Investing in Health Care

As we enter June, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) continues to take action on portions of the state budget proposal as they work to craft a final plan to send to the full legislature for consideration.  In their votes this week, the JFC took steps to increase health care access and affordability for Wisconsinites in a fiscally responsible way. When it is all said and done, this state budget will provide more than $1.6 billion in additional funding for the state's priorities in health care, including supporting many bipartisan initiatives, without expanding welfare. 

Some of the highlights in the health care budget include things that I think will really benefit the 87th Assembly District. One of these things is the rural critical care hospital payments. Increasing the funding for these payments will help support rural hospitals, that would have otherwise qualified for disproportionate share hospital payments but do not because they don't offer certain services. I am happy to report that the JFC voted to increase funding by $4.9 million per year which is $4.3 million more than what Governor Evers recommended.

Another thing that I have heard a lot about from constituents is the need to increase funding for personal care workers, caregivers, and nursing homes.  I am pleased that the JFC voted to increase funding for personal care workers by $37 million, direct caregivers in Family Care by $27 million, and nursing homes by $30 million over the two-year budget, again all higher increases than the governor proposed. I am pleased to see this increased investment in programs and services for our aging and disabled populations accomplished without expanding welfare.

Don't Forget to Fill Out My Survey

Thank you to everyone who has filled out my spring survey, so far. I am learning a lot from your feedback and I truly appreciate it. If you have not had a chance to respond yet there is still time to do so. Please feel free to mail a paper copy if you recieved one or if you prefer, you may fill it out online on my website, www.repedming.com or by clicking on the graphic below.

Click on the graphic above to fill out my spring survey.

Looking for Fun?

There is a lot Wisconsin has to offer for families, couples, friends, and even the solo-traveler looking for something to do or somewhere to go. The tourism activity in Wisconsin topped $21.6 billion in 2018. If you are looking for something new, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism offers 14 different free guides for many tourism-related activities and destinations throughout the state. Click here to order one or more of these free guides.

Photo shows the 2019 Spring/Summer Event Guide and 2019 Art & Craft Fairs Guide

Around the 87th

Taylor Credit Union Open House

Last week, I attended a ribbon cutting and open house at Taylor Credit Union for their newly remodeled office in Medford. Their new office looks awesome. Congratulations!

Athens Dairy Breakfast

I enjoyed a great breakfast last Saturday in Athens at their June Dairy Breakfast. These dairy breakfasts are some of my favorite events of the year, and I hope you all get a chance to get out there and attend one of the dairy events in the district. I listed the upcoming dairy breakfasts in the district in my previous e-update.  

Stay Up to Date

One of the best ways to stay up to date with what is going on in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking service. This service allows you to follow legislative activity in Madison. Once you create a free account you can sign up to receive notifications about specific bills or committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject area (i.e. agriculture, veterans). You can sign up for this service at notify.legis.wisconsin.gov.