Virtual listening sessions on the internet for members of the public will take place June 23 through July 15.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/coronavirus-outbreak-czech-republic-s5.jpgEverybody wearing a mask is a relatively easy action and a lot less economically disruptive than to shut society says CDC.

Wisconsin 19th Amendment Celebration Committee celebrates first nominee Frances Huntley-Cooper of Fitchburg.

MADISON — First Lady Kathy Evers today announced that the Committee to Celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Wisconsin's Ratification of the 19th Amendment will be highlighting “Women Who Inspire” from across Wisconsin in a new website feature leading up to the 100th anniversary of enactment of the 19th Amendment in August. 

“As we celebrate women’s vote, from enactment of the 19th Amendment to the Voting Rights Act to the 2020 Centennial and all the progress women have made in the last 100 years, we recognize there is work still to be done,” said First Lady Evers who chairs the Committee, “That's why the Committee chose to recognize women who are working today for social change and increasing parity for women and girls in Wisconsin.”

The first woman to be honored, former Fitchburg mayor Frances Huntley-Cooper, was the first and is still the only African American mayor to be elected in Wisconsin. Among many other accomplishments, she serves as chair for the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, is a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., chair of Madison College Board of Trustees and founding member of the NAACP of Dane County.  

Secretary-Designee of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Dawn Crim nominated Huntley-Cooper saying she is a “trailblazer for women seeking (and winning!) elected office…She also has a passion for social justice, and for inspiring and supporting achievement for African-American high school students.​ Frances is an inspirational leader and change-maker.”

Committee members were invited to nominate and interview women who inspire them to feature on the Committee website with the intent of inspiring a broad bipartisan audience and bringing more diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, age, geography, background, and identity to the women's rights conversation. All nominees that will be featured on the website were submitted by members of the Committee and will be featured on a rotating basis beginning with Frances Huntley-Cooper.

The website separately highlights notable Wisconsin social activists and trailblazers, such as Vel Phillips, Ada Deer, Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Belle Case LaFollette and others with links to outside resources.

The 19th Amendment Committee was formed by Executive Order 19​ on April 11, 2019 and is comprised of Wisconsin’s women in elected and appointed state office and other women leaders and experts.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/covid-19-hospital-icu-s5.jpgMoney is in addition to personal protective equipment, as well as COVID-19 test kits and other supplies sent directly to hospitals and health care partners across the state.

Taylor served five terms in the Assembly representing Madison, and has worked as an attorney and as the public policy director for Planned Parenthood.

U.S. added 2.5 million jobs in May report, largely due to 2.7 million workers returning from furloughs.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/verso-plant-wr-s5.jpgVerso Corporation Announces Indefinite Shuttering of Plant in Wisconsin Rapids, indicating most of the 915 Jobs to Be Eliminated.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/covid-19-test2-s5.jpgWebsite has up-to-date information on the spread of COVID-19 cases, where to get help with unemployment applications, find work, and get testing.

WISCONSIN - Despite the acute risk that coronavirus poses to seniors, President Trump has put them in harm’s way with his disastrous response and repeated attempts to repeal the ACA. After spending years gutting the health care system, Republican lawmakers are backing Trump’s efforts to put partisan games above human lives.

The Wisconsin Alliance of the Association of Retired Americans Gary Mitchell penned an op-ed standing up for the elderly Wisconsinites Trump has put in his crosshairs.

Read the full story here or below.

Wisconsin Examiner: Gary Mitchell: Wisconsin seniors face extraordinary risks amid pandemic

As the COVID19 pandemic rages in America, our senior citizens face extraordinary risks.  I know, because I’m one of them. As a lung transplant survivor requiring immunosuppressing drugs, I fall squarely into the highest risk categories.

To date, about 80% of coronavirus deaths in America have been seniors over the age of 65.  But in spite of that fact, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies continue to undermine access to healthcare through sabotage of the Affordable Care Act. And it’s our seniors with the most to lose. 

Trump and Republicans in Congress have spent years systematically sabotaging seniors’ healthcare. Between undermining Medicaid expansion, proposing steep Medicare budget cuts and prescription drug price increases, and the repeated and ongoing attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they have done nothing but cause older Americans to lose coverage and face higher costs for care. At a time when millions of insured people are facing the possibility of coronavirus infection and devastating healthcare bills, the need for critical healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid has never been more important.

Specifically, nearly 40 million people across the country have already lost their jobs, and an estimated 27 million have lost their employer-sponsored health coverage as a result of the crisis. Economists have estimated that up to 43 million people could lose their job-based coverage during the pandemic. Outrageously, Trump and the Republicans backing him have eroded America’s healthcare safety net, which will undoubtedly devastate families and hamper efforts to curb the spread of this deadly disease.

To make matters worse, seniors are at high risk of developing serious complications if they contract COVID19. Roughly half of people who had died from coronavirus in Wisconsin were 70 or older as of mid-May.  Despite the dire warnings from experts, Trump and Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin are prioritizing reopening the economy even if it means sacrificing the health and safety of our nation’s most vulnerable people.

The fact is that as older adults, we face unique risks as the country grapples with this healthcare crisis. We know from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the groups “at high-risk for severe illness from COVID19” are people 65 years old and older, and those who live in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.  Ahead of the pandemic, the Trump administration weakened the federal government’s oversight of nursing homes and rolled back critical protections for residents. Now, nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country have experienced a surge in outbreaks, with about one-third of deaths in America associated with these facilities. As of May 26, 41% of Wisconsin coronavirus deaths had occurred in long-term care facilities, and now more than 50 Wisconsin nursing homes are under investigation for coronavirus outbreaks.   

The novel coronavirus is also a threat to millions of seniors and older adults who live outside of institutions and may be exposed through work, family members or caregivers.  Roughly 47 million older adults in this country are aging in place.  More than seven million seniors are considered medically frail, 60% have at least two chronic conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, which are serious factors for developing complications from COVID-19.  And we know that nearly 32 million people ages 55-64 have pre-existing conditions. The current rush to reopen prematurely puts older workers at risk before their workplaces are safe again.

While the Trump Administration continues their war on seniors’ health care, Democrats in Congress are taking concrete action to lower costs and help them during this crisis, including passage of a bill to lower prescription drug prices by empowering Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug costs. They have also proposed strengthening the Affordable Care Act through a special enrollment period during the pandemic and to provide incentives to states which have yet to do so to expand Medicaid.  America’s seniors — and all who love them — desperately need President Trump and Republicans to end their assault on America’s health care.

Now.

The Guard concluded its missions in Green Bay and Racine on June 8, while additional troops remained on duty to support Madison into the evening of June 8.

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that the Wisconsin National Guard has concluded its mission to preserve public safety and protect the rights of protesters and the media as peaceful demonstrations occurred around Wisconsin following the murder of George Floyd.

In coordination with local leaders, nearly 1,500 troops mobilized over the last week in response to requests for Wisconsin National Guard assistance.

Approximately 125 troops originally mobilized to state active duty the evening of May 30 in Milwaukee when civil authorities in Milwaukee requested the Guard's assistance.

In partnership with Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Guard completed its mission in Milwaukee on June 8.

“This is a watershed moment for our nation, one that requires everyone being willing to come together. I am encouraged by the peaceful protesters who continue to make their voices heard and demand change, and I am grateful for the citizen soldiers of the Wisconsin National Guard whose important mission helped keep our communities safe,” said Gov. Evers.

“I am appreciative of the role the Wisconsin National Guard played in Milwaukee. We were grateful to have their assistance in protecting the rights of people to petition their government and assemble peacefully,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

“What we have seen in our community over the past several weeks is a call for radical, much needed change. I thank the organizers on the ground who remained peaceful while exercising their right to assemble and make their voices heard. I also recognize the citizen-soldiers of the Wisconsin National Guard for their cooperation in addressing the rapidly evolving events over the past week,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “As we move forward, Milwaukee County is determined to examine its own policies and practices to advance racial equity and justice. The time for action is now.”

Hundreds of additional troops mobilized as the Wisconsin National Guard received requests for assistance from civil authorities in Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine.

The Guard concluded its missions in Green Bay and Racine on June 8, while additional troops remained on duty to support Madison into the evening of June 8. The Guard's mission to support civil authorities in Kenosha concluded last week.

Serving the state, local communities, and Wisconsin's citizens during times of need is one of the National Guard's core missions. The Wisconsin National Guard responds at the request of, and in support of, civil authorities, and its troops serve in a support role as a resource that is available during times of emergency.

Approximately 10,000 Soldiers and Airmen make up the Wisconsin National Guard. More than 1,200 remain mobilized across Wisconsin supporting the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 500 are mobilized in places like Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa in support of the Guard's federal missions overseas as the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force.