After an announcement from the Department of Justice that said the Sexual Assault Victim Services (SAVS) program should expect a 42.5 percent cut in funding statewide, a number of lawmakers wrote a letter to the Attorney General asking for additional funding for SAVS programs throughout Wisconsin.

In the letter, my colleagues and I requested that the Department of Justice use its discretionary spending budget to maintain the essential services this program provides to vulnerable residents throughout the state.

FRAUD HOTLINE

Recently, Wisconsin made a new hotline for the purpose of rooting out fraud and abuse in public assistance programs. To file a report about abuse in one of Wisconsin’s public assistance programs such as FoodShare, Medicaid, BadgerCare, or others, please call the Office of the Inspector General Fraud Hotline free of charge at

1-877-865-3432.

Last week, the state Department of Justice introduced a Crime Alert Network in Wisconsin. The Crime Alert Network enables local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies to send out crime alerts via email, SMS text, and fax to those who signed up to receive alerts.

The service costs $12 per year for subscribers and allows both citizens and businesses to be notified of adverse situations and help solve crimes like missing person’s cases. To sign up for the Crime Alert Network, please go to the following link: www.wisconsincrimealert.gov