Each day I walk into the Capitol I am proud to fight for our community and the state we love to call home. Often we see setbacks, such as the Governor's 'not-so-special' special session which will give citizens a mere $13 in tax relief, while ignoring our growing jobs crisis, and our struggling public schools. We see our neighbors to the west, Minnesota, surpassing us with more jobs and lower health care costs.
However, my colleagues and I continue to advocate for the citizens of Wisconsin on the things that truly matter in people's everyday lives. I am proud to co-sponsor the 'Higher Ed, Lower Debt' bill which will give some much needed relief to those who find themselves with high student loan debt and significant monthly payments.

Our plan would have done the following:

• Accept the federal Medicaid expansion outlined under the Affordable Care Act, resulting in an addition of $119 million of revenue and extending health care coverage to 92,000 people. (Note: This plan would provide coverage and result in surplus money for the state.)

• Use an alternative property tax mechanism targeted toward middle-class homeowners that would provide the median value home with $57 of additional savings over the governor’s plan while spending the same amount of money.

• Index the Homestead Credit to inflation to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens, who are often on fixed incomes, are protected.

• Send $100 million to the state’s rainy day fund, buying down the structural deficit facing the next Legislature (the state would have faced a $672 million deficit under the Assembly Democrats’ plan instead of a $725 million gap).

I believe that the Democrats' plan balanced the need to give tax relief with the many other pressing needs facing our state.

I voted "no" on the Republican plan because it was an ill-conceived, rushed bill that used an improper mechanism to deliver help to our schools and property taxpayers. In no way will this bill help pay for our schools, entice a Wisconsinite to buy a home, or infuse money into our economy. In fact, property owners in 82 school districts will see little to no property tax relief under the GOP bill.

If we as a state are serious about tax policy reform, let's roll up our sleeves and do it. The plan that passed was simply press release politics. It may sound good on the evening news but doesn’t do much at all for the middle class of our state.

In a time when our school districts are struggling to operate at the same high standard that we have come to expect, this bill is a slap in the face. At a time in which Wisconsin still lags behind the rest of the Midwest in job creation, this was a missed opportunity to invest in our work force.

I voted "no" because we need serious solutions to move Wisconsin forward. The Assembly Democrats plan would have provided the tax relief that Wisconsinites deserve, bolstered our rainy day fund, and expand health care coverage. This would have been a win for Wisconsin.

Instead, we have a tax cut that won’t even buy you your Thanksgiving turkey.

Student Loan Bill - 'Higher Ed, Lower Debt'

Student debt is the only kind of household debt that continued to rise through the Great Recession, and is now the second largest consumer debt in our country, more than credit cards or auto loans. Having this money tied up in debt is a drain on our already struggling Wisconsin economy as the money spent on student loans could instead be spent on cars, new homes, and at local businesses in our communities.

Over the years, exponential increases in tuition and fees coupled with challenging economic times have made it nearly impossible for students to work their way through school. While 45% of 1992-93 bachelor's degree graduates borrowed money from the government, private loan providers, or family, according to a recent U.S. Department of Education survey, approximately two-thirds of 2007-08 bachelor's degree graduates borrowed money from the government or private lenders (family loans were not considered in this figure). In fact, the U.S. recently surpassed $1 trillion in outstanding student loans, with nearly 40 million Americans holding approximately $1.2 trillion in student loan debt nationally, meaning the average per person debt totals about $30,000.

According to the U.S. Federal Reserve System there are 753,000 Wisconsin residents with federal student loan debt. Further, college tuition costs have doubled over the last 12 years and Wisconsin's student loan borrowers have an average debt of $22,400. It is estimated that Wisconsin residents paying student loans from obtaining a bachelor's degree are currently paying an average of $388 per month for about 18.7 years.

I am proud to be a co-sponsor of The Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill--authored by Senator Dave Hansen and Representative Cory Mason--which would do the following:

• Allow Wisconsin's student loan borrowers to deduct their student loan payments from their income tax, resulting in annual tax savings of approximately $172 for the typical borrower or as much as $392.
   
• Enable Wisconsin's student loan borrowers to refinance their student loans at lower interest rates, putting potentially hundreds of dollars back in their pockets and into Wisconsin's economy annually.
   
• Provide students and parents with detailed information about student loans, the best and worst private lenders, and ensure that students receive loan counseling so that Wisconsin's student loan borrowers can make informed financial decisions about student loans.
   
• Ensure data is collected and tracked about student loan debt in Wisconsin to help policymakers and the public better understand the depth and breadth of the debt crisis in our state.

This proposal will go a long way in helping current and future student loan borrowers to realize significant savings. While savings under the bill will vary depending on an individual's debt load and the interest rates, student loan borrowers will now have the option to deduct student loans from their income tax and/or refinance their student loans. Both of these options are currently very challenging or impossible for many Wisconsinites under current law.

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the average borrower could see an income tax savings of approximately $172 under the Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill's income tax deduction. However, borrowers who are paying more per year in student loan payments would see tax savings up to $392 annually.

Additionally, depending on interest rates, borrowers and their families could take advantage of the ability to refinance their student loans and realize further savings. For example, a borrower with an interest rate of 6.8% and the average University of Wisconsin graduate's loan debt of $27,000 who could lower their interest rate to 4% could save over $40 per month. That would put nearly $500 back in their family's pocket over the course of a year.

This legislation offers common sense solutions for real savings on behalf of Wisconsinites managing student loan debt. I hope to see broad bi-partisan support for this legislation that will have long-lasting positive effects on our economy and our state.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota in Health Care Costs

The gap is so dramatic that one Minnesota lawmaker has even called for placing billboards on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border touting his state’s more affordable health insurance rates.

Even more importantly the report shows that two critical decisions made by the Walker administration explain a substantial portion of the rate disparity.

The fundamental difference between the two states is that Minnesota has embraced the national health care reform law and is using the tools it provides to deliver more affordable health insurance, while the Walker administration has tried to undermine the law at every turn.

Gov. Scott Walker’s decision to turn down enhanced federal Medicaid dollars, and his administration's decision not to implement more robust rate review, can explain a substantial portion of the premium gap with Minnesota.

Walker’s decision to reject the Medicaid funding to strengthen BadgerCare cost the state budget $119 million more to cover fewer people. This report shows that forcing more low-income Wisconsinites into the new marketplaces (also known as exchanges) will also increase the health insurance premiums for everyone else.

A recent Rand Corporation report estimated that states rejecting enhanced federal Medicaid dollars will increase premiums from 8 to 10 percent by making the overall insurance pool less healthy and therefore more costly. The reason is that lower-income people are relatively less healthy, and low-income people with health conditions are more motivated to enroll, pay higher premiums and cost share. This means that insurance premiums on the Wisconsin marketplace on a typical plan will cost an average $207 more per year because the Walker rejected enhanced federal BadgerCare dollars.

Another key difference is the two states’ dramatically different approaches to rate review. An important provision of the Affordable Care Act tasks state regulators with reviewing health insurance premium rate increases to determine if they are excessive.

Overall, the report concludes that Walker’s decision not to use the tools made available by the national health care reform law may cost Wisconsin consumers as much as $1,000 more per year in health insurance premiums. This dwarfs the meager $13 tax reduction Walker and his conservative allies are touting.

These numbers ought to shake up the health care debate in Madison. Most Wisconsinites are tired of the consistent effort to sabotage health care reform. Few doubt that access to quality affordable health insurance is not a luxury, but is indispensable to the opportunity to thrive, prosper and achieve the American dream in the 21st century. Shockingly higher premiums ought to be a clarion call for lawmakers to put aside the ideological divisions that have plagued the health care debate, and work cooperatively to secure the full benefits of national health care reform for Wisconsin.

Frac Sand Mining Bill Attacks Local Control

A bill to restrict the ability of local communities to regulate Wisconsin’s frac sand industry had a public hearing in the state senate last week. Many communities, especially in western Wisconsin, would see an erosion of their authority to protect citizens from potential pollution and other problems that sand mines and related operations might cause.

Under this type of mining, companies mine highly desirable sand for oil and natural gas producers. The particles are used in a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," where sand, chemicals and water are injected underground at high pressure to extract oil or natural gas that had been too difficult to remove.

The mines require large-scale excavation and industrial-size processing. They also create increased truck and rail traffic. As the sand industry has grown, some local units of government have placed restrictions on projects, such as setting standards for operations, making new requirements for environmental monitoring and imposing stiff costs for road repair.

We all want to know that the air we breathe and the water that comes out of our wells is safe for our families, crops and livestock. Wisconsin has a rich history of protecting our health by bringing industry, regulators and citizens to the table to use science and the rule of law to come to an agreement about how to properly implement and enforce laws that protect our air and water. Mining companies excavate rock with asbestos minerals, process frac sand and create carcinogenic dust, or use high-capacity wells to pump tens of thousands of gallons of groundwater for irrigation of our state’s largest industrial farms without considering the effects on our citizens.

Eliminating the power of local elected officials to protect their community’s air and water takes away the influence the public has over whether they have a safe and clean environment. Tying the hands of local government – who have increasingly taken on responsibilities that our Department of Natural Resources can’t or won’t – weakens not just our natural resources, but our public health and our democracy.

More public input is needed in all areas where the effects of decisions will be directly felt by the people living around the mines. We cannot let business interests trump the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin.

While the bill is moving through the state senate, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said earlier this week he is not planning to hold a vote until the spring, at the earliest.

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Introduced

I am proud to be a co-author of The "Pregnant Workers Fairness Act" which was introduced last week by Representative Eric Genrich (D-Green Bay). Federal law already bans employers from firing or refusing to hire a pregnant woman. But it does not regulate treatment of women who become pregnant while on the job. This can be a big issue, especially if a woman has a physically demanding job. The bill would require employers to make provisions so a woman could continue to work. It would also expose employers to legal action, within reason. There is a provision in the bill that allows employers to be exempt if they can prove that these accommodations would cause an undue hardship on their business which mirrors provisions in current federal law on pregnancy discrimination, and also mirrors state law on some discrimination statutes. This bill is a wonderful first step towards ensuring that pregnant women are not discriminated in the workplace.

October 29, 2013
Issue 20

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
 

From our friends at the Wisconsin Dental Association A new Oral Health America report gives Wisconsin a score of 85 out of 100 and ranks our state fifth in the nation in terms of seniors’ oral health. While Wisconsin is doing a good job, we must continue to reduce barriers to oral health care for our state's most vulnerable residents. For example, the state could pursue reimbursing all dental Medicaid providers their costs. Currently, government reimburses Federally Qualified Health Centers their full costs, but other dental providers are paid considerably below the cost of care. Engaging all providers will increase access for those most in need. WDA Healthy Choices proposals also include student loan forgiveness and grants programs to encourage dentists to settle in underserved areas.

Provided to you by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Building a healthy plate is easy when you make half your plate fruits and vegetables. It's also a great way to add color, flavor and texture plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. All this is packed in fruits and vegetables that are low in calories and fat. Make 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables your daily goal. Try the following tips to enjoy more fruits and vegetables every day. 1. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana. 2. Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping. 3. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges. 4. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green, or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes. 5. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table for a quick on-the-go snack. 6. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, cereal, or yogurt. 7. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish. 8. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soy beans). 9. Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini. 10. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole wheat tortilla.