June 26, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors -

It has been another busy week around the 32nd Senate District. From area dairy breakfasts to local business visits, I've had the opportunity to travel around the Driftless Region and enjoy many of the features that make our communities great. This week also featured a new initiative to provide greater flexibility for parents in the workplace as well as the most recent national job creation numbers.

You can read about these issues below, and don't forget to take a minute and fill out my new online survey at Senate.Shilling.wi.gov so I can continue advocating for our shared values.

Sincerely,

Jennifer K. Shilling
State Senator | 32nd District

Family lives have changed dramatically since the 1950's, but many workplace policies haven't kept pace.

That was a common theme at the White House Summit on Working Families this week which brought together leaders from across our country to talk about the challenges facing working parents. With more dual-income households today, our economy needs to move past the 1950's era “Mad Men” stereotypes of the past and adapt to the needs of modern working families. While businesses are beginning to reform outdated policies and provide greater workplace flexibility, many working parents continue to face daily obstacles.

Too many parents lack the flexibility to pick up a sick child from school or care for a newborn baby at home.

Too many families lack access to quality, affordable childcare.

Too many working parents struggle to make ends meet because a low minimum wage keeps them in poverty.

If we want working families and businesses to succeed, we need to focus on tackling these issues. As a working mother with two young boys, my husband and I can relate to the daily challenges that families face to provide kids a good education and quality childcare. We know how hard it can be getting everyone fed and out the door on time in the morning, picking up a sick child early when we get a call from the school nurse, or finding safe and educational activities for the family over the summer. Like everyone else, we value flexibility and believe that reforming outdated workplace policies will help strengthen our state and enable businesses to be more competitive.

Consider paid sick leave for example. Working parents who don’t have the flexibility of paid sick leave are often faced with the tough decision of showing up for work under the weather or taking a cut in their paycheck. All businesses, from Fortune 500 companies down to local mom and pop stores, benefit from a safe and healthy workplace. And so do working families.

Paid family and sick leave, affordable childcare and flexible work hours help parents make ends meet and be more productive in the workplace. Like President Obama put it: “These policies aren't workplace frills -- They’re basic needs.”

One area where our state can help to boost families and businesses is with worker pay. Wisconsin’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour means a parent working full-time with no vacations earns around $15,000 a year. Working families deserve a raise because parents who work hard shouldn't have to choose between putting food on the table and finding time to sit down for a meal with their family.

As neighboring states have increased their wages, they’ve also spurred new job growth by driving consumer spending and stimulating their local economies. Sadly, Wisconsin families have been left behind as Republicans have repeatedly blocked legislation to increase our minimum wage.

In Wisconsin, we know our state does better when we all do better. As we continue to look for commonsense solutions to improve our economy and strengthen our middle class, let’s focus on making sure that everyone who works hard has an opportunity to get ahead. We can start by ensuring that working moms and dads are fairly compensated and have the flexibility they need to balance their personal and professional lives.

To learn more about the Summit on Working Families, you can visit workingfamiliessummit.org and join our effort to promote increased flexibility for working parents.

My 2014 Legislative Survey is now available online. You can visit my website and take the short 10 question survey here: Shilling.Senate.wi.gov

Your opinion is important to me and I hope you'll take a few moments to let me know your thoughts on some of the important issues that have been proposed in the Legislature. Knowing how people feel about these topics helps me to best represent our shared values. Thanks!

Last Thursday, June 19, the most recent job creation statistics were released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Those statistics show that Wisconsin ranked 37th for private-sector job growth last year.

According to the BLS numbers – which are commonly referred to as the “gold standard” of job creation statistics – Wisconsin’s economic growth rate was 1.2 percent for 2013, lagging behind the national growth rate of 2.1 percent.

While it is good news that Wisconsin created jobs in 2013, these recent numbers continue the unfortunate trend of Wisconsin lagging behind most other Midwestern states and the country for creating jobs. These weak job creation statistics highlight the fact that too many Wisconsin residents continue to struggle finding secure, family-supporting jobs. As we look ahead to the next legislative session and the next state budget, I hope that we can focus on proven job creation and economic development policies that benefit Wisconsin’s middle class and those struggling to find work.

For more information about the recent jobs number, you can read this article from the Wisconsin State Journal.
 

The Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP) recently recognized me as a Friend of Family Medicine. This award is presented to an exclusive group of legislators in recognition of their efforts to advance effective health care policy during the 2013-14 legislative session and promote the importance of family medicine in the health care delivery system.

Every day, family physicians are on the front lines working to improve the health of our communities. Access to quality primary care is an essential component of a strong health care delivery network, and I've been proud to support legislation that improves primary care access and mental health services.

One legislative proposal supported by the WAFP this session was Assembly Bill 454, which creates a grant program to encourage primary care physicians and psychiatrists to practice in rural and underserved areas. This legislation will increase access to critical mental health services and strengthen the health care provider network in rural communities throughout Wisconsin. Assembly Bill 454 received bi-partisan support and was signed into law as 2013 Act 128.

In a letter announcing the 2013-14 Friend of Family Medicine awards, WAFP President Dr. David Eitrheim stressed the commitment to promoting excellence in health care and improving health through the advancement of family medicine. “From the establishment of a grant program to address the shortage of primary care physicians in medically underserved areas, to the creation of a child psychiatry consultation program to provide primary care physicians access to child psychiatrists for the benefit of young patients, a great deal of progress has been made during the legislative session,” Dr. Eitrheim wrote.

Summer is here! One of my family’s favorite summer activities is bike riding and we’re looking forward to checking out the variety of bike routes around La Crosse.
 

My sons, Zach and Nate take their bikes out

on the Pammel Creek trail in La Crosse.
 

If your family also enjoys biking, check out Travel Wisconsin’s new Official Biking Guide. The 8th Edition of the Bike Guide is an 80-page guide listing some of the great biking experiences Wisconsin has to offer. Rides are divided into three categories: linear bike trails, mountain bike trails and road biking tours.

You can reply to this email or call my office at 608-266-5490 to request a copy of this Bike Guide.

You can also visit the Travel Wisconsin biking website to see additional bike routes and bike-friendly places to visit around the state.
 

Senator Jennifer Shilling
P.O. Box 7882 - Madison, WI 53707

phone: 608.266.5490   

email: sen.shilling@legis.wi.gov

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