As mentioned in my last e-newsletter, this will be the final update that you will receive from me until after the November election. Under state law, beginning April 15, State Representatives who are up for re-election in November are prohibited from sending more than 49 pieces of similar correspondence from their legislative offices. This rule exists so that incumbents do not have an unfair advantage over their political opponents. However, an exception to the rule was made in WI Act 185 to allow legislators to provide their constituents with up-to-date information on the COVID-19 public health emergency—this exception expires today, Wednesday, June 10.
As always, I will keep posting frequent updates and helpful information on the Rep. Jill Billings Facebook page. You can also find useful information about the COVID-19 pandemic and helpful resources here:
Please continue reading for additional details about Wisconsin’s rental assistance program, the small business grant application, and the Coulee COVID-19 Compass. As always, please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. You can always contact my office by calling (608) 266-5780 or emailing me at Rep.Billings@legis.wi.gov.
Best Wishes,
Jill Billings State Representative 95th Assembly District
UPDATE: Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program (WRAP)
Governor Evers launched the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program (WRAP) for those who have experienced income loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic using $25 million in funding from federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). WRAP will provide direct financial assistance for owed rent, security deposits, and wrap around services for program eligible individuals. Eligible applicants must be an adult Wisconsin resident with a household income at or below 80% of the county median income in the month of or prior to the application date. Once approved, eligible individuals may receive assistance of up to $3,000 in a combination of rental payments and/or security deposits. These payments will be paid directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant. More information, including an infographic and application, is available here.
UPDATE: We’re All In—Small Business Grant Program
Governor Evers and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) secretary-designee Hughes recently announced the We’re All In Initiative. The We’re All In Initiative is a $75 million rapid grant program for small businesses. As small businesses across Wisconsin continue to keep their employees and customers safe, WEDC will provide Wisconsin small businesses with cash grants to assist with the costs of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages, and inventory. The online grant application will be accessible for one week from 8 a.m. Monday, June 15, through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. A link to the application will be posted here. I encourage interested business owners to view the application page prior to June 15 to review the documentation you’ll need to apply.
To be eligible for the We’re All In Small Business Grant, applicants must fit the following criteria:
The business is Wisconsin-based and for profit;
The business employs 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including the owner;
The business has greater than $0 but less than $1 million in annual revenues (gross sales and receipts); and
The business started operating prior to Jan. 1, 2020, and was operating in February, 2020.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
A letter or email of acknowledgement from a community organization indicating your business was in operation in February 2020
The WEDC website contains a list of organizations that can write your letter of acknowledgement
Sample text for a letter or email can be downloaded here (file will be saved to your “downloads” folder automatically)
UPDATE: Coulee COVID-19 Compass Includes Information from 7 Counties
The La Crosse County Health Department created the Coulee COVID-19 Compass using local data to assess the risk status of the Coulee Region. Due to a successful debut in La Crosse County on May 29, 2020, health departments in Buffalo County, Crawford County, Jackson County, La Crosse County, Monroe County, Trempealeau County, and Vernon County have partnered to provide citizens with updates on how their county is doing individually and how the region is doing as a whole.
The health departments recognize that we will experience waves of COVID-19 infections until a vaccination is widely available, so the compasses will be updated weekly to provide citizens with the best recommendations based on the most current available local data. Also, knowing that COVID-19 knows no boundaries, this will also be an effective tool to see the prevalence of COVID-19 in the greater Coulee region.
Data will be tracked in three categories: (1) epidemiology (what the disease is doing), (2) healthcare capacity, and (3) public health capacity. The data changes the direction the compass points each week—red for severe risk, orange for high risk, yellow for moderate risk, and green for low risk. Each risk category includes the appropriate actions to best protect yourself, your neighbors, and your community. You can view the Coulee COVID-19 Compass for our region or county by making a selection at the top of this webpage.
Our region's current compass status as of 6/10/20:
La Crosse County's current compass status as of 6/10/20:
Further, for a statewide analysis, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) continues to update their Badger Bounce Back dashboard. I encourage you to view the Coulee COVID-19 Compass and the data available on the DHS’s website before planning your summer outings.
