Remembering Peg Lautenschlager

A Trailblazing Wisconsin Progressive
Since last Saturday, people across Wisconsin have been mourning the loss of Peg Lautenschlager to cancer. Peg led a remarkable life. She knocked down barriers with determination, paved a path for others to follow, and generously provided guidance and encouragement to others as they pursued their own dreams.

In 1985, when it was still rare to have a woman serving as a district attorney, Peg was appointed District Attorney of Winnebago County and elected in 1986 – the first woman to hold that office. In 1988, she was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, defeating a 32-year incumbent. Peg is the only Democrat to have been elected to represent the Fond du Lac area in the State Assembly in the last 75 years.

In 1993, Peg was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin and served on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee under U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. Peg was the first Wisconsinite ever to serve on the committee.

In 2002, Peg was elected to serve as Wisconsin's 42nd Attorney General. In another first, she was the first woman elected to that position. She created a Public Integrity Unit, was a leader on environmental issues, and went after drug companies for reporting inflated drug prices. She also issued an opinion that Wisconsin law prohibited the exclusion of prescription contraceptives from benefit plans that provide prescription drug coverage.

Throughout her life, Peg advocated for causes that were important to her. She worked with the Service Employees International Union, fought for public access to the Wisconsin State Capitol during the protests of Act 10, and did pro bono legal work for young people in Fond du Lac. She always had the time and energy to help others when they were down – even when she herself was ill.

She will be missed.
 

Bill Update: Two Authored Bills Signed into Law
This week Governor Walker signed into law Act 207 which updates references in state statutes to reflect current population numbers and prevent numerous laws designed specifically for Milwaukee County from being applied to Dane County. In the next census, Dane County will surpass 500,000 residents and would, without this change, be subject to laws written for application only in Milwaukee County, where for almost a century it has been the only county with a population greater than 500,000.

Act 207 updates over 200 references from 500,000 to 750,000, to ensure that the status quo continues for the laws as they apply to Dane County while making no changes to what in current law applies to Milwaukee County. It makes no changes to current powers or duties of county and local government in Wisconsin.

Also signed into law this week was Act 260, which establishes a foster family support fund administered as a grant program with counties, nonprofits and other organizations to support foster families. Last year I served as a member of the Speaker’s Task Force on Foster Care. Act 260 was part of the task force’s Foster Forward package of bills to improve Wisconsin’s foster care system.

Wisconsin foster families give so much of themselves to provide for the children in their care, but even the most committed foster families can face challenges in providing specialized care or finding the resources to afford experiences like field trips and extra-curricular activities. Act 260 creates a grant program for counties, non-profits, and tribes to fund initiatives that support foster families as they strive to provide normalcy for Wisconsin’s foster care population. These grants can be used to assist efforts in retaining existing foster parents, expanding education for foster parents, and reimbursements for expenses related to providing normalcy for foster children like field trip costs, a band uniform, or to cover fees and equipment to play football.

The grants will help attract and retain foster families whether it is by assisting with extra training or giving families the ability to offer foster children more opportunities. This legislation and the entire Foster Forward package is a critical first step in improving the lives of foster children and families.

Voters to Republicans: Not So Fast
On Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly rejected changing the Wisconsin Constitution to eliminate the Office of the State Treasurer.

While the Governor and Republican legislators advocated getting rid of the position and argued that the duties of the office should be handled by the Lieutenant Governor and agency staff, opponents of the change spoke about the need to have a State Treasurer serving independently of the Governor in order to have a person who could serve as a watchdog over state financial matters and provide an additional check on the power of the executive branch.

The duties of both the Secretary of State and the State Treasurer have undergone significant changes and have been limited under Governors from both parties in recent decades. However, the April 3 election demonstrated that there is a clear mandate from voters to continue having a State Treasurer who is focused on state finances and able to raise red flags when Governors, and for that matter the Legislature, pursue fiscal policies that are not sound over the long term. When legislation related to the duties of the Treasurer is brought up in the future, I will remember the mandate of voters and remind other legislators as well.

Watch Your Mailboxes for My 2018 Legislative Newsletter and Survey
My 2018 legislative newsletter will be hitting mailboxes in the next week or so. Included in the newsletter is a survey on a wide range of legislative issues on which I would like your feedback. I would appreciate it if you would please complete the survey and mail it back to my office.

The legislative survey is also now available online. Click here if you would prefer to fill out the survey electronically. Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond.

Wisconsin’s Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week
Next week, April 9-13, is Wisconsin’s Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week. Wisconsin Emergency Management, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) have once again teamed up to sponsor the statewide tornado drills scheduled for Thursday, April 12.

Schools, businesses, families, and individuals have two opportunities to test their emergency plans during the April 12 statewide tornado drills. The drills are part of the annual spring severe weather campaign to encourage everyone in Wisconsin to be ready for possible tornadoes and severe weather.

According to the NWS, Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. Last year, there were 23 tornado touchdowns in the state. While most were either EF0 or EF1, the state did record an EF3 on May 16, 2017. The tornado followed an 83-mile path across Polk, Barron, Rusk, and Price counties, killing one person and causing widespread damage. The state also experienced an outbreak of 10 tornadoes on June 14, 2017, across Shawano, Winnebago, Outagamie, Brown, and Waushara counties.

A mock tornado watch will be issued April 12 at 1 p.m., followed by a statewide mock tornado warning at 1:45 p.m. Many radio and TV stations across the state will issue the test tornado warnings. In addition, mock alerts will be issued on NOAA Weather Radios and many communities will sound their tornado sirens to test their emergency severe weather plans. Later, a mock tornado warning will be issued at 6:45 p.m. to give families and second-shift workers a chance to practice their emergency plans.

The tornado drill will take place even if the sky is cloudy, dark or rainy. If actual severe storms are expected in the state on Thursday, April 12, the tornado drills will be postponed until Friday, April 13 with the same times. If severe storms are possible Friday, the drills will be cancelled.

Any changes will be issued to local media as well as posted on the ReadyWisconsin website. Updates will also be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

Scammers Seeking Students Seeking Work
Goodbye, spring break...hello, summer! For college and high school students statewide, the summer job hunt starts now, and the Wisconsin Departments of Workforce Development (DWD) and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) ask students to be on the lookout for questionable job postings, particularly those featuring too-good-to-be-true employment offers or those asking for upfront payment for training or materials.

DWD operates JobCenterofWisconsin.com, the state's free online public labor exchange that connects talent with opportunity and currently has over 95,000 job postings. While DWD strives to validate the identity of all employer representatives who post jobs directly on the site, users are also advised to use caution if they opt to search external sites from JobCenterofWisconsin.com.

JobCenterofWisconsin.com includes a list of cautions, including many that are applicable to any online employment site. DWD and DATCP offer the following tips to help students protect themselves when they seek seasonal jobs:

• It is not common or normal practice for an employer to ask for your personal information, such as your Social Security number and bank account number (or similar personal financial information) on an initial application. Be wary and use good judgment if unusual information is requested.

• Be suspicious of any job offer that requires an upfront fee. Do not provide credit card or bank account numbers and be careful of requests for payment by wire transfer.

• Any "job" that requires you to cash a check and send any amount of it to another party is a scam.

• Be cautious when dealing with any contacts outside of the United States. It is difficult to pursue any enforcement action against a person located outside of this country.

• Research an organization before making any commitments. Ask for information about the company, including its street address and the name of its owner or chief operating officer. You may wish to call DATCP's Consumer Protection Hotline (800-422-7128) to check on complaints against the business.

• Get the job offer in writing, including any earnings you are expected to make.

• If the interview request or job offer is for a job you did not apply for, it is most likely a scam.

• Scammers often send "spoofed" emails with forged email headers that make the messages appear to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. If the web address (URL) referenced in the sender's email address does not match the true URL for the business in question, the email may be a scam.

A common employment scam to watch out for begins with an email request for a "Google Hangout" interview for a work-at-home position. The scammer uses a legitimate company name and claims to have found the job seeker's resume on an online employment site. After a job offer is made during the "interview," the job seeker is sent a check or money order for "office supplies and equipment," is instructed to deposit it into their personal account, and is told to buy expensive equipment from a particular vendor. Unfortunately, the check or money order are fake and the job seeker will be on the hook for the full amount of money withdrawn when the bank discovers the fraud.

Wisconsin Fun Fact
The Wisconsin State Historical Society is a great resource to help you research your family history. You can find your ancestors by searching WHS’s Family History Resources. Online you can search over 3,000,000 records including: birth, death and marriage record indexes; newspaper clippings; photographs and other visual materials; and property records from National Register and State Register of Historic Places and the Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI). Click here to get to get started.