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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This final e-update of 2020 contains details about the Joint Committee of Review of Administrative Rules that met today and repealed PFAS protections, information on Public Health Madison Dane County's latest public health order, and the new Wisconsin Exposure Notification App. 

To those of you who celebrate, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, and I hope you all have a Happy New Year! Please stay safe and follow best COVID-19 health practices over the holidays.

 As always, 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


In This Weeks Update:

Republicans Repeal
PFAS Protections


Updated Public
Health Order


Wisconsin Exposure Notification App


Wisconsin Fun Fact


Trusted COVID-19 Resources


Contact Me:

109 North, State Capitol

P.O. Box 8953

Madison, WI 53708

Phone: (608) 266-7521

Toll-Free: (888) 534-0078

Fax: (608) 282-3690

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Republicans Repeal PFAS Protections

Today, the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules repealed critical provisions of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Emergency Rule (EmR 2045) intended to prevent certain manmade chemicals found in firefighting foam from entering Wisconsin’s water supply. The proposed rule is the result of 2019 Act 101, a bipartisan bill passed in February 2020 to address PFAS in firefighting foam.

This rule was an important first step toward addressing the dangers presented by PFAS chemicals making their way into our groundwater and waterways.. Act 101 and the resulting proposed rule are narrow in scope and just the beginning of needed work to address the dangers of PFAS in our water, making it even more shameful that today’s action by the Republican-controlled committee renders the law toothless.

PFAS are a known threat to human health that can build up in the human body. Significant sources of PFAS identified by the CDC include drinking contaminated water from municipal water systems or private wells and eating fish caught from contaminated water.

Today’s JCRAR hearing allowed testimony from invited guests only. Invitees included Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and other special interest groups opposed to the rule, yet none of the concerned individuals or organizations who testified to the Natural Resources Board in favor of the rule were allowed to testify today.

Republicans are putting their heads in the sand and ignoring the impact of dangerous chemicals on our drinking water, instead they are allowing corporate special interests to decide what is best for the people of Wisconsin. Their list of 'invited speakers' makes it abundantly clear that this is yet another example of Republican legislators putting politics ahead of the health and safety of the people of our state.

The committee’s action today comes on the heels of Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC)’s statewide PFAS Action Plan that was released earlier in the week as part of a statewide initiative created by Governor Evers’s Executive Order #40 to ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Clean and safe drinking water should be a top priority, regardless of politics. Act 101 was a small but significant, bipartisan first step toward addressing PFAS contamination in our water. The presence of PFAS in our food and water systems is a growing problem in Wisconsin and elsewhere, making today’s rollback of rules to implement the Act particularly troublesome.

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Updated Public Health Order

As of Friday, December 18, 2020, there were 31,103 people who have tested positive for coronavirus in Dane County. Of those, 28,115 individuals have recovered. Visit Public Health's Data Dashboard for the latest on COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations, deaths, tests by date, and more.

On December 15, Public Health Madison & Dane County issued Emergency Order #11, which prohibits indoor gatherings of greater than 10. Outdoor gatherings are permitted with 25 people or less, with physical distancing. The order went into effect on December 16 and expires on January 13. This new order, like its predecessors, is designed to call attention to where we are seeing the greatest amount of disease spread and interrupt the virus's quick movement through our community. Check out Public Health's blog post "What's Allowed in Emergency Order #11?" for more information and answers to commonly asked questions. While this order is slightly less restrictive than the previous order, we must continue to follow public health guidelines in order to continue to make progress in the fight against COVID-19.

When do I need to wear a face-covering?

Under state and local orders, people five years of age and older must wear a face covering:

  • Indoors and in any enclosed building where other people, except for members of the person’s own household or living unit, are present.
  • In line to enter any enclosed building.
  • Driving or riding in any vehicle where other people, except for members of the person’s own household or living unit are present.
  • In any other confined space open to the public where individuals congregate where other people, except for members of the person’s own household or living unit, are present, including but not limited to, outdoor taverns, outdoor restaurants, and outdoor park structures.

There are Many Options for COVID-19 Testing in Dane County:

  • Your healthcare provider -- If you have health insurance, we recommend contacting your healthcare provider to see if they are able to test you.
  • Alliant Energy Center -- This community testing site is open Tuesday through Saturday for people ages 5 and older.
  • UW-Madison -- UW-Madison has testing available on campus for students and staff members.

South Madison Community Test Site -- This community testing site is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for people ages 5 and older.


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Wisconsin Exposure Notification App

This week, Gov. Tony Evers announced the launch of a new app called WI Exposure Notification that will assist in alerting you if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The app is free and is available in the Google Play Store and iPhone users can turn the app on in their phone's settings. It will “go live” on December 23, 2020, and is completely voluntary.

“The WI Exposure Notification app does not use, collect, or store any GPS data or personal details. Instead, it uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously share Bluetooth signals with other smartphones using the app nearby. All people in Wisconsin who test positive for COVID-19 will receive a code that users enter into the app. By entering the code, the person who tests positive anonymously notifies devices their phone has shared Bluetooth signals with during the period of time they may have been contagious. For the app to work properly, Bluetooth must be enabled on the device, and the WI Exposure Notification app must be downloaded and/or enabled before you receive a positive test result. DHS encourages all Wisconsinites to follow the directions from the notification, which will be sent from Google to Android users and from Apple to iPhone users, to ensure the app is downloaded and/or enabled.” according to Governor Evers’s press release issued yesterday.

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Wisconsin Fun Fact

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7th, 1867 in a log cabin 7.5 miles north of Pepin, in Pepin County, in what was then the “Big Woods”.

In September of 1869, Laura’s father moved the family to near Independence, KS. They returned to the cabin in Pepin County in 1871, and later moved to Walnut Grove, MN, Burr Oak, and ultimately ended up in DeSmet, SD.

It was in DeSmet where Laura was married to Almanzo Wilder in 1885. In 1886, Laura gave birth to a daughter, Rose. Laura, Almanzo, and Rose moved to a farm just outside of Mansfield, MO in 1894. It was here where Laura wrote periodicals directed towards rural women, and also published short pieces and poetry.

Between 1930 and 1943, Laura wrote and published the eight autobiographical children's novels (the Little House series) which made her the most famous (a ninth was found after her death, and published in 1971). These books included Little House in the Big Woods, chronicling her time in Wisconsin, and Little House on the Prairie, relating to her time in Minnesota, which the popular NBC television series in the 1970s and ‘80s was based.

In 1949, Almanzo died. Laura lived in their farmhouse in Mansfield by herself, spending her time corresponding to her friends and fans, until her death in 1957. To this day, the towns where Laura called home hold annual festivals and celebrations in her honor, and many children and adults alike still read her books.

At 7 PM on Tuesday, December 29th, PBS Wisconsin will air an episode of its series American Masters documenting Laura’s life. You can find out more about the documentary here.

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Trusted COVID-19 Resources

Department of Health Services COVID-19 Site

CDC COVID-19 Information

Governor Evers's COVID-19 Information Hub

County & Tribal Health Officials

Dept. of Workforce Development COVID-19 FAQs

World Health Organization Corona Virus Info

Public Health Dane County & City of Madison

WHA COVID-19 Situational Awareness Update

 

COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool

NYT COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

|  | Rep Subeck's Website 

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