July 24, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors -

Over the past two weeks I have been crisscrossing western Wisconsin meeting with residents, touring some of our emerging businesses, and enjoying local events and county fairs with my family.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share your thoughts with me. I've received a lot of great feedback these past two weeks, including hundreds of survey responses through my website at Senate.Shilling.wi.gov.

As I continue to sit down and talk with residents across the 32nd Senate District, I also want to keep you up-to-date on everything happening around the area and in our state capitol. Keep reading to learn more about newly released state reports, local events, and a few pictures from the road.

Enjoy!

Jennifer K. Shilling
State Senator | 32nd District

Around the District

Dairyland Shrimp
 

Who knew you could raise fresh organic shrimp in the middle of Western Wisconsin!

Last week, I toured Dairyland Shrimp in the Westby Industrial Park. Owner Forbes Adam and his son showed me around and explained his process which uses aquaculture to grow Pacific White shrimp. The environmentally friendly process produces no waste water and will be operated year-round.

To learn more about this local business, you can visit the Dairyland Shrimp website here: www.dairylandshrimp.com.
 

         Forbes Adam shows off his fresh catch!

Gays Mills Art Collective

On a recent Friday night, my boys and I drove down to attend the Kickapoo Cultural Exchange and Arts Collective of Gays Mills Art Camp open house. The two groups received a Creative Communities grant of $2,600 from the Wisconsin Arts Board to support the Summer Art Camp. The grant will help them reach out and provide both the young and old with hands-on experiences making art and cultivating creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills.

Camp sessions run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 10:00am to noon, July 14 – August 8 and the art work will be exhibited at a final reception on August 8th.
 

The next Picasso and Da Vinci???             

Road Construction

On a recent drive through Vernon County, I came across this scene and just had to stop and take a picture.

As everyone knows by now, it’s road construction season in Wisconsin and a good time to remind ourselves to drive safe in work zones. Construction workers and motorists alike are at increased risk for injuries in work zones, so be sure to slow down, be patient and pay attention to your surroundings.

For more tips and information on how to keep construction workers, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians safe this summer, visit the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Work Zone Safety website to learn more.
 

BadgerCare, child well-being, and jobs numbers released

New Health Care Enrollment Numbers
A report released last week showed that only one-third of Wisconsinites who lost health care coverage due to the state’s BadgerCare eligibility changes signed up for coverage through the new federal health care exchange. These eligibility changes were included in Governor Walker’s 2013-15 State Biennial Budget.

As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “the Walker administration had contended that more than 90% of the adults losing coverage would buy health plans through the marketplace.”

Unfortunately, as a result of this coverage gap, approximately 38,000 Wisconsin residents who previously had access to low-cost health care coverage are now without any coverage. Additionally, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states "The decision to reject the federal money is estimated to cost the state more than $100 million in the current two-year budget, and it could cost more than $300 million through 2020."

For more information, you can read this story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: One-third who lost BadgerCare coverage bought plans on federal marketplace.


New Report Finds Uneven Progress in Improving Well-Being of Wisconsin Children
Earlier this week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual ‘KIDS COUNT Data Book’ was released. KIDS Count is a comprehensive assessment of the well-being of children in all 50 states.

Wisconsin currently ranks 13th among all states in child well-being, and Wisconsin children have made important progress in the areas of health and education over the past twenty years. However, 18% of Wisconsin children currently live in poverty – up from 14% in 2005; and 28% of Wisconsin children have parents who lack secure employment – up from 22% in 2008.

According to the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, “in many ways, Wisconsin children are worse off economically than they were 25 years ago, and progress on improving family and community conditions for children has been mixed.”

Click here to read a two-page summary of information on how Wisconsin children are faring.
 

Wisconsin Continues to Trail the Midwest in Job Creation
Although Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in the most recent jobs report, that same report found that Wisconsin lost another 1,200 jobs from May to June.

These numbers were the preliminary monthly estimates from the state Department of Workforce Development. The more accurate Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage (QCEW) for the second quarter of 2014 will be released in the coming weeks.

The previous QCEW report, released in May, found that Wisconsin’s rate of job growth was 1.2% in 2013, which lagged the national job growth rate of 2.1% for the same period. Wisconsin ranked 37th out of the 50 states for job growth in 2013.
 

Viroqua graduate receives national recognition

On Tuesday I had the privilege of presenting a legislative award to Brigetta Rodriguez who recently graduated from Viroqua High School with high honors. Brigetta was recognized for her leadership and academic excellence by the ACT College and Career Readiness Campaign as their 2014 Student Readiness Award winner. She plans to study psychology at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York starting this fall.

VHS Principal Kathy Klos, Brigetta Rodriguez, Sen. Jennifer Shilling, Linda Rodriguez (Brigetta's mother) and Viroqua School District Superintendent Robert Knadle

After the award presentation, I held an in-district office hour event at the Viroqua High School and was joined by local residents who spoke with me about the importance of school funding, environmental conservation, and local job creation.

I will be holding additional office hours this summer and fall, so stay tuned for more details about events near you!
 

News from the Department of Natural Resources

Public hearings set to gather input regarding Wisconsin waterfowl season structure
The Mississippi Flyway Council will meet in July to analyze survey data and make recommendations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on waterfowl hunting regulations. Following the council meeting and USFWS direction, public hearings on Wisconsin's proposed waterfowl seasons will be held. Wisconsin's final season structure will be set by the Natural Resources Board at its Aug. 13 meeting in Hayward.

"The public will have an opportunity to provide input on waterfowl hunting seasons during each of these upcoming meetings and hearings as well as by email, mail or phone," said DNR migratory game bird ecologist Kent Van Horn. "Input from the public is an important part of developing a season proposal for approval in mid-August."
 

La Crosse Area Meeting:
Monday Aug. 4, La Crosse - State Office Bldg, Rooms B-19 and B-20, 3550 Mormon Coulee Road, 608-785-9000.

The proposed waterfowl seasons will be available online beginning Aug. 4. Search the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for keyword "waterfowl." The department will accept public comments on the proposed waterfowl season structure at each public hearing. People who are unable to attend one of the hearings can provide input or comments through midnight on Thursday, Aug. 7. Comments may be directed to Taylor Finger, Wisconsin DNR, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707, by email to Taylor.Finger@wisconsin.gov or by calling 608-261-6458.
 

Calendar of Events

I apologize if any upcoming events in the area were left off. If you would like me to include an event in future e-updates, please email me the date, location and a website with details.

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

phone: 608.266.5490   

email: sen.shilling@legis.wi.gov

 "like" me on Facebook      "follow" me on Twitter     visit my website

If you wish to stop receiving these emails, please reply to this email
with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.