contribute to our quality of life. Most importantly, they want to live in areas where jobs pay family supporting wages and where they can achieve the American dream. Millions of dollars spent on advertising cannot undo the damage done by the Governor and Republican majorities in our legislature through their continued lack of investment in our neighborhood schools, our universities, our transportation infrastructure, and our environment. Nor can millions spent on advertising compensate for the last 7 years Republicans have spent driving down wages in Wisconsin.

We don’t need to waste $7 million on silly advertising campaigns in hopes of drawing young people to our state. The solution is clear. Instead, we can and should invest in our public schools, the University of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Technical College System. We can and should respect the working families and individuals that make up the middle class by ensuring a hard day’s work is compensated with a fair day’s pay. We can and should fairly and equitably invest in multi-modal transportation to improve our roads, expand public transit options, and make our communities more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Finally, we can and must protect our environment and our natural resources.

 


An Evening with NOW
Earlier this week, I spoke to members of the National Organization for Women’s Madison Chapter about the Healthy Babies, Working Mothers Act. I authored this bill to ensure nursing mothers do not face unnecessary barriers to pumping breast milk when they return to work. This legislation would bring Wisconsin law in line with federal employment regulations, expand protections to nearly all nursing mothers returning to work, ensure appropriate facilities are available for pumping breast milk, 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. While the bill has received broad bi-partisan support, it has not yet received a public hearing during this legislative session. With help from advocates like members of NOW, it is my hope we can show enough need and support for the bill to get a public hearing.

Not too long ago, my co-authors and I shared a short video about the bill in which we interviewed breastfeeding moms about their experiences returning to work. Click here to watch the video and learn about the successes and the challenges they faced.
 


Department of Transportation will Consolidate DMV Offices Despite Concerns
Last fall, I learned of the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s plan to consolidate 2 west side DMV service centers at a new facility. At that time, my office contacted the DOT Secretary’s office and raised concerns that the planned move of the offices located at the Hill Farms office building and on Odana Road to a new location on Excelsior Drive. My office noted the ease with which people were able to access the Hill Farms location via public transit and raised questions regarding transit options to access the new location.

Despite efforts to get the DOT to rethink the decision or make accommodations for residents on the west side of Madison who lack their own transportation, the DOT chose to move forward with the plan to consolidate offices without involving Madison area legislators in the decision or the planning. This leaves significant unresolved access problems that could have been addressed.

As a result, the City of Madison has filed a civil rights complaint on behalf of Madison residents. The complaint notes the lack of public transit options to reach the new location, the negative impact on the elderly, persons of color and persons with disabilities, the excessive length of time it will take people to reach the location using mass transit, and the negative impact this proposal will have on people who may need to procure ID for voting purposes. Most recently, other members of the Madison delegation and I sent the DOT Secretary a letter supporting the complaint filed by the City of Madison and making it clear we want their concerns resolved. Click here to read our letter.

In the meantime, the Madison West DMV Service Center will move to 8417 Excelsior Drive off the West Beltline and will be open for business at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, January 22.

The current site at Hill Farms (Sheboygan Avenue) will close at 4:45 p.m. on Friday, January 19. The last day for Madison’s DMV Odana Renewal Center, at 6514 Odana Rd, is January 18. They will be open for service until 6 p.m. that day.
 


Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
On Monday, we will commemorate the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. As Coretta Scott King so eloquently stated, “The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.”

In the calendar of events sidebar you can find a number of events taking place in Madison to commemorate the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.
 


Winter Free Fishing Weekend is Jan. 20-21, 2018
Wisconsin's winter Free Fishing Weekend is set for Jan. 20-21, 2018, and free loaner equipment and ice fishing clinics make it a great time for open water anglers to discover the fun of ice fishing or to introduce family and friends to this hard-water recreation.

Fishing is free for Wisconsin residents and visitors alike on these days. No fishing license or Great Lakes salmon stamp or Inland Trout Stamp is needed to fish all inland waters and Wisconsin's side of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River and other boundary waters. Spring trout ponds are not open, however. All other fishing rules apply, such as limits on the number and size of fish anglers can keep and any seasons when anglers must release certain fish species.

It's also a chance for anglers to try the early catch and release trout season for free. That season opened Jan. 6 and normally requires anglers to have a fishing license and an inland trout stamp to join in. People interested in ice fishing or trying the early catch-and-release trout season shouldn't let a lack of equipment stop them. More than 20 DNR tackle loaner sites have ice fishing gear for loan that groups and individuals can use. Ice augurs are not available through DNR but fellow anglers are usually willing to drill a hole in the ice for newcomers or they can use an abandoned ice fishing hole.

In our area there will be free fishing clinics during Free Fishing Weekend at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo and Brittingham Park in Madison.

More information on the free fishing clinics, on how and where to borrow ice fishing equipment from DNR offices and parks, and on the weekend itself can be found on DNR's Free Fishing Weekend webpage. Go to dnr.wi.gov and search "Free Fishing Weekend."
 


Fun Wisconsin Fact

If you searched Google on Tuesday, you probably saw that Har Gobind Khorana was honored as the Google doodle of the day (pictured left/right). Har Gobind Khorana was an Indian American biochemist who received several awards, most notably the Nobel Prize, for his research.

While teaching and conducting research at UW-Madison, Khorana shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that showed the order of nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell and control the cell’s synthesis of proteins.

 

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