(MADISON) – Today, Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance passed a sweeping change to Wisconsin’s long-term care system. After the vote, ranking Senate Democrat on the committee Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement:

"For Governor Walker to have made such drastic changes to programs upon which our most vulnerable citizens rely was shameful. But what’s worse is the bait and switch Legislative Republicans pulled today. It is wrong for legislators to perpetuate the emotional trauma suffered by individuals who rely on their doctors and personal care givers to be able to continue to live independently. Today we saw a clear choice between a Democratic option that would have left these important programs intact and a Republican plan that leaves far too many people wondering about their future.”