This has been an exciting week with a couple of bill introductions you can read more about below. Also in this week’s update, you will also find the latest on our efforts to expand BadgerCare, the latest COVID-19 information, news from the federal courts that could threaten abortion access in Wisconsin, and more.
If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office.
Gov. Evers Calls Special Session to Expand BadgerCare
On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers called a special session to expand BadgerCare in Wisconsin to begin on Tuesday, May 25, at noon. While the session is called for that day, Republican leadership has made it clear they do not intend to address BadgerCare expansion, meaning that any meeting on or after that date for the special session is unlikely other than to simply gavel the session out to end it.
Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee have removed nearly 400 broadly popular provisions from the Governor’s budget proposal, including accepting federal funds to expand BadgerCare. Expanding BadgerCare in Wisconsin would generate $635 million in savings to be invested back in the state; would attract more primary care doctors and providers to address shortages; and would foster economic growth and financial stability. At a time when 38 states have expanded Medicaid, including those led by Republicans and Democrats alike, it is baffling that Wisconsin Republicans continue to play politics with our health care and our economic future. Governor Evers has offered us another chance to listen to the majority of Wisconsinites who support expanding BadgerCare through this special session which is, unfortunately, unlikely to actually occur.
Unemployment Insurance Alert: Work Search Requirement Reinstated
In February, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) published a new Emergency Rule that allowed DWD to continue to waive work search requirements for people who applied for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in response to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
State law requires those who apply for UI to look for suitable jobs and provide information about their work search activities for each week they request benefits. This emergency rule allowed DWD to respond to the spread of COVID-19 by waiving those work searches for thousands of people. The department recognized the burden of the requirement on claimants when many businesses remained closed and job opportunities in certain sectors are still limited in response to the ongoing health and safety impacts of the pandemic.
The work search requirement was slated to go back into effect July 10. However, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules voted to end the emergency rule, reinstating the requirement effective for the week beginning May 23. This means UI recipients are required to submit evidence of search to qualify for their benefits roughly seven weeks earlier than expected. Beginning Sunday, a person must perform four activities related to searching for work each week to obtain their benefits.
Click here to find detailed instructions on the reinstated requirements.
Click here for frequently asked questions and additional information.
This week, the United States Supreme Court indicated it will consider an abortion case stemming from a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, with the potential to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. If he court overturned Roe, abortion would be immediately illegal in Wisconsin and doctors would be subject to felony penalties for providing abortions because Wisconsin still has a criminal abortion ban on our books from 1849.
Abortion is health care, not criminal activity, and should be accessible safely, legally, and without judgment. This is why Senator Kelda Roys and I introduced the Abortion Rights Preservation Act, which would repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban and preserve the individual right to make personal reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. The time has come to guarantee access to safe and legal abortion in Wisconsin, no matter what.
This week, my fellow Democrats and I introduced nonpartisan redistricting reform legislation. Our legislation would require that legislative district maps be drawn by our non-partisan legislative reference bureau, similar to what is known as the Iowa Model.
The majority of Wisconsinites want fair maps and an open, transparent redistricting process. For far too long, politicians have used redistricting to their own political advantage. The people of Wisconsin should be able to choose who represents them, and not the other way around. Non-partisan redistricting reform will guarantee the people of Wisconsin fair representation into the future, no matter who controls the legislature when maps are drawn.
Sen. Melissa Agard and I joined nurses at UW Hospital to introduce the Union Voice for Quality Care at UW Health Act. The Act would grant UWHCA employees the statutory right to form a union and collectively bargain over their conditions of employment.
Nurses at UW Hospital had a union and a collective bargaining agreement until it expired in 2014. Upon the expiration of the contract, the UWHCA Board refused to recognize the nurses’ union or negotiate a new agreement, citing Wisconsin Act 10.
Our nurses and other frontline healthcare workers have risked their lives and the lives of their families over the last year to provide quality, compassionate care to our community. We owe them the same respect and dignity that they provide for their patients – for us – every single day, no matter how difficult the circumstances. A union voice would provide that respect and dignity, and it would allow nurses to advocate not only for themselves and their families, but also for their patients. A majority of UW nurses have expressed their support for a union, and the UWHCA board should voluntarily recognize it. Absent that recognition, this bill would finally empower our UW frontline healthcare workers with a union voice.
As of May 21, nearly 5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin, and nearly than 2.7 million Wisconsinites have received at least one dose. Over 2.3 million residents have completed the vaccine series. Dane County leads the state in COVID-19 vaccination rate.
This week, Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) announced that on June 2, all public health orders in the county will be lifted. This includes mask requirements, as well as gathering and capacity limits. Individual businesses and organizations may continue to choose to enforce their own policies. It is strongly recommended that school and youth settings continue to require masks in indoor settings, as outlined in the latest CDC guidance. While the orders will end, PHMDC will continue testing, contact tracing, and vaccination efforts.
PHMDC has COVID-19 vaccine appointments available. You can sign up here for an available, drive-thru/walk-thru appointment at the Alliant Energy Center if you have not yet been vaccinated. Everyone 12 and older is now eligible to receive the vaccine.
If you have not done so already, please schedule your vaccination appointment as soon as you are able. The Vaccine Assistance Hotline is available toll-free at 844-684-1064 for assistance with your vaccine-related questions. You can also text your zip code to 438829, or visit vaccine.gov to find a vaccine near you.
Celebrating Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month
There are about 230,000 Hmong individuals living in the United States, of which 50,000 are Wisconsinites. Marathon County has more than 6,000 Hmong residents, with 4,700 residing in the City of Wausau. Hmong-Americans comprise approximately 12% of Wausau’s population, which gives Wausau the distinction of having the highest per capita Hmong population of any city in both Wisconsin and the United States.
Dig into sniffles, snot and the superheroes of the immune system! Explore viruses, bacteria and vaccines; investigate the superheroes of your immune system; create a microorganism model using craft materials; discover how scientists at the Morgridge Institute work with viruses and more.
Madison Parks: Bird & Nature Outing
Saturday, May 22, 2021 10 AM – 11:30 AM Aldo Leopold Nature Center | Edna Taylor Park 330 Femrite Dr., Madison, WI 53716
Join a naturalist for an easy family-friendly walk from Aldo Leopold Nature Center into beautiful Edna Taylor Conservation Park and enjoy a bit of nature education along the way. Following guidance from Public Health Madison & Dane County, Madison Parks is supporting the volunteer-led Bird & Nature Outings. Participation is limited to the first 20 people. Masks are required and must be worn at all times. Please practice social distancing with members outside of your household. Self-guided walks are encouraged any day.
Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society perennial sale
Sunday, May 23, 2021 10 AM – 12 PM UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station, Verona 8502 Mineral Point Rd., Verona
Brent Horvath of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens in Hebron, IL will bring his truck loaded with spring selections. We will strictly follow Covid-19 guidelines – masks required by all, social distancing, hand sanitizer use encouraged and provide.For more information visit here.
Dane County Master Gardeners Plant Sale
Sunday, 23, 2021 11 AM – 3 PM UW-Extension Dane County 5201 Fen Oak Dr., Madison, WI 53718
Monday, May 24, 2021 All libraries except Monroe Street Library Weekdays 10am-6pm Saturdays 12-5pm
Monroe Street Library Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays 10am-6pm* *no computer service
Welcome back to the library! On May 6, 2021, the Madison Public Library Board voted to open Madison libraries to expanded in-person service beginning Monday, May 24. Expanded services will include in-person library browsing, self-pickup holds, computer use, and access to basic desk services.
Love watching "Finding Your Roots" but not sure where to start on your own ancestry research? Presenter Marcus Simmons will give you the foundation you need to start looking, from practical tips for exploring resources like FamilySearch.org and Ancestry Library, to the ethical and emotional questions you'll want to consider about what you find. Centering the experience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, this virtual session will concentrate on searching U.S records, but best practices covered will also be applicable to international and adoptee-related records.
This event is sponsored byNew Chapters in Community Health, a partnership between Madison Public Library, Wisconsin Book Festival, and the All of Us Research Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With an intentional focus on African American, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and Rural audiences, we will explore topics crucial to the health and well-being of many in Wisconsin who have felt like they don't have a voice.
