MADISON - Today, President Joe Biden took steps to crack down on gun violence and gun violence prevention issues. President Biden announced six executive actions in the wake of several mass shootings across the United States. These actions include tightening restrictions on “ghost guns”, community violence prevention grants, and instructing the Department of Justice and Congress to act on gun violence initiatives and legislation.

Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released this statement regarding the President’s announcement:

“This is what leadership looks like. It is inspiring to see the Biden Administration taking steps to address the gun violence epidemic in our country. Gun violence prevention measures are common sense, and they ensure our friends, neighbors, and families are kept safe. Grocery stores, churches, schools, spas, movie theatres, night clubs, malls, are all places we should feel safe. Gun violence is uniquely an American issue and it is refreshing that President Biden is taking these bold actions to address these senseless crimes. The President is right that the mass shootings we see on a regular basis in our country are a tragedy and an international embarrassment.”

“We can have gun safety measures and still protect the second amendment. Gun owners who skirt the laws do a disservice to responsible gun owners. We can accomplish both, we just need the courage to do so.  Today, our President exemplified this courage and determination.

“The leadership from the federal government is refreshing and welcomed. I wish that we could see the same level of concern and action from legislative Republicans in Wisconsin. It’s time for legislators of all political stripes to follow the lead of President Biden and Governor Evers, who incorporated broadly supported gun safety measures in his state budget proposal.”

Deregulation of natural hair braiding bills being heard in Madison.

Madison, WI – Thursday, Senate Bill 216, relating to the deregulation of natural hair braiding was heard in the Senate Committee on Insurance, Licensing, and Forestry. Senate Bill 216 is the Senate companion to Assembly Bill 121. Both bills specify that a person does not need to obtain a barbering or cosmetology license in order to perform natural hair braiding. On SB 216’s passage through the committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform, Representative Stubbs (D-77) issued the following statement:

“SB 216 will allows entrepreneurs, to practice the art of natural hair braiding without costly and unnecessary licensing regulations. SB 216 removes restrictions and opens opportunities for hair braiders in our state, many of whom are Black women.”

“Black mothers, daughters, aunts and grandmothers were raised with the knowledge of how to braid hair, and how hair braiding is connected to their family and their culture. For generations braiding has remained an important part of Black culture and no license should stand in the way of practicing time honored traditions”

“I am proud that my colleagues in the Wisconsin State Senate are moving forward on this important piece of legislation. I want to thank Senator Johnson (D-06) and Senator Felzkowski (R-12) for partnering on this legislation in the Senate, and I also want to thank Representative Sortwell (R-02) who joined in the public hearing today.”

“I also want to thank Jessica Gandy from the Institute of Justice and Professor Selika Ducksworth-Lawton of the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire for speaking in support of SB 216. Your expertise on this subject is invaluable, and I am so glad to have your support on this measure. I also want to thank the Badger Institute, and Kiara Allen for registering in support of SB 216.”

MADISON – Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement Wednesday after the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked Governor Evers’ lifesaving mask mandate:

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to eliminate the mask mandate will make Wisconsin less safe and more prone to another wave of COVID-19. This ruling was flawed on its merits and wrong in its understanding of the nature of a global pandemic. A public health crisis on the scale of COVID is something that is constantly changing. Ruling that each successive public health emergency was the same as the last is missing the fluid nature of a situation that requires consistent, responsive leadership like Governor Evers has exhibited for the past year.

“We have already lost too many lives, over 6,500 of our friends and neighbors, to this virus. It’s sad that Republicans chose to fight COVID-19 in court rather than bringing forward science-based policies to slow the spread.

“I will continue wearing my mask. I am asking everyone in Wisconsin to continue wearing your mask in public. While I am deeply disappointed by today's politically motivated decision by the Supreme Court, we can end this pandemic if we continue acting out of compassion and care for others. Wisconsin should be grateful for Governor Evers' commitment to public health and safety throughout this crisis. It is clear his actions saved countless lives.”

MADISON, WI – Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point) released the following statement Wednesday after the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked Governor Evers’ lifesaving pandemic measures.

“There are two things this pandemic has taught us, masks work and Republicans don’t. While Governor Evers has worked diligently to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities, Republicans refused to do their job and undermined the Governor’s efforts every step of the way as thousands of Wisconsinites lost their lives to this virus. This Republican backed lawsuit has shown that Republicans will go to any length in their vendetta against the Governor even if it comes at the cost of human life.

“We have been in this pandemic for over a year now, and while the vaccination efforts provide a light at the end of the tunnel, we cannot trip at the finish line. The Centers for Disease Control has even stated that it is critical to continue safety measures such as face coverings, social distancing and getting vaccinated as we work closer towards herd immunity. We are so close to beating this and we cannot jeopardize the progress we have worked so hard for. Mask up and get vaccinated, Wisconsin.”

MADISON - Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement Wednesday in response to the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling on Governor Evers’ public health emergency declarations related to COVID-19:

“I am deeply disappointed in today’s decision by conservatives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. They got it 100% backwards today. The majority’s decision pretends that a pandemic is unchanging and ignores the devastating human impact of COVID-19. And it ensures that Wisconsin’s response to future pandemics will be more complicated and take more time, which in turn will cost more lives.

“Politics should have no place in responding to a public health emergency. Yet today’s decision ensures politics will be front-and-center for all future public health emergencies in our state. I’m relieved and grateful that Wisconsin was protected by Governor Evers over the past year and that we are starting to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. But after today’s ruling, I fear Wisconsinites’ health and safety will be at even greater risk in the future.”

OSHKOSH - Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement in response to the news that more than 1 million Wisconsinites have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19:

“The news that one million Wisconsinites are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is remarkable. I applaud Governor Evers, state and local public health officials, Wisconsin’s vaccinators, and all of the community partners across the state who are working so hard to protect the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin.

“As we continue moving forward, I encourage every Wisconsinite who can get vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so as soon as they are eligible. All three COVID-19 vaccines were developed based on decades of research and went through rigorous safety testing, so we know they are safe and effective. By getting vaccinated, we can help protect the vulnerable members of our community and get back to our Wisconsin way of life.”

Action Friday will help lower the costs of prescription drugs and increase transparency and accountability for consumers, says Erpenbach.

WEST POINT, WI – Bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering drug costs and increasing transparency for consumers through Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) was signed into law by Governor Evers at a special ceremony at Bridge Community Clinic in Wausau, Wisconsin. As a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 3, Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point) released the following statement:

“I am relieved to see action being taken to help lower the costs of prescription drugs and increase transparency and accountability for consumers. This bill will allow pharmacists to tell patients that they can get their medicine for a lower price if they buy it without insurance.

“Our community was well represented through the development of this legislation and I want to thank Janet Fritsch from Hometown Pharmacy in Baraboo for her advocacy on this issue as well as former Rep. Deb Kolste for all of the work she put into this bill last session. I was proud to co-sponsor of this bill and thank Governor Evers for signing it into law. There is still plenty of work to do lower prescription drug costs but this is an important step in that direction.”

Assembly action Tuesday will politicize the COVID-19 pandemic, slow down Wisconsin’s recovery and perpetuate the lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

MADISON - Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Assembly took action to further politicize the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, slow down Wisconsin’s recovery and perpetuate the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Rather than helping Wisconsinites, Republicans voted to slow down our state’s response to the pandemic. Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement on today’s Assembly action:

“Today’s actions by Assembly Republicans are extremely disappointing. Instead of following public health advice to help us defeat COVID-19 more quickly, they chose to pander to unbacked claims and beliefs that are contrary to science. Instead of coming together to address urgent issues facing Wisconsinites during a global pandemic, they chose to prioritize political battles that nobody outside of the State Capitol cares about. Instead of working with election officials or providing the funding necessary to strengthen Wisconsin’s elections, they chose to perpetuate conspiracy theories that threaten our democracy.

“Despite Republicans’ pandering, partisanship and extremism, I remain committed to putting the people of Wisconsin first and focusing on the health, safety, and continued economic recovery of our great state. Wisconsinites are counting on every elected leader to address the important challenges before us in this pandemic. I urge my colleagues to set their political games aside and join us at the table so we can come up with solutions that move Wisconsin forward.”

Instead of honoring the achievements of Wisconsin’s Black community, legislative Republicans decided to honor a divisive radio show host.

Madison WI- On Wednesday March 16^th, the Black History Month Resolution was once again not placed on the session calendar, and was not passed through the Wisconsin State Legislature. However, a resolution honoring talk show host Rush Limbaugh was passed by the Republican Majority in both houses. On this, the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus released the following statement:

“As a caucus, we were asked by Assembly leadership to make concessions in order to even have the Black History Month resolution heard on the floor; these included allowing Assembly Republican leadership to add and remove names from the resolution and to not speak on the resolution; all of which are tools of depreciation and repression.”

“Instead of honoring the achievements of Wisconsin’s Black community, and recognizing the many Black leaders who have connections to our state, legislative Republicans decided to honor a divisive radio show host.”

“If controversy was an issue with the Black History Month resolution, it should have been brought to the floor for an up or down vote, as the Limbaugh resolution was.  Instead, the resolution was denied to even be heard by members of both houses. As a caucus, we have and always will stand on the principles of equity and fairness.  We demand and expect equal treatment as members of this body.”

“As Members of the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus, we are leaders in the Black community. We deserve to honor the members of our community who have broken down barriers and supported our community’s success. We are their voice in the legislative process.”

“The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus makes the following request of the legislature’s Republican leadership. One, schedule Assembly Joint Resolution 8, proclaiming that racism and racial inequity constitute a health crisis in Wisconsin, to be brought to the floor on the next session day in both houses. Two, schedule Assembly Joint Resolution 10, proclaiming February 2021 as Black History Month, to be brought to the floor on the next session day in both houses. Three, schedule Assembly Bill 126, creating the Council for Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Equity and Inclusion and making an appropriation, to be brought to the floor on the next session day in the Assembly and the Senate. These important pieces of legislation deserve a chance to be heard on the floor of both houses and receive and up or down vote.”

“The legislature should be leading by example on the issues of equity and inclusion. The legislature should set the bar for what is seen as right and just. By choosing to continue to block meaningful legislation from coming to the floor sends a crystal clear message that the Republican Leadership is not interested in making life better for all Wisconsinites.”

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are:

Chair- Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison),

Vice Chair- Representative Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee),

Treasurer- Representative Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee),

Secretary- Representative Samba Baldeh (D-Madison),

Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee)

Senator LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee),

Representative David Bowen (D-Milwaukee),

Representative LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee)

Johnson Continues To Make Waves… For All The Wrong Reasons

MADISON — Ron Johnson has spent the month of March spouting racist bile, delaying — and rejecting — COVID relief for families, promoting hydroxychloroquine (instead of vaccines), and getting compared to Joe McCarthy by not one, but two, fellow Republicans in The New York Times.

Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said: “Beer. Cheese. The Badgers, the Packers, and the Bucks. There’s so much to love about our state. But Ron Johnson keeps getting national attention for Wisconsin for all the wrong reasons. Ron Johnson is embarrassingly bad at his job, and he’s clearly determined to make sure everyone knows it.” 

Take a look at just a sampling of the coverage of Ron Johnson’s embarrassingly bad March:

NYT: Assaulting the Truth, Ron Johnson Helps Erode Confidence in Government, Trip Gabriel and Reid Epstein, 3/21/20

• Johnson has become the Republican Party’s foremost amplifier of conspiracy theories and disinformation now that Donald Trump himself is banned from social media and largely avoiding appearances on cable television. Mr. Johnson is an all-access purveyor of misinformation on serious issues such as the pandemic and the legitimacy of American democracy, as well as invoking the etymology of Greenland as a way to downplay the effects of climate change.

CNN: Analysis: Ron Johnson's latest comments are just straight-out racist, Chris Cillizza, 3/15/21

• Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is very good at one thing: Making comments that are, at best, ill-informed and at worst, racist and/or dangerous.

Rolling Stone: GOP Senator Proudly Voices Racism: If Trump’s Mob Were BLM Then I’d Be Concerned, Peter Wade, 3/13/21

• The senator continued to praise the insurrectionists, saying, “I knew those were people that love this country”

WISN: Sen. Ron Johnson says he will resist Democratic COVID-19 relief bill, 3/4/21

• As the U.S. Senate hammers out its version of the president's COVID-19 relief package, Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said he will force the senate to read the entire bill aloud.

NYT: Jimmy Fallon: Ron Johnson Could Replace Ted Cruz as Most Hated Senator, 3/5/21

• The “Tonight Show” host joked that the Wisconsin Republican could be more detested for at least the 10 hours that Senate clerks read the 628-page stimulus bill aloud, as Johnson demanded.

Wisconsin State Journal: Sen. Ron Johnson pledges to set up roadblocks for $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, Riley Vetterkind, 3/5/21

• Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who has described the massive stimulus package as unnecessary, forced a full reading of the more than 600-page document, which began Thursday afternoon and was expected to last into the early hours Friday.

Washington Post: Opinion: Ron Johnson’s vile new defense of Trump makes his defeat more urgent, By Greg Sargent, 3/22/21

• Sen. Ron Johnson may be the single greatest purveyor of Trumpian disinformation in the U.S. Senate. That being the case, defeating the Wisconsin Republican in 2022 is already a highly pressing matter. But Johnson just offered a new defense of the former president’s incitement of the Capitol riot that makes ousting him even more imperative.

Washington Post: Ron Johnson’s misleading citation of data to back his ‘concern’ about BLM protesters, Glenn Kessler, 3/19/21

• If the senator had studied the data more closely, perhaps he would have been more concerned about the crowd that gathered at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Johnson earns Three Pinocchios.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson says Capitol attackers 'love this country' but he would have felt unsafe if Black Lives Matter stormed building instead, Molly Beck, 3/12/21

• "What, white people love this country and Black people don’t? That’s exactly what he’s saying,” state Sen. LaTonya Johnson, a Democrat from Milwaukee who is Black, said.

AP: Critics call Sen. Ron Johnson's insurrection comments racist, AP Milwaukee, 3/13/21

• Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is being called racist for an interview in which the white Republican said he wasn’t worried about the predominantly white supporters of President Donald Trump during the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, but that he might have been if they had been Black Lives Matter protesters.

CNN: Ex-DC police chief says Ron Johnson is 'part of the problem' in nation's racial tensions, Shawna Mizelle, 3/18/21

• "Sen. Johnson is clearly part of the problem," Former DC Police Chief and CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey told CNN's Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow on "Newsroom." "Those comments were racist. Now if you ask him, he'll say, 'Oh, no racial overtones at all.' It's ridiculous. He is part of the problem, and he is not alone.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Johnson decided to solidify his embarrassingly bad March this weekend at CPEC, a conservative conference in Wisconsin, where he again doubled-down on his lies about the January 6th attack, throwing in a new falsehood for good measure, claiming “There was much more violence on the House side. There was no violence on the Senate side, in terms of the chamber."

CNN: Ron Johnson falsely claims there was 'no violence' on Senate side of US Capitol on January 6, Aaron Pellish, 3/20/21

• Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson falsely claimed there was no violence on the Senate side of the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, the latest in his continued attempts to downplay the severity of the attack.