Swearing In and Committee Assignments

I am honored to represent residents of the 78^th Assembly District and appreciate the trust you have placed in me. As I begin my third term in the Assembly, I remain committed to bringing the voices of my constituents to the Capitol. Having elected a new Democratic Governor and Attorney General, I return to the Capitol with a renewed sense of optimism about Wisconsin’s future. I look forward to working together with this new administration and with my colleagues in the Legislature to move Wisconsin forward.

During the 2019-2020 legislative session, I have been appointed to serve on seven committees, including serving as the Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Children and Families and the Committee on Public Benefit Reform. Additionally, I will serve on the Assembly Committee on Health, Committee on Community Development, Committee on Energy and Utilities, Committee on Campaigns and Elections, and Committee on Local Government.

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Welcome, Governor Tony Evers!

Congratulations to Tony Evers who was sworn in this week as the 46^th Governor of the State of Wisconsin.  I had the honor of attending the Inauguration Ceremony and listening to his speech. 

 Also this week, the Governor signed his first Executive Orders to improve the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents and to repair and rebuild relations with state employees by:

• Prohibiting discrimination within state agencies, state contractors, and state grantees.
• Directing the secretaries of state agencies to recognize and respect state employees.
• Directing the state Department of Health Services (DHS) to increase health care access, reduce health disparities, and develop a plan for expanding Medicaid eligibility in the state.
• Directing DHS and other state departments to provide recommendations for protecting patients with pre-existing conditions and improving insurance literacy.

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Federal Background Check Expansion Act Introduced

One of the challenges facing Madison and our state is gun violence. 

Earlier this week, our own Senator Tammy Baldwin joined Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut to introduced the Background Check Expansion Act, which would require background checks for the sale or transfer of all firearms.

Americans overwhelmingly favor common sense legislation closing the background check loophole and keeping firearms out of the hands of those intent to do harm. The time to act is now, before more lives are lost at the hands of dangerous individuals who would not pass a background check if only they were required to do so.

In our Wisconsin communities and across the nation, too many people are harmed by gun violence; too many children and families live in fear; and too many lives are lost to firearm related suicide. Meanwhile, our local communities pay the price in loss of lives and in millions of tax dollars spent combatting gun violence.

While we will continue to push for an effective background check law at the state level, I believe Congress should act quickly to pass the Background Check Expansion Act because families deserve to know that they and their children are safe whether they are at home, at school, at work, or out in their communities.

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Red Flag Laws

I am pleased that our new Attorney General, Josh Kaul, and Governor Evers voiced their support this week for what is known as a Red Flag Law in our state. 

Red flag laws allow a judge to issue an order enabling law enforcement to confiscate guns from individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others. Several states, including Washington, Indiana, California, and Oregon, placed these laws on the books after tragic cases of gun violence occurred even though family members or law enforcement were aware of "red flags" that signaled a potential threat.

The gun violence plaguing our communities has been identified as a significant public health crisis. As legislators, it is our responsibility to find ways to address this crisis while respecting the due process rights of law-abiding gun owners. 

 Last session, I sponsored "red flag" legislation that would have allowed family members or law enforcement to petition a court to remove firearms from someone's home only if a judge ruled that the individual posed a threat. Although this proposal had bipartisan support, it was not voted on by the Assembly.   I am hopeful that we will finally pass Red Flag legislation during the upcoming session and will work to ensure we do so.

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Fun Wisconsin Fact

This week’s fun Wisconsin fact is from our friends at Travelwisconsin.com:

Wisconsin’s name comes from the Wisconsin River, which was called Meskousing by the Algonquian-speaking tribes. The name was recorded in 1673 by French explorer Jacques Marquette. Over time, the word was Anglicized into Ouisconsin, Wiskonsan and finally into its current spelling and pronunciation. Linguists think the original name must have been borrowed from the Miami word “meskonsing” which translates to “it lies red” or “this stream meanders through something red," likely referring to the sandstone formations in the Wisconsin River.

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