Thank you for taking the time to read this week's e-update. I'm looking forward to sharing some news regarding COVID-19 with you. As you can imagine with the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, my office has seen a significant increase in the number of constituent contacts. My staff and I are doing our very best to assist constituents of the 87th Assembly District as quickly as we can.
During this time my physical office in Madison will be closed, but our team at the Legislative Technology Services Bureau has done a great job providing my staff the ability to work from home. We are still able to receive phone calls and retrieve voicemails and emails, however, our response times may be a bit longer than normal.
Some Small Changes to "Safer at Home" Order
Over the past few weeks, I have heard from a lot of folks around the 87th Assembly District who reached out to share their thoughts about the extension of the "Safer at Home" order. I know that this whole situation has been frustrating for a lot of folks and that many of you would like to see movement towards a safe and responsible reopening of the economy. I was pleased to see Governor Evers take a small step in the right direction recently by announcing the loosening of some restrictions on businesses that have been deemed "nonessential." Here are a few updates:
The rental of recreational equipment such as boats, kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, golf carts, and ATVs are now allowed with certain restrictions
Public libraries and more businesses are allowed to offer curbside pick-up with certain restrictions
Automatic car washes and self-service car washes may open for service
You can read the full order that makes these changes by clicking here.
I am glad to see that the governor's administration is taking a small step in the right direction. This small action may make a tremendous difference to some folks in our neck of the woods. In addition to these changes, I was also happy to see the announcement that state parks that had been closed are being reopened. With this change, there are a couple of updates about visiting state parks and forests I'd like to share with you.
State parks and some forests will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and be closed to the public on Wednesdays for maintenance and upkeep. Northern forests, flowages, some other properties will be open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.
Annual park stickers will be required to visit the state parks and trails, but will not be available for purchase at the parks. Right now the only way to purchase these passes is over the phone from the DNR at 1-888-305-0398. The line is staffed from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. seven days a week.
Boat launches are open at the open state properties
Hunting and fishing will be allowed on all properties in accordance with legal season structure and hours
Restrooms at all state properties will be closed, as well as other facilities, including towers, shelters, playgrounds, nature centers, concession buildings, etc.
Camping, group camps, and shelters will remain closed until May 26th, and refunds will be issued to all customers. However, limited numbers of remote, backpack, and boat-in campsites are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The Flambeau River State Forest is one of the properties that offers this type of camping.
For more detailed information please check out the DNR's website COVID-19 website at dnr.wi.gov/covid-19/.
Discussing Options to Reopen Wisconsin
One of the common themes I hear from folks who reach out to me to share their concerns regarding the "Safer at Home" order and Governor Evers' "Badger Bounce Back" plan, is that this approach is one-size-fits-all and treats all areas of the state the same. While I am glad to see there is some sort of plan to reopen the state coming out of the governor's office, I don't believe this is the right course of action for the state to take.
Instead, I believe our state needs to implement an approach that allows the state to open back up in sections, both geographically and by industry, that reflects the situation in that area. The governor's plan does not take into account the far lower COVID-19 case numbers in much of the state, including northern Wisconsin, and instead puts everyone in the same boat as hotspots like Milwaukee and Green Bay. Nor does the governor’s plan account for certain businesses that he has deemed “nonessential” to implement sanitation and social distancing standards like “essential” businesses have done to protect their employees and their customers.
Last Friday, our state's chamber of commerce, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce released their plan to reopen our economy, the "Back to Business plan". This plan takes into account data such as the infection rate and population density in the county and the health care capacity/utilization in the area. A number of my legislative colleagues and I think this plan is a very good starting point for discussions on how to safely and responsibly begin to reopen our state's economy. Yesterday, I was pleased that the Assembly Committee on State Affairs held an informational hearing on this proposal, with several invited speakers, including the governor's own secretary-designee for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Missy Hughes. I'm glad to see some good discussion on this important matter and I hope this hearing serves as the starting point of bipartisan discussions on developing a gradual, safe plan to reopen our economy.
Click on the photo above to watch the Informational Hearing
Unemployment Update
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced on Wednesday that it has begun dispersing the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments. I discussed in last week's e-update about eligibility for the FPUC and more. Click here to see DWD's full press release on the FPUC payments.
Since March 15th, more than $290 million has been paid out in unemployment in Wisconsin. While a short delay in the processing of your claim should be expected due to the incredibly high caseload, I have heard from many of you who are still waiting for the resolution of your claim many weeks after you applied. While we can’t guarantee any success, my staff and I are happy to reach out to DWD on your behalf. If you would like us to do so, please contact my office at rep.edming@legis.wi.gov or (888) 534-0087. Be sure to include your name, phone number, the date you applied, and any other information you have regarding your claim.
