Friends and Neighbors,

As we celebrated Labor Day this weekend, I hope that everyone took a moment to honor the workers in our society. We must celebrate both our current work force and the generations preceding us who struggled for, and won, so many important victories that we, too often, take for granted. While a three day weekend is certainly fun and a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, we must not forget that without the Labor movement, we would not have the 40 hour work week, child labor laws, and safety regulations in the work place. We celebrate Labor Day annually, but we must honor Labor year round.

I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable weekend. The quote below really puts into perspective what Labor means in our everyday lives.

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."

-Abraham Lincoln (1861)

In solidarity,


Fast Food Workers Walkout
 

I was proud to speak in support of the Fast Food walk-out last Thursday. Brave working men and women walked off the job on Thursday in protest of their low wages and prohibition to unionize. I support their efforts to fight for a living wage, and encourage the fast food industry to treat these workers with the respect they deserve.

It was appropriate timing, considering that Labor Day was this week, Women's Equality Day on Aug. 26th, and the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King on the 25th. All of these things remind us to strive for equality. These fast food workers are living the example taught to us by Dr. King, the women equality movement and others working for a more equal society.

Chief Erwin's Questionable Pay Raise

Last week, Rep. Jon Richards and I called for an audit of Chief Erwin's questionable pay increase.

On February 5, Chief Dave Erwin got an annual salary bump of $11,680 after being transferred on paper to a ghost job on Walker’s staff and then back to his former post, all on the same day. A portion of his pay increase was provided to him retroactively.

The State’s Compensation Plan prohibits retroactive pay increases except in limited circumstances that do not apply in this instance.
 

Here is the statutory language: 2.02 Retroactive Increases or Decreases
Except for action in accordance with ss. 230.43(4), 230.44(4)(c), and 230.45, Wis.
Stats., or to correct an error, no pay increases or decreases associated with
provisions of this Section (Section I) shall be retroactive.

Rep. Richards and I are requesting an audit that would determine who authorized the Capitol Police chief to receive this back room pay raise. In addition, we would like to know the legal authorization that was used to justify the retroactive pay increase.

We need to do things in a transparent manner with full disclosure to the public. This audit request is a logical measure to ensure that our tax dollars are not being spent on unethical or illegal pay raises within our state government.

You can see a copy of our audit request: HERE.


Shady Giveaway will Harm
Outdoor Enthusiasts

Last week, Wisconsin's Sporting Heritage Committee gave its approval to award a $500,000 grant to the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin Thursday morning, despite unanimous dissent from members of the public who testified at its meeting.

The grant authorizes the state to give the money to United Sportsmen so the group can promote and provide training for hunting and fishing in Wisconsin.

It was discovered (by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and others) that United Sportsmen has close ties to several Republican state lawmakers and was the only group to apply for the grant. The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters say the grant application was set up so that only United Sportsmen could win it.

United Sportsmen has been active in both elections and lobbying over the past two years on behalf of conservative causes, but has no history of doing the kind of training called for in the grant.

The Sporting Heritage Committee voted 4-1 to approve the grant. That committee consists of two Republican lawmakers, a DNR official and two hunters selected by the DNR.

Approving this grant actually takes money away from hunters, fishers and other outdoor enthusiasts and funnel it to a shady lobbying group that advocates for Republicans in elections. And as my colleague Rep. Nick Milroy stated," This is a slap in the face to our state’s hunters and anglers to take the largest natural resources grant in the budget and abuse it to play politics and hand out partisan favors.”

 


WISDOM Event Promotes 11 x 15 Project

Last week, I attended a fascinating, day long seminar put on by WISDOM. WISDOM is a grassroots organization, comprised mostly of religious congregations of many denominations, which works to have a common voice on issues of social justice.

Their 11 x 15 campaign is a challenge to state lawmakers, and all the citizens of Wisconsin to try and cut the prison population by half - to 11,000 - by the end of 2015.

Wisconsin must invest in treatment instead of prison. The Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) program effectively diverts non-violent offenders from incarceration and reduces criminal justice costs. TAD projects have positive impacts on individual offenders, communities, and local service systems.

As you can see in this graphic (above), our neighboring states have much lower levels of imprisoned citizens.  We must work to do better here in Wisconsin.
 

Women's Equality Day

Ninety-three years ago, the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution was passed guaranteeing all women the right to vote, 40 years after it was first proposed. The historic day in 1920 was the result of the tireless work of countless women and men. It's a reminder that change is possible, but requires the patience and sustained efforts of many.

Every president has published a proclamation for Women's Equality Day since 1971 when legislation was first introduced in Congress by Rep. Bella Abzug.

Today, we are incredibly thankful to those who fought for our right to vote in this country, but also recognize that the movement didn't end 93 years ago. Those who challenged the status quo were themselves part of a much larger and even older struggle for equality.

Despite the press "women's issues" receive, women continue to be underrepresented in all facets of society. Economic and racial inequality persists, especially for women.

Team Sargent 'Pounds the Pavement' for a Northside Pool

I was proud to bring a team of family and friends to the annual 'Pound the Pavement for a NorthSide Pool' event. This event is put on by The Circle of Friends (CoF), and features a 3 mile walk around the beautiful Warner Park.

The CoF was started to ensure the Warner Park Community Recreation Center continues to grow and serve the community. Their first goal is raising public awareness and funds for the Warner Pool. The board members are all volunteers. They have no paid staff. The money raised for the pool goes into the Warner Pool account with the Madison Community Foundation or the Madison Parks Foundation. So far the CoF has raised over $190,000 for the Warner Pool plus a pledge of $25,000 when we break ground.

If enough funds are raised, the plan is to build a pool just behind the Warner Park Community Center that would serve the NorthSide as well as the greater Madison area. If you would like more information on how to get involved in this wonderful project, please visit: http://friendsofwarner.com/

 

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September 3, 2013
Issue 16


Contact Me

State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708

Office: (608) 266-0960

Email:
Rep.Sargent@legis.wi.gov

On the Web: sargent.assembly.wi.gov
 

Stat of the Week

#1 in Kicking People Off Medicaid

A report from Kaiser Health News this week showed that due to Gov. Walker’s decision to reject federal funding, Wisconsin will remove more low income citizens from Medicaid than any other state by a wide margin. The report shows 92,000 people in Wisconsin would be kicked off the program. Only three other states are cutting people from Medicaid in advance of the Affordable Care Act – Maine (35,000), Vermont (19,000), and Rhode Island (6,700).

 
 

In the Capitol

 

Bills of interest:  

LRB-2041/1:  Republican Assemblyman Andre Jacque has reintroduced a bill that would make English the official language in Wisconsin. This legislation not only divides Wisconsinites along racial lines, it also would hinder many people's ability to operate within our state governmental agencies.

For example, if the Department of Motor Vehicles was no longer able to print out vehicle registration instruction (or other necessary functions) in languages other than English, many people would struggle to understand these government documents. While it is a valid goal to have those people who move to America learn English, many are in the process of becoming fluent and should not be punished in the mean time.

In the analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau, it states that with few exceptions "all units of state and local government in this state shall be in the English language".

As a nation of immigrants, different generations from all over the world have relied on multiple languages and bilingual education to successfully integrate into the fabric of this country. This bill would be a step backwards for our state, and the diverse cultures that we celebrate.
 


In the District


Elvehjem Neighborhood Wellness Initiative

Join Elvehjem Neighborhood on their year-long quest to improve health and wellness!

Get Involved in 3 Simple Steps:

1. Sign up as an individual/family and commit to a personal or group goal/mission.
2. Provide starting and ending baseline data to allow progress to be tracked.
3. Attend WELL-VEH-JEM monthly events as your schedule allows.
Contact WELL-VEH-JEM Committee Member Julie Turner at julieturner22@gmail.com or 332-7548 to sign up and receive your appreciation gift!

Trucks and Treasures Coming to Warner Park September 21

The City of Madison Parks Department is excited to announce the second Trucks and Treasures event for summer 2013. Trucks and Treasures combines two of Madison’s favorite kid-friendly events--the Big Rig Gig and the Kids to Kids Garage Sale--to create a fun experience for the whole family. In the past, these separate events have drawn more than 2,000 attendees, so together Trucks and Treasures is sure to attract large crowds. The event will be held at Warner Park on Saturday, September 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Earlier in May, the Madison Parks Department hosted the first combined event and re-branded the event calling it Trucks and Treasures. The event was very successful on the Westside, so it should also be fun for the NorthSide at Warner Park on September 21.

The Big Rig Gig is a showcase of the city’s public services, employees, and equipment with fire engines, dump trucks, front loaders, skid steers, and tractors on display. Kids are welcome to climb on and explore Madison’s fire engines, police cruisers, and construction equipment.

Voucher School Update


This week, as students go back to school across Wisconsin, we are seeing the first year of the statewide voucher school expansion. Despite numerous studies showing that students actually do worse in the Milwaukee and Racine voucher programs, the Governor and GOP legislature have decided to move forward with a statewide plan despite the objections from Assembly and Senate Democrats.

While many students who have signed up for the statewide expansion of the voucher school system may be new to the voucher program, the majority of them are not new to private schools. In fact, 1,393 students, or 67.3% of applicants, attended a Wisconsin private school in the previous school year. This means that the parents of two-thirds of eligible applicants were able to afford private school tuition or obtain funds without public assistance. The voucher program was created to provide parents of public school students with a "choice" they may not be able to afford on their own, but it looks like Republicans have quietly changed the program to instead offer taxpayer-funded handouts to the parents who can already afford to send their kids to private school.
 

 

New Blue Books are Here!


The 2013-14 State of Wisconsin Blue Books are set to arrive this week. For those of you who don't know, the Blue Book contains information on state government as well as a list of all the elected legislators in the Assembly and Senate.

If you would like to receive a copy of the new Blue Book, please email rep.sargent@legis.wi.gov or call 608-266-0960.
 

Affordable Care Act Info


With the federal Health Care Exchanges set to take effect on October 1st, here is some more information on the Affordable Care Act and its implementation.

A number of ACA provisions are already in effect, including:
  • No lifetime limits on coverage.
  • Dependent children up to the age of 26 can remain on their parents' health insurance.
  • Preventative services are covered with no co-pays or deductibles.
  • Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage.
  • Insurers can only spend between 15% and 20% (depending on size) of the amount they receive in premiums on overhead and administration.
  • Consumers have already received over $3.4 billion in rebates from companies that didn't follow this rule and were overcharging their customers.

A number of provisions will go into effect on in the next few months, including:

  • Guaranteed issue - insurance companies cannot deny coverage except in cases of fraud.
  • No one with a pre-existing condition can be denied coverage.
  • The state's HIRSP (health insurance risk sharing pool) program will end.
  • Insurance companies can only consider whether someone has individual or family coverage, area of residence, age, and tobacco use when determining premiums.

The best resource right now for information about the health care marketplace is: www.healthcare.gov Or call toll-free (800) 318-2596.