There is a lot happening at the State Capitol and it is my hope that this email will help you stay in touch with your government. As your Senator I truly believe in public service, so if there's anything my office can do to assist you, please feel free to contact us.
In Service,
Senator Lena Taylor
Wisconsin's 4th Senate District
Central Wisconsin Hemp Expo
Senator Taylor's week kicked off with an important conversation with a representative from the Central Wisconsin Hemp Expo 2018, which took place the previous weekend. The Hemp Conference marked an important milestone in Wisconsin's journey into the industry, and more importantly, provided working class Wisconsinites with a better understanding of how they can benefit from recent legislation surrounding industrial hemp. Before it was banned, hemp played a major role in Wisconsin's agriculture industry, and since it's return we've seen plenty of signs that the product will take center stage once again. Senator Taylor looks forward to future conversations with key stakeholders, and is thankful for the opportunity to be involved in such an exciting moment for the State of Wisconsin.
Meeting with Dads of Wisconsin
Senator Taylor’s staff met with Steve Blake from Dads of Wisconsin on Tuesday to discuss advocacy work being done for families affected by divorce and separation. Both parties are only interested in the best for families and children of Wisconsin and will do whatever in their power to better the family programs already in place. Senator Taylor is a member of the Study Committee on Child Placement and Support and keeps family values as a top priority, especially those who are affected by separation, child support discrepancies, incarcerated parents and parents in the military. Working with the study committee, Senator Taylor is able to keep the children’s interest at heart in these difficult situations, and will be focusing on the changes that need to be made to legislation in this upcoming session.
SOLVE Teleconference Meeting
Senator Taylor met with SOLVE Telecommunications to hear from a local entrepreneur and learn more about how they got their business off the ground. SOLVE makes it easier for organizations to connect individuals to jobs and social services. This service opens up the opportunity for individuals and organizations to begin and continue their professional relationship. Senator Taylor is always interested in how to keep jobs flowing into the Milwaukee community, whether it be agricultural or technology centered. Personal relationships and networking continue to be the ways of the workforce and technology is only promoting these kind of professional interactions.
Study Committee on Child Placement and Support
Senator Taylor attended the Legislative Study Committee on Child Placement and Support this Tuesday. The meeting was held to discuss preliminary drafts legislation relating to the determinants of a child’s welfare in support and placement cases. The drafts being made were concerning parents in the military and incarcerated parents specifically. There was great discussion about the and the committee members came to a consensus on many of the proposed drafts. These bills will be amended and reviewed one final time at next month’s meeting. In January of next year, the bill proposals will start going through the legislative process.
Community Action Alerts
Heating Moratorium
Utility customers currently disconnected need to contact their local utility to make arrangements for service re-connection prior to the start of the winter heating moratorium.
During the moratorium, from November 1 to April 15, utilities are prohibited from disconnecting customers who are behind on their bills.
While Wisconsin law prohibits utilities from disconnecting the heat-providing service of residential customers during the winter heating moratorium period, consumers currently disconnected must make arrangements to pay outstanding bills in order to restore service. Consumers without utility service are encouraged to contact their utility to establish a payment plan and arrange for re-connection prior to the onset of cold winter temperatures.
We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) reminds customers to check their eligibility for some energy assistance. Applications for energy assistance are now being accepted the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP).
Contact Information for large utilities in Wisconsin is listed below:
We Energies 1-800-842-4565
Alliant Energy 1-800-255-4268
Madison Gas & Electric 1-800-245-1125
Superior Water, Light & Power 1-800-227-7957
Xcel Energy 1-800-895-4999
Game Changer Grant
Our monthly Game Changer Grants are intended to provide opportunities for small or start-up programs or initiatives that are aligned with the mission and vision of FCI. We will award one grant up to $3,000 each month throughout 2018.
We know that for many grants, applicants are put through a pretty arduous process. Not so here. Rather than answering a laundry list of questions and taking time away from the work for which you are requesting funding, we are taking a different track. A simpler track. Plain and simple, we want you to tell your story, share your plans and have some fun doing it . . . without spending too much time and energy!
There are just two parts to the application process: A short five-minute cellphone-quality video and a short form That's it!
Submissions will be accepted through Mon, Dec 17th at 12pm.
For complete information regarding our Game Changer Grants visit our website
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”- Oprah Winfrey
