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(608) 266-5780 | State Capitol, Room 307 West, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708 | rep.billings@legis.wi.gov
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Prayer to End Human Trafficking
February 8
English Lutheran Church
La Crosse Boat, Sports, Travel, RV & Hunting Show
February 7-10
The La Crosse Center
Out of Our Minds Chamber Music Series: "Too Early, Too Late"
February 17
Fine Arts Center, Nola Starling Recital Hall
Public Planetarium Program: "The Universe of Dr. Einstein"
February 9
UW-L Planetarium, 20 Cowley Hall
CONTACT ME:
State Capitol
Room 307 West
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
Phone:
(608) 266-5780
Toll Free:
(888) 534-0095
rep.billings@legis.wi.gov
Friends and Neighbors,
The past two weeks have seen the
initiation of the 2019-2020 legislative session, with committee
meetings picking up around the Capitol. Last week I began to
circulate my Safe Harbor bill, which would prevent victims of
human-trafficking from being prosecuted for prostitution. I've
introduced similar versions of this bill during past sessions, and
am hopeful it will get a hearing in the coming months, as it has
received widespread bi-partisan support so far.
This
past Tuesday, I also met with Governor Evers to discuss my top
legislative and budget priorities for this session, including asking
for his support of the Safe Harbor bill when it crosses his desk.
Our meeting was productive, and we discussed a broad range of issues
that have impacted and will continue to impact the Coulee region.
For those of you who have called into or visited my office
in the past few weeks, you may have noticed a new friendly staffer
in my office. I am delighted to announce that I have hired our
former intern, Kendall Oehler, as a member of our office staff.
Kendall is a graduate of Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) and
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and we're very lucky to have
her help for this new legislative session. Welcome, Kendall!
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.
Please continue reading for brief local and statewide updates.
Best Wishes,
Jill Billings
State Representative
95th Assembly District
Governor Evers: 2019 is the Year of Clean Drinking Water
In his State of the State address on January
22, Governor Tony Evers declared 2019 the "year of clean drinking
water," emphasizing the importance of addressing the water quality
issues facing our state. Referring to our state’s "lead crisis,"
Governor Evers pledged to select a member of the Department of Health
Services to oversee the replacement of lead pipes across the state and
to designate federal funds for the project. Lead can be found in the
pipes that feed water to old homes and may enter drinking water if the
pipes corrode. There is no known safe amount of lead exposure for
children.
Governor Evers also acknowledged health problems
related to contaminated wells, which has been an ongoing issue in the La
Crosse region for years. According to the
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, four out of every
ten homes in Wisconsin rely on private wells for drinking water, and at
the same time, an estimated 47% of private wells do not meet
health-based standards for bacteria, nitrates or heavy metals.
Governor Evers' clean water priorities mirror my own efforts to restore
clean water in La Crosse County. Last session, I authored AB 881/SB 739,
otherwise known as the Water Pollutant Notification Act, which would
compel the DNR to alert any potentially affected well owners if a nearby
Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit holder
violates their permit, as well as to alert the county and residents of
the impact area in a timely manner. I plan to introduce the Water
Pollutant Notification Act again this session, and it is my hope that
Governor Evers' highlighting of water quality issues will bolster my
efforts and will benefit both the residents of the 95th
Assembly District and Wisconsin at large.
February is Heart Health Awareness Month
The beginning of February marks the start of
Heart Health Awareness month, a nationally recognized, month-long
heart health awareness campaign.
I am proud to advocate for this issue as a
leading sponsor of AJR 3 this session, which declares February American
Hearth Month, alongside Representative Ballweg. Heart disease is the
leading cause of death in the United States, but it is preventable by
engaging in a healthy lifestyle and being aware of risk factors and
symptoms.
There are a number of simple practices that you
can implement into your life to reduce your risk of heart related
issues. Specifically, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends
walking at least 20 minutes per day and engaging in 150 minutes of
exercise a week, as doing so can reduce your risk of suffering from a
cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or a stroke, by helping
to lower blood pressure. The AHA also recommends eating a balanced diet
of fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy products, poultry, fish, and nuts
so as to reduce sodium, sugar, and red meat intake and keep cholesterol
low.
According to the AHA, 41.5% (102.7 million) of
the United States population suffers from a cardiovascular disease and
every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a heart attack.
It is my hope that by wearing red and spreading awareness about the
causes and symptoms of heart disease throughout the month of February,
we can reduce the number of those impacted and can promote healthy
hearts throughout La Crosse.
Children's Caucus Meeting in January
As a co-chair of the bi-cameral, bi-partisan Legislative Children’s Caucus, I was happy to help organize our first meeting of the 2019-2020 legislative session on Thursday, January 17th. Dr. Lonnie Berger of the University of Wisconsin Madison's Institute for Research on Poverty presented on "Complex Contemporary Families and Public Policy," and relayed to legislators that when making policy in 2019, it is important to keep in mind the array of forms a family can take. You can watch Dr. Berger's presentation here.
Rep. Billings in Madison
Representatives from Altra Credit Union came to visit my office last
week to talk about the volunteer work they do to promote fiscal literacy
in the La Crosse community.
We celebrated UW-La Crosse students and alumni this week at the UW-La
Crosse alumni reception in Madison, and I also met with UW-L students
advocating on behalf of the university in my office.
This past week I also met with folks from the La Crosse Area Family YMCA, who came to discuss the childcare and children's mental health services they offer to the community.