Today, we honor our nation's Veterans. The men and women who have served our nation deserve respect and admiration for defending our country at home and abroad.

However, as our service members return to their families, many are discovering a new battlefield as they leave the their life of public service and return to civilian life. The search for employment opportunities and other struggles can prove to be difficult. We must ensure that our Veteran's are receiving employment assistance and guidance. We also must not ignore the mental health issues that combat veterans face  such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Comprehensive and easily accessible mental health care must be provided for our soldiers upon returning home.

Our government, both state and federal, has a sacred obligation to our service members. If we put troops in harm’s way, we have to take care of them when they come home.

The injunction has not stopped legislative Republicans from attempting to pursue similar laws moving forward; even before finding out if they are legal to begin with. AB493 would put in place strict voter ID requirements.

These laws disproportionately affect women, elderly, minority and low-income groups. One such example is 95-year-old woman Florence Hessing of Bayfield. Florence had voted in every election without any problems until voter ID was enacted. Her driver’s license expired when she stopped driving at the age of 90 due to vision problems. Because she was likely born via midwife, she didn’t have a birth certificate required to get a new photo ID. Lawyers were eventually able to find an exemption for Hessing that will ultimately allow her to vote, but thousands of other Wisconsinites might not be as lucky.

Despite arguments from proponents of voter ID laws, there is very little evidence of widespread voter fraud. An analysis by News21, a national investigative reporting project, identified 10 voter impersonation cases out of 2,068 alleged election fraud cases since 2000 – or one out of every 15 million prospective voters.

We should be encouraging participation in our democracy, instead of putting up unnecessary and unfair barriers to a person's access to the ballot box.

Should AB 493 come to the Assembly floor, I will be a strong 'no' vote.

Women in Government State Briefing

I was thrilled to host a state briefing by Women in Government, a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization of women state legislators providing leadership opportunities, networking, and educational resources to address and resolve complex public policy. The Wisconsin State Briefing featured an introduction to Women in Government followed by a presentation on helping families overcome the economic, social, and policy barriers to achieving financial stability.

(Rep. Sargent with Jonathan Lozier of Women in Government)

Ken Taylor, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families gave a wonderful presentation on families struggling with short term loan rates, home loan protection, mortgage issues, increasing taxes, and the continuous struggle to make ends meet.

Wisconsin ranks 17 out of 50 among states in the percentage of working families with household incomes below 200% of poverty, according to a new report by the Working Poor Families Project.

By linking female state legislators with resources on these issues, Women in Government hopes to stimulate legislative interest and encourage policymakers to support and promote economic opportunities for families.

This topic is an important one across the country as policy makers seek to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.
 

Immigration Reform Must Happen Now

They understand that our current immigration laws are no longer working, and that tearing apart families through deportation is not the way to deal with the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in our country.

We know that healthy communities are built on diversity. Creating opportunities for our children is a driving force in implementing a fair, open immigration system that brings people out of the shadows and safely into our neighborhoods. Instead of focusing on a punitive system, we must find common sense solutions to protect human rights and the diversity of our communities.

Much of the heavy lifting on this controversial issue is done. This past June, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill which would set out a 13-year path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants, who are in the United States illegally. This bill may not be perfect, but it is a foundation to build comprehensive final legislation. That’s because it successfully balances many different, seemingly competing interests.

It provides a pathway to citizenship to those who work hard, play by the rules and have the goal and track record of making a better life for themselves and their families. That means provisional immigrant status for those who meet certain benchmarks, like having lived in the country since 2011 with no felony convictions and paying fees and fines. And to prevent the breakup of families, the bill lifts the limit on legal permanent residents sponsoring spouses and children.

It also focuses on genuine threats to our national security, and violence on our borders - providing safeguards for victims and targeting the most serious and dangerous criminals. This is a step in the right direction, and a move away from targeting the individuals and families who live in, and bring value to our communities.

Finally, the Senate bill contains a number of provisions strongly supported by the higher education community, including a DREAM Act for students. These provisions offer thousands of undocumented students, who graduate from our high schools every year, an expedited path to citizenship for accomplishing academic pursuits or military service. It also helps to serve our long-term economic growth by providing these young people a path into our workforce.

Recently I joined with 45 of my Republican and Democratic legislative colleagues in Wisconsin to call on our Congressional delegation to work together and support comprehensive immigration reform that is both tough and fair. People all over Wisconsin, throughout the country and across the political spectrum believe this issue deserves a resolution by the federal government – and that the Senate compromise is the best opportunity in a generation to accomplish this goal.

It is my sincere hope that the U.S. House of Representatives follows the Senate’s lead and passes a version of this bill. Immigration reform will be good for our economy, good for our families and good for our communities. And it is the right thing to do to build upon past generations of immigrants, which is important for our state and our country. The pursuit of this dream to provide a better, safer, more prosperous life for their families now; and for generations to come must be achieved.

We must respect and protect families while providing opportunities for our “DREAMers”. This moves us away from ineffective and unjust laws of the past. Congress must stop stalling and get to work. Let’s not wait, let’s get this done and let’s do it in a bipartisan fashion.

Social Media Bill Update

Last week my Social Media Protection Bill passed the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor unanimously, and is scheduled to be voted on by the full Senate tomorrow (Tuesday, November 12th). The bill would prohibit employers, universities, or landlords from requesting or requiring the social media passwords of their employees, students, or tenants. This is a common sense measure that protects our Constitutionally protected right to a reasonable expectation of privacy.

No one should be able to invade your Facebook account which can contain sensitive, personal information. Just as we cannot open someone else's mail or email, this is the next logical step in a progression of laws that ensure others cannot intrude on your personal sphere.

It is my hope that both the Senate and Assembly will vote on this bill this week and it will be sent to the Governor's desk for his signature soon!


Make Room For Youth film wins National Award

The locally produced film “Make Room For Youth” has received the 2013 Best Targeted Campaign Award from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY). The film features Madison area homeless youth and local service providers like Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin. Named after the Madison grassroots group, Make Room For Youth, or MRFY, the film draws attention to the growing problem of youth homelessness in our area. MRFY is a coalition of service providers, local leaders, and volunteers who came together to advocate for the needs of runaway and homeless youth. The film features youth from Dane County who share their experiences about being homeless. Tyler Schueffner, Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin’s Street Outreach Program Coordinator, provides narration on the state of homeless youth in our area. The film was produced with the volunteer services of Will Nimmow from the Madison Media Institute. The film provides an insightful window into the lives of our homeless youth. Adding the human voice to an often unseen population is sure to bring additional and necessary conversations to address this tragedy in our community.

November 11, 2013
Issue 21

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