Progressive Thinking

Assembly Republicans have been meeting in secret on a plan to merge the state’s 2-year UW campus system and the Technical College system. Such an important plan should not be hatched behind closed doors.

MADISON - According to recent news outlet reports, Assembly Republicans have been meeting in secret on a plan to merge the state’s 2-year UW campus system and the Technical College system. The plan could have a huge impact on the students, faculty, staff and the local communities the campuses serve.

Two Democratic leaders in the State Senate’s Universities and Technical Colleges Committee don't think such an important plan should be hatched behind closed doors. And they are doing something about it.

In a letter to the committee's chair, Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls), State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and State Senator Janet Bewley (D-Delta) called today for a public hearing on the impact of the plan. In the letter they said it was “disturbing to learn that meetings on the proposed merger have been held out of the public eye. Such a significant change in our system of higher education is deserving of public input early on in the process rather than waiting until a deal has been struck behind closed doors.”

The senators are questioning why details of the plan, how it would work and how it would impact the campuses and the people and communities they serve have not been available to the public.

“The public hearing and committee process exists to provide people with not only an understanding of legislative undertakings but to make their voices heard during the legislative process," they say. "Certainly such a substantial and significant change to our system of higher education merits early and significant public input.”

Recently Republicans tried to slip major changes weakening the state’s open records laws and the board that oversees the Wisconsin Retirement into the state budget. It was only after the public became aware of those secret efforts that they were dropped from the budget. Hansen and Bewley believe given the complexity that would surround merging the two systems the public should be given a chance to weigh in before a plan is rushed through the legislature.

“We respectfully request that a public hearing be held as soon as possible so that the committee can hear firsthand from all stakeholders about the potential impacts of merging the UW 2-year Campus and Technical College systems," their letter continues.  "This hearing should include testimony from administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents and community leaders.”

Despite major changes made to the UW System including cutting $250 million from UW Campuses and making major changes to tenure and shared governance, to date the Universities and Technical Colleges Committee has held only one public hearing. The hearing was held on June 4th during which the committee heard testimony on five appointments and one senate bill.

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Legislative staffer Jay Wadd contributed to this article.

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about Gov. Scott Walker’s recently revealed health care plan, what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) does for all of us, and how the governor contradicts himself.

ALMA, WI - “ObamaCare must be repealed immediately,” begins Governor Walker’s health plan for America.

Recently the governor unveiled his health plan to eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He chose Minnesota as the backdrop - a state whose state-based marketplace offers health premiums to families that are over three hundred dollars less a month than Wisconsin’s federal marketplace according to research by the Commonwealth Fund.

In his new plan, the governor would give states the ability to create high-risk insurance pools – something Wisconsin had and Walker repealed in his 2013 budget. If we had kept this high-risk pool for a few more years, premiums in Wisconsin – for those who buy insurance on their own or as a small business – would have likely been lower.

Walker’s new plan would allow farmers and others to band together in health insurance cooperatives – something Wisconsin law and the Affordable Care Act already allow.

The governor says his plan would encourage flexibility in state insurance laws and “allow plans to be sold across state lines”. However, “selling plans across state lines” is really insurance industry code words for eliminating state regulation. You cannot both increase state regulations and get rid of them.

Walker’s team wrote, “My plan would give states increased flexibility. For example, it is likely many states would choose to extend rules allowing young people to stay on their parents’ plan. Some states, including Wisconsin, extended this option to young people before ObamaCare’s federal mandate.”

This statement is in direct conflict with his actions. When the governor signed his 2011 budget, he repealed the state law I authored to keep adult children on their parents plan until age 27.

The governor ended his proposal by calling out Democrats and then taking credit for the BadgerCare coverage expanded under Democrats.

The good news – for those of us enthusiastic about health care for all – is that health was the first major policy proposal put forth by the governor-want-to-be-president.

Governor Walker knows health is still a top political issue.

But repealing ObamaCare may not be the best political wagon upon which to hitch your presidential campaign. In a recent poll of 1,200 adults, Kaiser Family Foundation found people are about evenly split on attitudes toward the health law (44% favorable, 41% unfavorable) but are overwhelmingly concerned about prescription drugs. Respondents, including a large majority of Republicans, say drug costs are unreasonable (72%), drug companies put profits before people (74%). Respondents agree with requiring drug companies to release to the public how they set their prices (86%) and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices (83%).

Only 28% of the 1,200 adults responding to the August poll said they want the Affordable Care Act repealed.

People like covering their adult children on their insurance until age 26. They don’t want 19 million people to lose health insurance. Most people think women should not be charged higher premiums than men. People like the preventive services now covered by Medicare and don’t want to pay exorbitant drug costs when they fall into Medicare’s ‘doughnut hole’. And most people don’t think a friend diagnosed with cancer should lose his or her health insurance.

People want Congress and those at the statehouses to solve problems, not play politics. If I heard this once at the local fairs, I heard it a hundred times. When I wrote to constituents that the governor’s just-signed state budget included health provisions that would likely break federal law, I also heard back from folks saying they did not want the governor’s political ambitions to drive the state budget.

Over the next year, the state will apply for several “waivers” or special permission from the feds to change programs for those of modest means - BadgerCare and long-term care for frail elderly and disabled folks - FamilyCare and IRIS.

New drug testing requirements, dropping BadgerCare recipients after 48 months (for those without children at home) and giving disabled and frail elderly no other option than a for-profit HMO might make good political fodder but probably don’t jive with federal law.

Governor Walker makes a lot of health care promises, but we must question if his proposals put health insurance companies ahead of people’s health.

This week Sen. Vinehout writes about broadband access and the frustrations of people that live in rural areas that are not served or the service is very poor. This impacts not only people’s homes but also businesses. The way territories are carved out and companies have exclusive territories makes what one person describes as “little pockets of nowhere”.

LA CROSSE, WI - “It’s pedal to the metal on broadband policy—for both consumers and competitors,” said Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler at a recent address to the Brookings Institute as reported on a Brookings website.

Internet in rural Wisconsin is closer to Pony Express than “pedal to the metal.”

That’s the general consensus of folks at the Pierce County Fair.

“AT&T is the largest carrier in the world and they won’t come to my house,” Tammy Tollefson told me. AT&T provided phone service to her rural Pierce County residence but not broadband. “We are literally the last mile,” she said.

The family has tried everything: dial up, hot spots, “ISBN” a system that used two phone lines, “Nextera” wireless, satellite. Nothing provided the service Tammy needed for her job – working for a nonprofit based out of her home. “We use Sococo, a virtual office where you can go into someone’s office and have a private conversation or set up a meeting in a virtual conference room.”

Tammy is not alone. Many people in rural Wisconsin work from their homes. They deal with the frustrations of broadband – or lack thereof – every day. My next-door neighbor left rural Alma because he didn’t have Internet speeds to run his furniture design business. He ended up moving to South Africa.

When Tammy heard I was interested in finding a solution, she put together a map of Pierce County and asked fairgoers to mark their location on the map with sticky stars of different colors depending on their Internet satisfaction.

What we learned was striking. Folks in River Falls had excellent service. But right outside River Falls – in a rural stretch of land heading toward Hudson – folks had AT&T cables running near them but could not get broadband.

“I’ve got AT &T cables running through my front yard,” a father of young children told me, “but they won’t serve me. My Internet service is really bad.”

Whole areas in the county appeared to be completely unserved. For example, the entire area around Beldenville was filled with red and orange stars – signifying poor or no Internet service.

I spoke with two county board members who were working the booth next to me. One of them said, “It’s like electricity territories. The FCC set up where telephone companies originally put their lines and that company totally controls that territory.” These territories don’t follow any natural or political subdivision borders – different companies could serve people in the same township. I learned that seven different companies serve Pierce County. Tammy described this piecemeal system as creating “little pockets of nowhere.”

Why do phone companies that control a certain territory not provide Internet service to their customers? The county board members told me, “AT&T has no interest in expanding.”

Problems are so great that a year ago University of Wisconsin - River Falls teamed with local economic development folks to do a survey of Internet service. The survey results showed half of the respondents were unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their current Internet provider. Half of businesses surveyed did not have broadband service. The vast majority of these businesses were interested in obtaining fiber optic access. The UWRF team estimated about 13% of households and 16% of businesses responded to the survey.

I learned the town of Troy used stimulus money to lay fiber optic cable to every house in the Township. A recent FCC ruling may allow municipalities to cross the “walls” marking territory and build out into neighboring territory.

Broadband service isn’t the only modern convenience lacking in Wisconsin. Our fair booth Internet map was so popular, we ran out of material. Just calling Tammy to ask for more supplies was one “Can you hear me now?” after another as I moved around the fairgrounds in Ellsworth to get a cell phone signal.

The folks watching me laughed as I planted myself to deliver a few sentences. “Maybe you need a cell phone map too,” one of them said.

“God bless you for trying to solve this problem,” Tammy told me. “Of all the modern conveniences – we are so far behind other countries all over Europe, South America, even Korea of all places.”

Supposed plan is a thinly veiled excuse to go backwards and to legalize discrimination.

MILWAUKEE - In an issue paper posted late last night and to be formally announced today in a speech in Minnesota, Scott Walker offers up a “bait and switch” health care plan that will immediately force millions Americans off of their health care coverage without providing any viable alternative. Walker’s ceaseless efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) fly in the face of the public’s desire to move the discussion beyond repeal to actually improving health care, lowering costs, and saving lives.

Walker’s choice of Minnesota of all places to release his plan to go backwards on health reform is a major miscalculation. Citizen Action of Wisconsin research has shown that health insurance costs for individuals and small businesses are much lower in Minnesota than Wisconsin in part because state leaders there have been working to implement and improve the health care law. Wisconsin’s health premiums are higher in part because of Walker’s efforts to sabotage health reform.

Walker’s supposed plan is so rife with internal contradictions and fuzzy math that it will never become law. It is a campaign document not serious public policy. It repeals all funding for health care reform while promising large new subsidies with no identified source of revenue. If enacted, Walker’s plan would dramatically constrict the freedom of the American people to access affordable coverage and control their own medical decisions.

The low lights of Walker’s Health Plan include:

• Repeal of the federal guarantee that no American can be denied coverage or charged higher premiums by insurance companies because they have pre-existing medical conditions.

• Repeal of the federal requirement that insurance companies allow young adults to stay on their parents health policies.

• Gutting Medicaid health programs for moderate income Americans (like BadgerCare) by block granting federal funds without any indexing for inflation, and limiting required state matching contributions. This will likely result in millions of moderate income Americans losing their affordable health coverage.

• Repeal income-based tax subsidies which make health coverage affordable for low and middle income Americans. The plan promises new subsidies, but simultaneously repeals the funding. The plan shifts from a progressive and targeted approach to health care subsidies based on the ability to pay to an approach that would if enacted funnel millions of dollars to the wealthy who do not need help to afford coverage.

• Shifting to a flat age-based subsidy system which will dramatically raise premiums for many Americans who rely on the federal marketplace for their health coverage. For example, 60 year old in Milwaukee, making $20,000 per year, would lose $4,474 per year in tax credits designed to mitigate the cost of their healthcare. Other medical costs would also increase because Walker also repeals caps on out-of-pocket medical costs. See more examples of cost increases for individual health consumers HERE.

• Legalizing sale of substandard skimpy health plans which leave people vulnerable to bankruptcy and without needed care when they have a major illness.

• Dramatically increasing health insurance premiums by creating incentives for healthier and younger Americans not to buy insurance until they are already sick, making the insurance risk pool less healthy and more expensive.

“Walker’s supposed plan is not serious health policy. It is a campaign document which provides nothing more than window dressing for a massive roll-back of the freedom to access quality affordable health care,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “The American people are tired of the constant efforts to undermine health care reform. It’s time to recognize that the health care law is here to stay. Rather than going backwards, we need to work together to make the law better and lower costs.”

As Citizen Action of Wisconsin has extensively documented, Walker’s efforts to sabotage health care reform in Wisconsin has increased costs both to consumers and government, left tens of thousands of families needlessly without life saving coverage, and saddled consumers with dangerous substandard health insurance plans.

STATEWIDE - Today Citizen Action of Wisconsin announced strong support for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) outsourcing accountability bills authored by Senator Dave Hansen, Rep. Debra Kolste, and Rep. Andy Jorgensen.

The bills ban companies who receive public economic development money and then outsource jobs from state aid for a period of five years. The bills are AB 340 in the Assembly and SB 211 in the Senate.

The bills follow revelations by WKOW TV Madison that a multinational corporation receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in state economic development support has twice outsourced Wisconsin jobs to Mexico. WEDC has thus far failed to take any action against the company, and has yet to close loopholes that allow companies to both take public economic development dollars and outsource jobs that Citizen Action of Wisconsin identified last year.

Citizen Action has repeatedly called on Governor Walker and lawmakers to fix the loopholes that allow public economic development dollars to go to companies engaged in outsourcing jobs. Citizen Action also continues to call on the Legislature to disband WEDC and create a fully accountable public agency to head up the state’s vital job creation efforts.

“It is clear that the Walker Administration is continuing its destructive policy of doling out tax credits and other economic assistance to large corporations engaged in selling out Wisconsin workers,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “The best way to protect precious state economic development dollars, and make sure they are only available to companies creating more family supporting jobs here in Wisconsin, is a strict policy against giving public money to firms engaged in outsourcing.”

Research shows Wisconsin most gerrymandered state in the country and system for drawing legislative district lines is broken beyond repair. Gerrymandering districts thwart the will of the voters.

MADISON - Responding to recent research showing Wisconsin to be the most gerrymandered state in the nation, State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) called on the Legislature to pass his non-partisan redistricting bill to restore fairness in Wisconsin elections.

“Recently conducted research shows beyond a doubt that Wisconsin’s system for drawing legislative district lines is broken beyond repair,” said Hansen. “Regardless of which party is responsible gerrymandering districts to thwart the will of the voters is counter to fair elections and a cancer on our democracy.”

In 2011 the Republicans assumed total control of state government and set in motion a partisan redistricting process which was designed to protect their members in the State Assembly and Senate and preserve their majorities in both houses for years to come regardless of the overall popular statewide vote.

An example of the advantage Republicans gave themselves is reflected in the 2012 election results in which Democrats received 53.5% of the vote statewide but less than 40% of the seats in the State Assembly.

“Gerrymandering has existed for decades, but the kind that has occurred in Wisconsin under the republican majority is gerrymandering on steroids. It has corrupted our elections and state policy as the Governor and legislative Republicans have pursued an agenda that is far outside the mainstream with no fear of being held accountable at the ballot box.”

The study conducted by Professor Simon Jackman of Stanford University is being used to bolster nationwide challenges to partisan redistricting by both parties shows that Wisconsin’s districts are gerrymandered significantly more than states like Illinois and Texas, states that are commonly viewed has having long histories of corruption in both their elections and their governments. On the other side, Democrats in Rhode Island have gerrymandered their state’s legislative districts to freeze out the voices of Republican voters.

“In a democracy “one person-one vote” is supposed to matter. But here in Wisconsin there are thousands of voters whose voices have been frozen out of the ballot box and in turn their government because the elections have been rigged to the point their legislative votes don’t matter. It is time to begin the process of restoring people’s faith in their government and it starts with passing legislation to end partisan election rigging.”

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Link to redistricting study here.

This week Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about the WEDC and problems plaguing this entity. The Legislative Joint Audit Committee will be meeting to discuss the latest LAB audit findings which show WEDC still has work to do to improve.

MADISON - Imagine how private firms do business with the State of Wisconsin. The companies provide something of value for taxpayers and, in return, receive state money.

This happens all the time in state government: private companies build roads, computer systems, pay Medicaid bills, and even educate children.

What if the sole reason tax dollars went to a company was to create jobs?

Recognizing that taxpayers would want to know companies were actually creating jobs, lawmakers wrote state law requiring verification of information sent by businesses applying for tax dollars. Not really a whole lot different than making sure road builders actually poured the required amount of concrete on our roads.

But the public accountability is a lot less when it comes to job creation.

In 2011, Governor Walker established the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which administers 29 economic development programs funded almost entirely with state money.

WEDC’s name is misleading – it is not a corporation. It is a state ‘authority’ and is – or should be – accountable to taxpayers for dollars it spends. That’s why the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) has been auditing WEDC since its creation.

Findings from the LAB May 2015 audit revealed that WEDC awarded grants and loans to companies to create or retain jobs, but WEDC staff did not require those companies to submit payroll or other records showing that jobs were actually created or retained.

WEDC staff wrote off some loans not collected, deferred payments due and forgave loans. Program reports did not contain clear, accurate or complete information on outcomes. In some cases, the WEDC Board actually created policies in direct conflict with state law.

Evidence in several audits show WEDC broke state and federal laws. Illegal action in approving Community Development Block Grants led to fines that are still being paid by taxpayers.

During its first three and one half years, WEDC staff didn’t independently verify the job creation or retention information by annually reviewing a sample of grant and loan recipients, as required by state law. They allocated tax credits to projects that started before the company actually contracted with WEDC to start the project. WEDC staff did not consistently collect companies’ verified financial statements for recipients of certain grants and loans.

So, what is the answer to questions about job creation or if the 29 programs were successful? The answer is “We don’t know.” Early in WEDC’s existence, zero jobs were independently verified – which was in direct conflict with state law.

The May 2015 audit is the fourth in two years reporting similar findings.

If a program in any other part of state government failed to follow state laws and failed to deliver goods and services bought with state tax dollars, the public and the press would hound lawmakers until they shut down the program or made massive changes.

It is not so with WEDC. Only recently, after pressure from legislators did the Joint Legislative Audit Committee Co-Chairs schedule a public hearing on the May audit. During this public hearing, scheduled for September 2nd, I expect WEDC officials to try to discredit the stellar work of the nonpartisan LAB.

Two concepts are important to remember in reading any news account of the upcoming hearing. What does it mean to verify or make sure jobs were actually created? Is WEDC required to follow state law on when and how to award state tax dollars?

WEDC officials claim that asking a company to sign a “progress report” form is measure enough the company has created the jobs. They also argue laws were not broken even though auditors reported numerous instances when contracts were written or amended and even board policies were created in violation of state law.

In any other part of state government executives would be fired and programs eliminated with the type of negative results found in just one audit – not four audits in two years.

WEDC officials claim they created a ‘business friendly’ environment and placing too many restrictions on businesses receiving state money might discourage the business from applying for grants or tax credits in the first place.

But, if we can’t ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent, why do we have these programs?

August is a time for all of us to step back from politics and enjoy the world around us. So this week Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about the annual tradition of the county fairs and shares details about what she saw and heard at them.

ALMA, WI - “We were working on a peach pie at 11:00 pm last night,” a 4-H mom whispered. “We were working on brownies at 2:00 am,” said another mom who overhead the conversation.

We were outside the 4-H food judging at the Pepin County Fair. You could have heard a pin drop inside the room as the judges sampled the entries. “What a great job,” I thought. “Dessert judge at the county fair.”

County fairs have a deep tradition in our state. Thousands of families, FFA members, 4-Hers and other youth poured their time, energy, talent and creativity into projects exhibited at Wisconsin’s many county fairs.

“Did you see the chicken made of egg shells?” the superintendent of crafts and woodworking at the Trempealeau County Fair asked as I walked through the craft building. He led me over to the top prizewinners on special display.

Indeed, there was a chicken made of broken brown eggshells. Each flawlessly placed shell piece matched the shade and shape of the shells around it and covered the perfectly shaped chicken.

“How did she get the beak to fit together?” I wondered out loud. “It’s a Styrofoam mold underneath that she carved,” the superintendent explained. I very much admired her amazingly detailed work.

“Over here,” the superintendent showed me the woodworking and mechanical-type entries. Beautiful hardwood tables were finished to a shine. He showed me an incredibly large doghouse, complete with shingles and a gutter system that filled up the dog’s water bowl - ingenious.

“His dad helped him design and build the house,” the superintendent said. “How did he transport it?” I asked. “It’s got wheels. He just rolled it in.”

“Transport problems? You ought to see this.” He led me over to the mechanical toys. In the corner was a huge contraption. It is hard to describe the contraption except that it was over five feet tall and had what looked like lots of Ferris wheels connected to each other with all kinds of other mechanisms attached.

“It really works,” the superintendent told me. “The young man who built it had it running for the judge. But you should have seen the family get it here. Dad drove the truck with the trailer and the young man and grandpa held it steady in the trailer.”

I marveled at the complexity of this mechanistic wonder - gears, flags, wheels, and poles – very small, intricate mechanical parts.

Amazing work was also done by youth showing cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, rabbits, chickens, and llamas.

At the Eau Claire County Youth Fair, the beef judge complemented the 4th through 6th graders that bravely led market weight steers and full-grown cows.

“This youngster has been in the show ring all day,” said the judge. “She’s doing a marvelous job with that steer. He goes where she wants and he’s 12 times her size.”

Fairs are also a great way to catch up with your neighbors and extended family. All the relatives come out to see the youngsters show; and neighbors provide a friendly rivalry whether it is with the cattle or the corn.

I enjoy the fairs for so many reasons. One reason is the relaxed, friendly, rural environment of the fair helps folks more freely share what’s really on their mind.

“Just for the record,” the man at the Jackson County Fair told me “we shouldn’t finance that stadium for the Bucks. The money should have gone into the roads. The Jackson County roads are a mess.”

Indeed. Jackson County is turning some asphalt roads back into gravel. The growing sand mines are adding exponentially more wear and tear to the rural roads.

One man followed me from the Trempealeau County Fair to the Jackson County Fair and finally to the Buffalo County Fair before he caught up with me. “I waited an hour here to see you,” he told me. I was impressed.

Many folks had issues with some form of government they wanted help resolving. That’s good. Others just wanted someone like me to hear their opinions. That’s good too.

Miss me at the fair? I’m headed to Pierce County next. See you there!

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about the 50th birthday of Medicare and Medicaid. These health programs provide access for the elderly and people without the means to purchase health insurance. Medicare moved many elderly out of poverty and Medicaid is important not only to those covered but the health providers which serve them.

ALMA, WI - “Whatever you do,” the elderly woman in Gilmanton told me a few years ago, “Keep your government-run hands off my Medicare.”

Medicare and Medicaid turned 50 years old on July 30, 2015. After decades of political leaders grappling on the issue of health care, it was in 1965, that then President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law.

Today we take for granted what was a seminal political accomplishment. Medicare, a federally run program, provides health care for those over 65 through a Social Security payroll tax. Medicaid, a state and federally administered health program, provides aid for the poor. Both are government-run.

The Center for Medicaid Advocacy reported that before Medicare, less than 50% of elders had health insurance and 35% lived in poverty. By the 1970s, 96% of seniors were covered.

In our current era of health care controversy, we often forget the past political struggles. President Johnson sent “Medicare” bills to Congress in 1961 and 1962. Congress did not even give the bill a hearing until 1963.

Success in Medicare and Medicaid legislation was finally achieved through political compromise. Medicare “Part A” benefited hospitals. “Part B” benefited the oppositional Medical Society.

The concept of a ‘fiscal intermediary’ or the ‘moneyman in the middle’ that paid providers was a nod to hospitals and especially physicians who worried the legislation would open the door to ‘socialized medicine’, which they feared would drive down physicians’ salaries. To address this fear, Medicare paid physicians ‘usual’ and ‘customary’ fees; and what began as a creation of the hospitals and the doctors: Blue Cross (hospital insurance) and Blue Shield (physician coverage) pay providers of Medicare coverage.

While Medicare for all elderly – not just poor elderly – was a victory for Johnson, Medicaid – care of the poor – benefited those without the means for health care as well as doctors and hospitals.

Many hospitals have their genesis in care of the poor. Religious organizations served the poor through “hostels” during the Middle Ages. Wealthy individuals could afford private doctors and live-in nurses. Poor folks had no choice but charity.

In the mid-twentieth century, unions had raised wages and benefits. Health care became a standard benefit. However, left out were the elderly (who worked prior to the strength of unions) and the poor who worked in ‘day-labor’ without union representation.

Hospitals continued charity care but realized the benefits of a program that covered poorer folks. About the time of the first hearing on Johnson’s ‘Medicare’ bill, the Hospital Association dropped its opposition because they realized the potential benefits of Medicare and Medicaid.

The original compromise that created Medicare and Medicaid was never designed to control health costs or to cover preventive or maintenance of health care. Johnson’s compromise was designed to pass the legislation.

Over the years, health costs have grown and government has put in place a number of ‘cost savings’ measures. Blue Cross and Blue Shield eventually divested themselves of their founders: the hospitals and physicians. They even divested of their non-profit roots in Wisconsin and many other places. Medicare moved toward a plethora of for-profit insurance plans - with mixed results.

Within states, the mechanisms for administering Medicaid increasingly involved contracts with for-profit companies. In Wisconsin, these costs more than doubled in the last 5 years. The budget just passed provided a 20% cost increase for health administration contracts with private companies.

Medicare and Medicaid continue to struggle balancing costs and quality care. In Wisconsin Medicaid takes up 32% of the total (all funds) state budget and is growing faster than any other program. About 80% of the over $2 billion increase in state spending went to Medicaid.

Increases in costs and the number of elders caused some to speak of “phasing out” Medicare. Do we really want to go back to a world where 35 out of 100 seniors live in poverty?

Future generations will grapple with balancing health costs, high quality and access. There are answers. One of the unsung successes of the Affordable Care Act is the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Using science and best practices in health care can help manage costs and provide high quality coverage for generations to come.

Republicans who call the shots in Madison want to butcher the state’s open meetings law and turn our independent elections watchdog agency into a lapdog. It’s easy to focus on condemning the attacks, but let's think of ways to make open government laws sturdier and government more trustworthy.

MADISON - Those who call the shots in Wisconsin’s Capitol show themselves to be most comfortable working in the dark. They tried to butcher the state’s open meetings law, and only backed down when their action whipped up a public firestorm. They want to do away with the highly respected state audit office. They’re itching to turn a nationally acclaimed, politically independent elections and ethics watchdog agency into a lapdog.

They must have a lot to hide.

With open government laws under assault, it’s easy to focus entirely on condemning the attacks and seeking to prevent further harm. It’s harder, especially in times like these, to take the time to think up ways to make our open government laws sturdier and the business of governing more transparent and trustworthy. It’s not enough to bear witness to destruction or even to try to stand in the way of the demolition crews. Blueprints for new construction need to be drawn.

It’s only a start, but here are 11 ways to bathe the encroaching darkness in light:

1. Require all legislative proposals – every bill, every amendment, every budget provision – to have named sponsors. Whoever wants a proposal drafted and considered has to be publicly identified.

2. Strengthen the open records law by clarifying how promptly government agencies must respond to public records requests. Wisconsin’s law just requires them to do it “as soon as practicable and without delay.” In Illinois – Illinois, for crying out loud – officials are given five business days to either comply with or deny a request or put in writing a darn good reason for needing more time. Maybe five days is not enough time, but 352 is definitely too much. That’s how long one Wisconsin newspaper was made to wait.

3. Further strengthen the open records law by narrowing the exemption for draft proposals. Once the official developing the proposal shares it with colleagues or other officials, it should be a public record.

4. Strengthen the open records law even more by clarifying that electronic records – or “electromagnetic information” as it’s called in Wisconsin’s law – have to be treated just like paper records when it comes to storage and retrieval. Make it abundantly clear that sudden mass email deletions and other destruction of electronic public records are crimes.

5. Create an open data law requiring the government to publish data online in an open format, and require government responses to public records requests to be made available in an open data format. Harnessing the power of the Internet to drive transparency, efficiency and innovation is gaining momentum globally, and was written into law for the first time anywhere in the U.S. by a major American city in 2010. Wisconsin has dabbled in a few open data projects, but has no overarching open data law.

6. Sharpen Wisconsin’s open meetings law to address the reality that members of public bodies too frequently go into closed session simply because they believe they can speak more candidly that way. When enough members are present to constitute a quorum, the meeting should be open to the public, with very limited exceptions. And it should be made clear that the open meetings law applies fully to the legislature, even when members of just one party gather.

7. Instead of dismantling the independent Government Accountability Board, make the GAB stronger by giving it the staffing and funds needed to carry out its duties and deal with the work backlog identified by arecent audit. That audit pointed out that the GAB keeps being given more and more to do on top of its regular workload, including administering recall elections in 2011 and 2012, overseeing a statewide election recount, implementing redistricting legislation, and preparing for a photo identification requirement for voting. Yet the GAB’s funding has actually shrunk, decreasing 3% from $5.8 million in 2009-10 to $5.6 million in 2013-14.

8. End the home-court advantage for public officials who find themselves in trouble. This would fix one of the two major flaws in the 2007 law establishing the Government Accountability Board. That law allows any legislators and other state officials accused of wrongdoing to be criminally prosecuted in the county where they live. All other citizens are charged where the offense allegedly occurred. This double standard gives state officials – and no others accused of crimes – the ability to go court shopping and choose where they will be tried.

9. Make Government Accountability Board records related to complaints and investigations public, and require all actions by the Board regarding complaints and investigations to be done in open session. Currently, records pertaining to complaints filed with the GAB and investigations by the agency are confidential, and all Board actions dealing with these matters take place in closed session.  This change, along with repealing the law’s measure making it a crime punishable by up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine to publicly discuss or disclose any records about an investigation into ethics or campaign finance violations, would repair the second substantial flaw in the law creating the GAB and unmuzzle the watchdog.

10. Bring Wisconsin’s conflict of interest laws into the 21st Century. State law prohibits public officials from knowingly taking any action “substantially affecting a matter in which the official, a member of his or her immediate family, or an organization with which the official is associated has a substantial financial interest.” The law – written back in 1973, long before campaign contributions played the dominant role in elections they do today – is silent on whether political donations could create a conflict of interest for Wisconsin officials. Likewise, the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct allows judges to rule on cases involving their biggest campaign supporters. Both the judicial ethics code and the broader 1973 state law should be rewritten to disqualify officials from participating in decisions that could benefit individuals or groups that spend large sums to get them elected.

11. Follow Minnesota’s lead and ban gifts of travel and lodging to public officials from lobbying groups, even when passed through an organization that is not a registered lobbying group. Better yet, prevent the unregistered groups doing the passing of gifts from gaming the system by treating them as lobbying operations and requiring them to publicly disclose their activities and obey Wisconsin’s law prohibiting officials from accepting “anything of value if it could reasonably be expected to influence the state public official’s vote, official actions or judgment, or could reasonably be considered as a reward for any official action or inaction.”

Here you have 11 ideas for making governing more open and honest that should be under active consideration at the Capitol but currently are not. Surely others can come up with another 11. Or 111. There is much to be done to reverse Wisconsin’s descent into darkness.

Wisconsin's senior Senator Ron Johnson lectures a top-of-his-field nuclear physicist on the nonsense science fiction EMP "threat" at the Foreign Relations Committee. His antics should be of interest to those of us who are really tired of the backwater image he continues to paint on our state.

WASHINGTON - According to a blog by Max Fisher in VOX, our Senator Ron Johnson really distinguished himself with his "scientific" knowledge at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week.

Top administration officials were at Congress Thursday for a hearing before the Committee on the Iran nuclear deal, a subject that has always brought out the crazy in American politicians. No one expected this hearing to be anything other than a circus. The deal is politically contentious, and Republicans are trying to out-hawk one another for the coming presidential primaries.

At one point, a tweet from New York Times economics policy reporter Jonathan Weisman captured the scene nicely, "Now Sen. Ron Johnson is lecturing MIT physicist Ernest Moniz on electro-magnetic pulse weapons".

As we all know here in Wisconsin, Johnson is our current senior senator and a Republican. Ernest Moniz is the secretary of energy and one of the lead US negotiators on the Iran deal. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons are a nonsense science fiction "threat" and a longtime point of obsession among certain conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich and Ron Johnson.

According to Fisher, "Johnson's line of questioning, to a top-of-his-field nuclear physicist, is a little like asking Neil Armstrong if he thinks the moon landing might have been faked".

Moniz, as is the obligation of administration officials at congressional hearings, did his best to entertain the senator's message. According to a tweet by Laura Rozen, a Washington reporter, "Energy Secretary Moniz told Sen. Johnson he was not familiar with the EMP commission's findings. Johnson said he'd forward him some stuff".

According to Fisher, there were other clown show moments. GOP Sen. Jim Risch said anyone who supports the nuclear deal "really joins the ranks of the most naive people on the face of the earth." Risch added that Moniz and Secretary of State John Kerry had been "bamboozled" by Iran, but did not clarify whether they had also been run amok, led astray, or hoodwinked.

But Ron Johnson's antics should be of greatest interest to those of us in Wisconsin who are really tired of the backwater image he continues to paint on our state for the rest of the nation.

Fisher concludes "Sometimes congressional hearings can be productive. But almost always they will include a not-insignificant amount of circus time, particularly if it's on a politically loaded issue or if it's getting lots of TV coverage. This hearing is so far no exception."

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about the annual Art Fair in Stockholm Wisconsin, reflecting on how the art mirrors the natural environment as well as the political environment in our state.

STOCKHOLM, WI - “If you came to Stockholm today, you came up or over a river,” musician Julie Patchouli told the folks gathered at the 42nd Annual Art Fair. The musical group, known by Julie’s last name, began a rousing river song as part of the celebration of art in the village of Stockholm, Wisconsin.

Stockholm is a picturesque Mississippi River town of 66 individuals (not counting the dogs and cats) that swells by many hundreds on art fair day. Most of the art fair is in the scenic village park on the riverbank of Lake Pepin – the widest spot in the Mississippi.

Over 100-juried Midwest artists brought their pottery, paintings, photography, jewelry, glass, leather, metal, wood, and hand painted silk clothing.

Mary Peterson of rural Stockholm brought her hand-woven alpaca ornaments and wearables. She also brought one of her partners in this artistic venture – the alpaca “Mabel”.

I was struck by how much the art fair – the art, artists, and attendees, mirrored the environment. For example, the hues, tints, shades, and tones of nature were reflected in the art.

I saw the greens and greys of a misty August morning in pottery, the vivid pinks and lavender blue of the tall, blooming Delphinium’s stalks in photography, the rich gold and red of autumn leaves in acrylic paints.

Artists’ renditions of Wisconsin’s natural beauty leapt to life: the rushing streams along deep green woods, the crashing waves of Lake Superior, the huge, fluffy cumulus clouds over a rolling landscape, and the multi-colored rocks washed over by a stream.

Much of the art that reflected our environment was three-dimensional: glistening water droplets in earrings, the graceful swirls of wood grains accentuated by the carvers’ hand in wooden bowls, and all sorts of clay lumps turned to art suited for daily activities of eating and entertaining.

Around every corner I found a new interpretation of the essence of our great state.

What is more Wisconsin than cows and fishing? I found artistic versions of cows in paintings, pottery, and even leather. But nothing matched the popularity of fish! I found fish everywhere: in photography, paintings, woodcarvings, jewelry, metal sculpture, and even T-shirts.

Renditions of Wisconsin’s beauty were not limited to objects of art. The group Patchouli entertained the art fair goers with “Folk Meets Flamenco” music including the song “Amarantha” (named after the grain, I suppose) from their CD “Dragonfly”. The music made me feel like dragonflies were darting around me.

This also might have been because art fair-goers were decorated with millions of mayflies. These rather large, harmless insects looked like Mother Nature’s works of art. In its flying form, the insect has two sets of delicate lacewings tinted grey, olive, or blue, large eyes, short, bristle-like antennas, and two or three long sweeping tails.

Once mayflies enter their winged state, they cannot feed. Sometimes their existence in winged form lasts only a few hours; which means the mass emergence of the mayflies – which nature timed perfectly to coincide with the art fair – reminded us of how our time on this planet is short-lived.

People came with family and friends to enjoy the festivities. Throughout the day, people I met shared ideas and concerns. Topics ranged from local affairs – especially sand mines and railroads – to state and national politics. I heard concern about cuts to the UW and spending on the Bucks Arena. Folks worried about the meager $1,400 per student the Pepin School District will receive in state aid. Pepin is among the 55% of public schools that will receive less state aid under the new state budget. Citizens raised concerns about privatization of health programs like FamilyCare and IRIS.

One woman, Marge Lorayne of rural Maiden Rock, told me of her fight with the telephone company to keep her home phone. “I have to go up to the top of the bluff to get cell coverage,” she told me. I spoke with her about policy in the budget related to landlines and my new bill to protect rural residents.

I found art also reflected our environment of frustration with recent governmental action. Perhaps none better than Paul Meddaugh’s comic photography of Wisconsin’s Capitol encircled by an enormous, puffy, white ghost. The photo’s title: “Who you gonna call?”

LA CROSSE, WI - Wisconsin is struggling economically. While other states have invested in their communities and boosted family wages, So where do we go from here?

It’s simple. Stop cutting and start growing.

By working together to strengthen our schools, expand access to health care and invest in modern infrastructure, we can grow Wisconsin’s middle class and create thousands of good-paying jobs.

We are a diverse and hardworking state. In order to succeed, we need a team approach to leverage our shared assets and lift all communities equally.

Whether it’s an energy-saving upgrade to reduce utility bills at a local school, a broadband project to boost internet access in a rural community, the construction of a cultural center to encourage creative thinking and tourism or a highway expansion to improve safety and reduce traffic, communities across Wisconsin rely on one another to leverage our public resources and maximize private investments.

Like many in our state, I was skeptical when Governor Walker first proposed borrowing millions to help pay for a new arena facility in Milwaukee. I recognized the importance of this project and what it meant for our state, but I didn’t think it was the best deal for taxpayers or workers. I knew we could do better.

I wanted to see a more fiscally responsible plan that strengthened our state's bottom line and included stronger protections for all Wisconsin families.

By listening to local residents and working to find a more bipartisan solution, we have been able to leverage additional private investments, reduce the amount of state borrowing, increase the amount of state funding available for schools and create thousands of quality, family-supporting jobs for Wisconsin workers.

Keeping the Milwaukee Bucks in Wisconsin and encouraging more than $1 billion in private sector economic development will benefit everyone in Wisconsin. Best of all, the new plan doesn’t raise taxes and it ensures first and foremost that Wisconsin workers are protected. The state won't be on the hook for future maintenance or repair costs, and we can invest additional revenue into our schools and communities.

With these improvements to the governor’s original proposal, this investment is good deal for taxpayers, workers and families across Wisconsin.

But the same can be said for other state investments as well.

We all know it’s better to invest in quality schools and affordable higher education than additional prison cells. It’s better to help working families get regular health checkups and preventive care than pay for expensive emergency room visits. It’s better to keep our lakes and rivers free from arsenic and mercury than clean up industrial pollution later.

Across Wisconsin, I want to make sure that we are strengthening communities by responsibly leveraging our public resources to encourage private investments and expand economic opportunities.

Generating more revenue for our schools and creating thousands of family-supporting jobs with a new Milwaukee arena project is a good deal for working families that I am proud to support. I know it is a much better deal for families than the “cut and borrow” alternative and I hope that this spark of bipartisanship will renew our desire to come together and invest in other forward-looking priorities across our state.

MADISON - While the ink dries on the new state budget, one thing remains clear: the anti-education, anti-middle class Republican budget is not a budget for the people of Wisconsin. It throws the people of Wisconsin under Governor Walker’s campaign bus as he travels to Iowa, New Hampshire and other primary states to launch his presidential run. And incredibly, the Republican legislature took the governor’s historically harmful budget and made it even worse.

The Republican budget will remove up to $800 million from Wisconsin’s public schools and give it to unaccountable private voucher schools over the next decade as a favor to their private-school campaign contributors. The state Department of Public Instruction estimates that most Wisconsin public school districts will see state aid cuts in the coming year. Not only have Wisconsin Republicans refused to make our public schools whole, they are continuing to essentially dismantle our public schools through massive cuts and creating uncertain teacher standards so they can focus instead on paying back their private-school campaign contributors.

Our local schools aren’t the only ones taking a huge hit. Republicans are also making a $250 million cut to our world-class university system. At a time when other states across the country are investing in higher education, universities in Wisconsin are facing the largest cut to higher education of any state in the country. This cut will only harm our universities’ ability to serve as a vital economic engine for our state and prepare our workers for success in a 21st-Century economy.

To top it all off, despite promises to the contrary, Republicans are kicking a bigger can down a longer road on needed infrastructure while also gutting funding for transportation projects with Republican legislators making changes to the governor’s budget that will cost 5,500 good-paying jobs. And they are dismantling successful long-term care programs that provide independence and confidence for thousands of seniors, people with disabilities and others with fragile health conditions.

Wisconsin has traditionally been known for having great public schools, strong universities, bountiful natural resources and a nationally respected model for caring for our most vulnerable. Yet the Republican budget sells out these proud traditions, our kids and our families in order to pay back their special interest supporters and further Governor Walker’s presidential ambitions. There is no part of what makes Wisconsin great that goes unharmed with this budget.

My Democratic colleagues have heard from citizens from across the state who told us how damaging this Republican budget is to their livelihoods and their communities, so we offered more than 50 amendments that fit Wisconsin values. Unfortunately every Democratic amendment was rejected – nearly every one on a party-line vote – as Republicans passed up every opportunity to make this budget better.

You deserved better than this budget. But despite all that is wrong with it, Democrats are more determined than ever to stand up for the people of Wisconsin and propose ideas that are true to the values we have held dear for generations: quality public education, a world-class university system, economic development and quality infrastructure, and working to improve the livelihoods and quality of life of Wisconsin’s hardworking middle-class families.

Prosecutors were looking into whether Walker broke state law in his 2012 recall battle by urging major donors to circumnavigate crucial donation limits by giving to outside political action groups. Decision suspect as four majority justices also received $10 million in campaign money from those same groups.

MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-2 on Thursday to end a John Doe investigation into Governor Scott Walker’s coordination of dark money during his 2012 recall campaign.

Wisconsin prosecutors were looking into whether Walker broke state law in his 2012 recall battle by urging major donors to support his campaign by giving to outside groups to circumnavigate crucial donation limits he faced.

But Wisconsin’s Supreme Court ruled the investigation was “overly broad” and infringed on First Amendment rights of free speech. The court’s justices, who are elected every 10 years in statewide elections and are themselves dependent upon campaign donations from the same groups, split over the effect of a pair of recent federal rulings which opened the floodgates for money in federal campaigns.

Several watchdog groups, including many who have hounded Walker throughout his tenure, pointed out that the four justices who ruled in favor of Walker and the outside groups supporting him also received $10 million in campaign money themselves from those same groups.

“It is not only regrettable; it is downright dangerous,” said Matt Rothschild, the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. The decision itself is corrupt, Rothschild added, since it was contaminated by outside spending on behalf of the conservative justices by the very groups that were being investigated.

Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal One Wisconsin Now, said that the conflict of interest among the justices was part of a system “run amok”.

“If this exact scenario were occurring in another country, Scott Walker would be calling for boots on the ground to save democracy,” Ross said in a statement.

But the Governor seemed to know the fix was in from the beginning. “We said all along that the courts would ultimately rule on the side of the original circuit court judge,” Walker said Thursday, during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. “As folks in Wisconsin will tell you, I’ve gone through these battles so many times I don’t get up or too down, I’m pretty even keeled on all this.”

“The Wisconsin State Supreme Court has further embarrassed itself with this ruling,” Rothschild said. “And it is draining the public’s confidence in the integrity of our courts.”

MADISON - I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July!  Summer is in full swing and if you're like our family, you've been outside as much as possible, taking advantage of these warm, sunny days.

Budget Update

While many were out enjoying the 4th of July holiday week, we wrapped up budget deliberations in the Joint Finance Committee late in the evening on July 2nd.  Republicans jammed packed their last omnibus budget motion, referred to as a "999" motion, with bad policies, including getting rid of our living wage ordinance, expanding pay day lenders authority and giving tax breaks to cigarette distributors.  Overshadowing all of this was their efforts to gut our open records laws and draw a curtain around all legislative communications (see below for details).

Then, last week, the Assembly debated the full budget which was interrupted by a bomb threat that resulted in the Capitol being evacuated.  I actively debated this budget and was vocally opposed to it.  As you've heard me say before, this budget is a mess, full of more tax cuts for the most wealthy, retaliatory paybacks (goodbye to approximately 18 scientists at the DNR) and handouts to campaign donors - mainly at the expense of our public schools and higher education system.  The real loser in this budget is Wisconsin's children.  Millions of dollars will be siphoned from our public schools to subsidize private voucher and charter schools, which have never been shown to increase academic performance or graduation rates.

Assembly Democrats offered nearly 30 amendments to make this budget more manageable and reasonable.  From increasing funding for TAD (Treatment and Diversion) programs to eliminating the cuts to our UW System, to investing in public K-12 education and restoring Wisconsin's shoreland zoning regulations - Democrats offered commonsense solutions to some of this budget's greatest problems.

This budget does not help middle class families, it does not help our kids, it does not protect the things that Wisconsinites know and love.  I proudly voted against this budget late Wednesday night, as did 11 of my Republican colleagues (although all 11 made little effort to improve the budget or speak against it).  If you'd like to read my final statement on the 2015-17 state budget, click HERE.

Yesterday, after five months of review and deliberation by the Legislature, Governor Walker signed the 2015-17 state budget into law.  Although the new fiscal year began on July 1, due to Republican in-fighting behind closed doors and the Governor's continued absence from our state, this budget was not completed by the usual deadline of June 30.

Protecting Wisconsin's Open Records Laws

In the final "999" budget motion before the Joint Finance Committee, legislative Republicans attempted to scrap Wisconsin's open records laws and prevent legislators and staff from disclosing their drafting notes, letters and emails.  I was one of the first to loudly speak out against these corrupt policies that would draw a curtain around the Capitol and end open government as we know it.

Republicans faced enormous backlash and public outrage in this last-minute budget addition.  The day after it was inserted into the budget, Governor Walker came out opposed to the changes DESPITE the fact we know from other members of the JFC committee that his office was involved in drafting/approving the language.  How can we trust our elected officials when they are trying to hide and cover-up their actions?

To prevent future attempts to eliminate Wisconsin's open records law, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment that will include these open records protections in our state constitution.  Seems to me that if you're hiding something, that probably means you shouldn't be doing it.  If you don't want the public to know what you are up to, you have no business running for public office.

GOP Approves Irresponsible 20 Week Abortion Ban Legislation

Less than 12 hours after passing the disastrous state budget, Assembly Republicans were back at it, advancing Senate Bill 179, which bans safe, legal abortions after 20 weeks in nearly all circumstances.  The women impacted by this bill are women who have had wanted pregnancies go wrong, who are very sick, or whose babies are very sick.  This is one of the most harmful bills that has passed the Legislature since I was elected.  Despite strong opposition from the medical community including the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics - WI Chapter, Republicans voted in lock-step with the Governor and in-favor of this legislation which puts mothers and families at risk.

Politicians must stay out of our most personal and private decisions.  These are some of the most tragic circumstances imaginable and too often, families are not aware of these serious complications until a 20 week ultrasound is performed.  I strongly spoke out against this legislation during our debate, sharing my own story of pregnancy loss in an attempt to underscore how harmful it is to have politicians dictating and denying comprehensive and compassionate medical care.  Unfortunately, this horrible bill passed on party lines, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats voting against it.

ALEC

I will be traveling to San Diego next week to attend the annual ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) conference.  This will be my 5th ALEC conference.  It is important to attend because so many of the bad policies embraced by Republican elected officials start with ALEC.  The keynote speaker will be none other than Governor Scott Walker (I think I'll sit right in the front for that!)  To see previous articles I have written about ALEC, click HERE and HERE.

Moving Forward

Finally, I want to thank all of you you for the support you have provided me throughout this budget process.  Though I was honored to serve on the Joint Finance Committee, I am disappointed that the Republicans were not more open to our commonsense ideas to amend this harmful budget.  After taking a breather to recharge and taking my kids to swim at the Goodman Pool, we must all renew our commitment to continuing to advocate for policies that actually help the people of our state.  I am more committed than ever towards working for a day when progressive policies provide the foundation for our government and improve the lives of the people of this state.

I also want to thank you all for contacting me with your opinions about the state budget.  My office received over 11,000 letters, emails and phone calls throughout this budget season.  Though we are still catching up, I can honestly say that I have the most politically active constituents in the state and I am very proud of your engagement and your commitment.  Thank you!

As always, if you have questions or would like more information about these issues or any other legislative issue, please do not hesitate to contact my office via phone at 608-266-5342 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Have a great week!

LA CROSSE – Despite ongoing questions about potential corruption, criminal pay-to-play activity and another financially reckless $1.2 million taxpayer giveaway at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Gov. Walker is set to abandon his post as chairman of the troubled agency and focus on his presidential campaign.

While the rest of the nation is enjoying strong economic growth, family wages are declining in Wisconsin and the state ranks dead last in the Midwest for job creation.

With a record of ethics problems, a lagging economy and declining family wages, Gov. Walker has proven that his priorities are more in line with Washington D.C. special interests rather than hardworking Wisconsin residents. Over the last four years he has devastated our schools, cut middle class wages and sold out Wisconsin families to benefit the special interests behind his presidential campaign.

While Gov. Walker continues to campaign full-time for president on the taxpayers' dime, families here in Wisconsin are being left behind. We need a full-time governor who is going to put the needs of Wisconsin families first and work to restore education funding, invest in infrastructure and expand access to quality health care.

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about the governor’s vetoes which eliminated provisions of legislative oversight. The power of the people resides in their elected officials. When the oversight provisions are eliminated, the power of the people is weakened.

WAUKESHA, WI - “I object to the infringement on gubernatorial power and duties,” wrote Governor Walker in his veto message. By his budget vetoes he made it clear he did not want legislative oversight.

The governor removed at least 15 portions of state law passed by the legislature that provided legislative authority or provided oversight of the executive branch.

Remember your 4th grade civics class lessons about the delicate balance of powers between the three branches of government – the governor (and executive agencies,), the legislature, and the judiciary. The power of the people lies in the power of their elected officials. The peoples’ representatives are their most direct line of power. When legislative power is undermined, so is the power of the people.

The governor began the budget process by taking away powers given to the people and the legislature. For example, the citizen board members of the Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture lost all their policy-making powers in the governor’s budget. The legislature lost its oversight of state building projects in the governor’s changes to the Building Commission. The people lost budget restrictions in the governor’s gutting of the cost-benefit analysis requirements. These powers were all restored in action by the legislature.

However, through his vetoes, the governor again limited the power of the people through their legislature. For example, the legislature held onto funds the governor put in the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) budget. The very troubled jobs agency was to submit policy changes to the legislature. Presumably, those funds could be released funds if the budget writing committee members were satisfied progress was made. The governor took the funds set aside by the budget committee through his veto pen.

The budget writing committee made changes in the requirements for agencies writing budgets – requiring more information be sent to the legislature on budget options. Lawmakers also set executive restrictions on short-term debt. The use of this type of debt (known as ‘commercial paper’) has long been unrestricted by lawmakers and invisible to the public.

The governor vetoed both of these common sense budget oversight provisions.

The most challenging aspect of the budget for lawmakers has been getting our arms around health spending. Medicaid is the largest budget program and spending is growing faster than any other part of the budget.

A few years ago, a Legislative Audit Bureau report found that poor state accounting in the Medicaid program made it difficult for legislators to gain needed management information about spending and program administration.

Lawmakers on the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) made changes to require reporting and oversight of such gubernatorial initiatives as drug testing of health program recipients, and funds collected from ambulatory surgery centers. Lawmakers required the Department of Health Services (DHS) report on details of a federal waiver to change BadgerCare both before the waiver was sought and after the waiver was approved. The DHS was to also report on the fiscal impact of BadgerCare changes. Budget provisions required DHS officials to consult with advocacy organizations regarding mental health changes and report these changes to the legislature.

The governor vetoed this oversight set by the legislature.

The Governor made major changes to Family Care and IRIS programs for the disabled, frail elderly and developmentally disabled. The JFC modified these changes including creating five regional areas of service delivery and an open enrollment period that coincided with the open enrollment for Medicare. The governor vetoed these changes.

To eliminate oversight by the public, the governor and the legislative majority worked together to severely restrict Wisconsin’s open records law. Intense public pressure caused the full legislature to restore the open records laws that gives citizens critical transparency into the activities of the legislature in the lawmaking process.

The governor already has wide leeway for executive action. Taken together, his vetoes continue a pattern of closing off legislative oversight and, with that, public accountability. With the total budget growing to nearly $73 billion, oversight has never been more vital to a functioning democracy.

Wisconsin (or the rest of the country) does not need an imperial executive that does not want to answer to anyone.

New attacks on Wisconsin’s non-partisan government accountability organization are not intended to improve our state, they are only intended to improve Republicans’ political fortunes and shield Gov. Walker’s administration from scrutiny as he runs for president.

MADISON – After a failed attempt last week to gut Wisconsin’s open records law, legislative Republicans have now issued new calls to dismantle Wisconsin’s non-partisan government accountability organization, setting their sights on the watchdog agency in an effort to prevent investigations into potential ethics and criminal violations.

The move comes just a week after Republicans tried to dismantle the state’s open records laws and a day after Assembly Republicans refused to pledge not to degrade Wisconsin’s open records law in the future. Earlier this week Republicans voted down a Democratic budget amendment that would have taken major steps to ensure accountability and transparency at Governor Scott Walker’s scandal ridden Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

The timing of the Republicans’ attack on open government comes as Gov. Scott Walker is reportedly planning to formally announce he is running for president on Monday.

In recent years, open records requests have helped shed light on everything from potential corruption at Governor Walker’s jobs agency to criminal activity that led to the convictions of six of the governor’s former aides as county executive, as well as the revelation that major mining company donors essentially re-wrote large sections of Wisconsin’s environmental laws.

Speaking in response to these latest attacks, Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) said:

“Republicans were unsuccessful in their sneak attack on Wisconsin’s open records laws, so naturally their next target is the government watchdog agency that enforces these laws. Other than the possibility that the State Capitol has been overrun by vampires, I don’t know why there is this sudden rush to do business in the dark without any public oversight or transparency."

Concerned Assembly leaders were also critical of the Republican effort to turn Wisconsin's nonpartisan government watchdog into a partisan lapdog.

“The Republicans are doubling down on their assault on clean, open and transparent government," Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) said today.

“This brazen attack on government oversight is especially troubling since it comes at a time when citizens and journalists are uncovering potential corruption at Gov. Walker’s economic development agency," Barca said.

“Like so much of their agenda, these proposals are not intended to improve our state – they are only intended to improve Republicans’ political fortunes and shield Gov. Walker’s administration from scrutiny as he runs for president,” he concluded.

###

Assembly reporter Laura Smith contributed to this article.

MADISON - This update is provided to keep citizens informed about important decisions happening at the State Capitol and to help you stay updated on how elected officials are voting on key issues in Madison.

Senate Extraordinary Session – July 7
The State Senate met in extraordinary session on July 7 to take up the 2015-17 state budget (Senate Bill 21). A full list of session activities, budget amendments and votes can be found here.

K-12 school funding (Senate Amendment 4 to SB 21)
Summary: The Department of Public Instruction estimates that more than half of all Wisconsin school districts will see a reduction in state aid next year as a result of cuts to school funding. Democrats proposed investing an additional $270 million in categorical school aid to restore the local public school cuts and ensure that all children receive a quality education.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 4 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

Voucher school accountability (Senate Amendment 5 to SB 21)
Summary: Despite promises to increase voucher school accountability before further expanding the program and increasing the risk of fraud and abuse, no action was taken in the Joint Finance Committee to strengthen standards. In an effort to strengthen student and taxpayer protections, Democrats introduced this amendment to eliminate the expansion of private voucher school subsidies, increase education standards and strengthen public accountability.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 5 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

University of Wisconsin System funding (Senate Amendment 6 to SB 21)
Summary: This amendment would restore the $250 million cut to UW System schools, 2-year campuses and Extension programs.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 6 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

BadgerCare expansion (Senate Amendment 12 to SB 21)
Summary: This amendment would expand access to affordable health care and lower state taxpayer costs by accepting available federal funds to strengthen BadgerCare. The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau concluded that Wisconsin would save $360 million in the 2015-17 budget if federal health care funds were accepted.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 12 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

Preserve long-term care, IRIS and Family Care (Senate Amendment 13 to SB 21)
Summary: The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee made a number of sweeping changes to Wisconsin’s long-term care programs which will eliminate the popular IRIS self-directing care program and jeopardize access to critical services. Additionally, new requirements for an individual assessment prior to receiving personal care services will result in a reduction of $19 million in services available to people with disabilities.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 13 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

Special education funding (Senate Amendment 14 to SB 21)
Summary: The end of the 2015-17 budget will mark the eighth consecutive year that special education funding has remained flat. Costs associated with educating students with disabilities have increased over time, resulting in an overall decrease in the average reimbursement rate the state provides to school districts. In 1980, the special education funding rate was 66.1% of total costs. By the end of the 2014-15 school year, the rate fell to just 26.8%. This budget amendment would have increased the reimbursement rate to 33% of schools’ special education cost.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 14 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

Funding for state parks, science and educator positions, recycling grants and Stewardship (Senate Amendment 17 to SB 21)
Summary: This amendment would restore funding to numerous programs that were cut in the budget including state parks, DNR educators and scientist positions, recycling grants and bioenergy research initiatives. Additionally, it would maintain current bonding authority for Stewardship land conservation efforts and provide additional funding for urban forestry grants.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 17 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

Higher Ed, Lower Debt student loan relief (Senate Amendment 20 to SB 21)
Summary: With over 800,000 Wisconsin residents impacted by student loan debt, Democrats have advocated for additional relief from high interest rates and burdensome debt payments. The Higher Ed, Lower Debt amendment would allow individuals to refinance student debt at lower interest rates similar to options currently available for home mortgages and car loans.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 20 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

WEDC accountability and prohibition on outsourcing Wisconsin jobs (Senate Amendment 22 to SB 21)
Summary: After years of troubling audits and revelations of potential criminal violations at Gov. Walker’s flagship jobs agency, government watchdog groups have called for greater accountability and public transparency. This amendment would prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to outsource Wisconsin jobs, require employees at the WEDC to report instances of fraud to law enforcement, and subject agency officials to state laws governing misconduct in public office.
How they voted: Senate Amendment 22 was rejected by the majority party on a 19-14 party line vote.
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) opposed the amendment.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) supported the amendment.

Final passage of the 2015-17 Wisconsin State Budget (SB 21)
How they voted: Passage of the 2015-17 state budget was approved by the Senate on a 18-15 vote
Sen. Lasee (R-Marathon), Sen. Olson (R-Ripon), Sen. Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), Sen. Roth (R-Appleton) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) supported passage of the budget.
Sen. Hansen (D-Green Bay) and Sen. Cowles (R-Green Bay) opposed passage of the budget.

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This State Capitol Update is provided by Senator Jennifer Shilling, the Minority Leader in the Wisconsin State Senate. For additional information on legislative or committee action, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 608-266-5490.