Progressive Thinking

Senator Smith celebrates Pride Month recounting the events leading from the Stonewall uprising, and Wisconsin’s leadership as the first state to pass a non-discrimination law, to the continued struggle for equality today for our LGBTQ+ community.

EAU CLAIRE - Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Over the course of my life, I can look back and see how true that statement is. History shows us the very tangible progress we have made, even in recent years, but it’s important to remember that we didn’t come this far by chance alone.

During Pride Month, this June and beyond, we are reminded of the importance of standing together to support and uplift our LGBTQ+ community. This month is a time to honor the progress we’ve made, acknowledge the challenges that remain and commit ourselves to the ongoing fight for equality and inclusivity. For Wisconsin, Pride Month is not just a celebration, it’s a time to remember our shared values of diversity, acceptance and human dignity, especially in the face of the challenges we saw during the last legislative session.

When police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village the night of June 28, 1969 and began hauling patrons out to paddy wagons, it sparked an uprising. Police were caught off-guard; they had not met so much resistance in the past. But these citizens who were only able to be open about who they were in places like the Stonewall Inn had enough. Protests and violent clashes lasted for 6 days. It was this tipping point that sparked a groundswell of activism in the gay rights movement across the nation and the world.

Wisconsin has its own proud history of LGBTQ+ activism. Eight years before Stonewall in 1961, a group of men was bent on harassing patrons of the Black Nite Bar in Milwaukee. They were met with resistance and successfully kicked out of the bar. This incident has since been dubbed the “Black Nite Brawl” and “Milwaukee’s Stonewall.”

While Stonewall has been celebrated since 1969 as a turning point, there is still so much more to do. It is often said that it is our differences that make us a great nation. Accepting that we are all individuals, with our own individual backgrounds and desires, we can embrace that variety and build a vibrant and welcoming society.

Wisconsin has been a leader in LGBTQ+ rights since 1982, when we became the first state to pass a law prohibiting employment or housing discrimination based on sexual orientation (although it’s important to note that Wisconsin still does not have a law preventing discrimination based on sexual identity). It would be nine years before any other state would pass such protections.  This groundbreaking legislation was a beacon of hope and a model for other states to follow. Yet, despite these strides, the LGBTQ+ community continues to face significant obstacles. From healthcare disparities to discrimination in various aspects of daily life like housing and employment.

One of the most pressing issues facing our LGBTQ+ community is the fight for comprehensive non-discrimination protections. There is still a need for robust legal safeguards that protect individuals based on gender identity and expression. Every Wisconsinite, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves to live free from discrimination. It is our responsibility as policymakers to ensure that these protections are enshrined in our laws.

Healthcare access is another critical area where we must focus our efforts. Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ individuals often face barriers to accessing quality healthcare, leading to disparities in physical and mental health outcomes. Transgender individuals, in particular, experience high rates of discrimination and inadequate care. By promoting inclusive healthcare policies and supporting providers who offer affirming care, we can help bridge these gaps and ensure that everyone in our community receives the care they deserve.

This Pride Month, I encourage everyone to join in the celebrations. Attend local Pride events, support LGBTQ+ businesses and engage in conversations about the importance of equality and inclusion. Let’s use this month as an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made and recommit ourselves to the work that still needs to be done, especially in the upcoming legislative session in January.

Senator Smith represents District 31 in the Wisconsin State Senate. The 31st Senate District includes all of Buffalo, Pepin and Trempealeau counties and portions of Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson and St. Croix counties.

Sen. Smith and Rep. Emerson highlight the bi-partisan achievement last legislative session of funding a new Science and Health Sciences building for the UW-Eau Claire campus.

EAU CLAIRE, WI - Breaking ground for the new Science and Health Sciences building on the UW-Eau Claire campus is a big deal. It’s been a long haul, but we’re finally there. Planning for a new state-of-the-art facility has been in the works for at least a decade, and now it’s becoming a reality.

The need has been evident to anyone who walks through the current Phillips Science Building. Built over 60 years ago, it has far outlived its usefulness.

When it was built, the Phillips Science building met all the expectations of the times. So many students started their journey there, and it ultimately led them to great careers and discoveries. But current science applications have outgrown what the current building can support. Of course, that’s not to mention the maintenance needs of a 60 year old building.

As with any worthwhile endeavor, getting to this point in time has not been easy. UWEC officials have worked hard to convince many others that investing approximately $340 million into a science building in Eau Claire would be a smart investment.

Local officials needed to be on board, the UW System Board of Regents needed to support the idea and, finally, legislators and the governor had to agree to make its construction a spending priority. A lot of politicking goes into such a big project and all for good reason. If it makes it through such a vetting process and convinced that many people, it was worthy of approval. And this one sure is.

The funding approvals in 2019 and 2023 happened in the biennial state budgets. Early in both the 2019 and 2023 budget processes, we requested the Governor to include the science building project in his budgets. Thankfully, Governor Evers also recognized the importance and included the project in his budgets.

The hardest part was getting the project approved by the Republican-controlled legislature and Joint Finance Committee. There were hiccups along the way. For instance when Republicans blocked approval of the project on the building commission, but it eventually got done, despite political nonsense.

In the last four-years, Republicans and Democrats haven’t agreed on much, but we all agreed that the UWEC Science and Health Sciences building needed to get done. As rare as that is, both sides came together for this big investment in the Chippewa Valley for the course of 5 years.

The most unique and exciting aspect of this process was Mayo Clinic Health System’s $14 million investment in the project. This is the largest private donation to a UW-System academic building outside of Madison or Milwaukee in our state’s history.

Once completed the UWEC Science and Health Sciences building will be the largest in the Universities of Wisconsin. With Mayo as a partner, we expect big things to happen on Eau Claire’s campus.

The new Science and Health Sciences building will enable UWEC to build on their nationally recognized reputation for producing top-notch chemists and researchers. In the past decade, research experiences at UWEC have resulted in over 130 students appearing as co-authors on articles published in peer-reviewed journals, and a similar number presenting their research results at national scientific meetings. These high-impact outcomes help to explain why UWEC ranks in the 97^th percentile among its peer institutions as the baccalaureate origin of students who go on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Growing off past success demonstrates how well earned this project is. Our entire state will benefit from the research and the draw of talent that the new Science and Health Sciences building will attract to our community.

We haven’t even mentioned the immediate economic benefits to the Chippewa Valley with such an immense construction project. The professionals that will be employed throughout the construction phase is just a sweet bonus.

This is what can happen when we come to an agreement and choose to work together. Everyone benefits and not one person can take the credit. We look forward to more opportunities like this. After all, we all do better when we all do better.

Senator Smith represents District 31 in the Wisconsin State Senate. The 31st Senate District includes all of Buffalo, Pepin and Trempealeau counties and portions of Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson and St. Croix counties.

Representative Jodi Emerson represents District 91 including eastern Eau Clare and rural areas to the east.

Senator Smith celebrates June Dairy Month by inviting readers to plan a trip to one of the many County Dairy Breakfast events happening across Wisconsin, all in the month of June.

EAU CLAIRE, WI - June is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. The weather is absolutely beautiful, school is out and people are generally in a great mood during my Stop N’ Talk events. But most of all, I love spending time meeting people and getting to know the farmers who host our County Dairy Breakfast events.

For over 50 years, dairy breakfast events have been an iconic staple of our great Wisconsin summers. They are a great time to visit a family-owned farm, eat some amazing, locally grown food and make some memories with your family. It’s also a great time to celebrate all that our dairy industry does for each of us in the state.

Wisconsin has celebrated June Dairy Month with dairy breakfasts in nearly every county. Each year a different farm will host a dairy breakfast in their county, making it even more fun and interesting. Anyone can attend, and they do by the thousands. You’ll find hundreds of people in line for delicious pancakes, waffles, milk, cheese curds and ice cream served by the host family and volunteers from the area.

While our state is a national leader in cranberry and potato production, dairy is still king in Wisconsin. Despite the loss of many farms in our state, we’ve still held on to the title of America’s Dairyland – and for good reason.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)*, we have 1.28 million cows and almost 5,500 dairy farms in Wisconsin, which is more than any other state. Dairy alone accounts for $45.6 billion to our economy in Wisconsin. If these numbers didn’t convince you, the fact that Packer fans wear foam cheesehead hats to games is evidence enough that we take our title of America’s Dairyland very seriously.

Year after year, Wisconsin cheesemakers prove their products are incomparable. From Colby to aged Sharp Cheddar; from Gouda to Asiago; from string cheese to cheese curds, we’re spoiled here with the best tasting cheeses in the world. With over 1,200 licensed cheesemakers producing over 600 types of cheeses, we have almost twice as many cheese choices than any other state. Our cheesemakers produce 25% of the cheese consumed in America, which amounted to 3.51 billion pounds in 2023, including a whopping 942 million pounds of specialty cheeses.

Dairy breakfasts are more than just about the food, though. It’s about learning where our milk comes from. As visitors meander around the grounds, they’re able to take hay rides, examine the latest equipment and even watch demonstrations. Of course, the animals are often the main attraction for young kids.

Dairy breakfasts have proven to be extremely successful over the years. Host families put in a lot of work to make it a memorable experience for every visitor. Show your appreciation for our farmers and members of Wisconsin’s agricultural industry by visiting a dairy breakfast this June. Find your nearest dairy breakfast at WisconsinDairy.org and bring the family out this month to enjoy some live music, farm activities and the best breakfast you could ask for.

So, what are you waiting for? Go to www.wisconsindairy.org and plan on attending one (or all) of these Dairy Breakfast events in our area:

·         Chippewa County Dairy Breakfast: June 5 @ Riverview Park

·         Pepin County Town and Country Dairy Breakfast: June 8 @ Koller Farm

·         Eau Claire County Dairy Breakfast: June 15 @ Bischoff Farms

·         Pierce County Dairy Breakfast: June 15 @ Randy and Lori Larson’s Farm

·         Buffalo County Dairy Breakfast: June 22 @ Mar-Bec Dairy

·         Trempealeau County Dairy Breakfast: June 22 @ Bert-Mar Farms

·         Dunn County Dairy Breakfast: June 29 @ Gilbertson Farms

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Senator Smith represents District 31 in the Wisconsin State Senate. The 31st Senate District includes all of Buffalo, Pepin and Trempealeau counties and portions of Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson and St. Croix counties.

Sen. Smith sets the record straight on misinformation floating around about why Republicans on Joint Finance continue to stall the release of $15 million in already-approved money to address the health care crisis facing the Chippewa Valley.

EAU CLAIRE, WI - Social media can be a useful tool. We can easily share pictures and stories with friends and family. It can be used for business applications from marketing to educating the public. And there is no doubt that we can search for answers to problems and questions we may have.

But social media can also be a tool to deceive or confuse followers. By now most of us know to be leery of what we see on Facebook, Instagram and other media. It can be bothersome, but it is always best to question what someone may claim in a post, especially if it seems too good to be true or too horrible to believe.

That’s why I do what I can to provide background that readers can search for themselves so they know where I get my information from and I didn’t just make it up.

The shocking hospital closures we have seen here in western Wisconsin seemed to open the door of opportunity to false information and rumors. Not unusual when we are desperate for answers; especially when your health is at stake.

I’ve seen and heard comments regarding the actions taken in the Capitol on the hospital closures that are simply ludicrous and harmful. When we should be joined together in solving this problem, it has become another opportunity for some to make it political.

I don’t want to accuse my own colleagues on the other side of the aisle of purposely spreading falsities. I’d rather believe that it’s ignorance or a simple misunderstanding.

There were two bills introduced by Republicans – Senate Bill 1014 (SB 1014) which restricted funding for the closure crisis. Senate Bill 1015 (SB 1015) transferred $15 million to the Joint Finance Committee to release to area health care providers. The Governor vetoed SB 1014 so we won’t be restricted for responding to the crisis. He also partially vetoed SB 1015 and signed the $15 million into law. The funding is currently awaiting release from the Joint Finance Committee. Republicans control the Joint Finance Committee with 12 members while Democrats have 4.

I’ve heard outrageous claims that the Joint Finance Committee cannot release funding because of the Governor’s vetoes. That’s flat-out false. The Joint Finance Committee has released money countless times after Governors partially veto bills. The $15 million was passed into law.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has already requested the funds and the Joint Finance Committee is refusing to act. Instead, they offer excuses and try to blame the Governor.

Instead of restricting the funds for only emergency room construction, the Governor’s veto allows area health care providers to use the funding for all of the following:

a. Increase Emergency Department Capacity/Service

b. Expand Urgent Care Services

c. Expand Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

d. Expand Inpatient OB/GYN Services

e. Expand Mental Health and/or Substance Use Services

f. Expand or Establish Hospital-Owned and Operated Ambulance Service

Republicans know they are wrong and they don’t want to hear the truth. Instead of releasing the money from the Joint Finance Committee like they’ve always done, they manufactured their excuse and are doubling down on restricting the money for this crisis. All of this after Gov. Evers called for them to meet twice to no avail.

They know they are wrong and it couldn’t be more evident than how they acted on the Senate floor last week. When I attempted to speak on their misguided attempt to override the Governor’s veto, I was ignored and Republicans immediately voted despite numerous objections. This is yet another example of Republican refusing to acknowledge the truth.

Now, Republicans have chosen to ignore the desperation felt over the closures, and they've chosen to weaponize this for their campaigns. As Senator Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said last week, this is, “the last gasp of a gerrymandered majority.”

We will need to wait until after the election for the legislature to do the right thing. New, more competitive maps will produce a legislature that will listen. In the meantime, Republicans are leaving the rest of us in the Chippewa Valley to fend for ourselves.

Senator Smith represents District 31 in the Wisconsin State Senate. The 31st Senate District includes all of Buffalo, Pepin and Trempealeau counties and portions of Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson and St. Croix counties.

Senator Smith asks everyone to thank our dedicated teachers by sharing his personal experience and discussing the importance of our educators.

MADISON - Last week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. Summer is approaching as students and teachers look for a successful close to the school year. Now is the time to thank our teachers before everyone moves on to new summer adventures.

Wisconsin’s K-12 schools are the cornerstone of our communities. Our teachers are tasked with building up our kids so they can reach their full potential. It’s our responsibility to ensure teachers have the support to help all Wisconsin students.

Long before I served in the senate, my wife chose a career as a teacher. When our first child was born she let me know that I’d be responsible for volunteering in our daughter’s classroom when she reached school age. I understood the importance of our teachers as a former student, but little did I realize what an important job my wife and other teachers had day-in and day-out.

I volunteered as much as the school would allow. Gaining an understanding of the needs of our schools, kids and teachers, I helped organize as an active participant for the passage of an important referendum in the late 1990s.

It didn’t stop there. I created a parent advisory committee that’s still involved with the Eau Claire School District. My activism in education morphed into engagement in the Wisconsin Parent Teacher Association Board, the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools and an appointment to the Governor’s Task Force for Educational Excellence.

Years spent learning about how Wisconsin’s public schools prepare kids for the future has given me the perspective and appreciation for our teachers. As former students, each of us can see how teachers make a difference for our kids in the classroom and beyond. Our society as a whole depends on talented teachers rooted in our communities and serving families.

Challenges for teachers and our schools continue, especially when it comes to the recruitment and retention of quality teachers and staff. Finding teachers is hard, but keeping them is even harder. Housing, inflation and worker shortages are making a difficult job impossible for school administrators who are trying to piece together a crew of top-notch teachers.

I’ve seen the work and commitment my wife had outside of the classroom. Long hours preparing, bringing the challenges of individual students home with her and continually pushing students to be their best selves is the kind of work teachers don’t get paid for. It takes special people to go beyond. Acknowledging these difficulties deserves attention and appreciation for those who do it for our kids.

The conversation about how we fund our schools has fallen by the wayside as we’ve invested more into education, but we need to keep discussing the inequities that exist in our school funding formula. Some teachers get more and some teachers get less – it all depends on how much property value is within a school district. It should depend on how difficult it is to educate the students. It’s wrong to pump money into a broken system, especially into a failed voucher school program. We can’t lose focus of our constitutional requirement to fund our schools equitably.

Another significant challenge schools are facing is the cost of special education. Students with special needs often require extra attention and resources to ensure their success and make sure no student falls behind because of a disability. Working around and through these challenges to help students learn is as varied as each individual student. More focused and tailored education is required to get each cohort of students ready for the world as adults.

Special education is costly and schools are trying to absorb the costs. Teachers are the ones faced with the challenges, and they are the ones who lose when special education costs ratchet up each year. It’s unfair and we need to figure out solutions to help. It takes a village of dedicated people to confront these problems and keep our schools strong.

Our teachers deserve our respect and they need our help. If there’s one thing you can do before summer, it’s acknowledging the challenges facing our educators and thanking them for their dedication to their honorable profession.

Senator Smith represents District 31 in the Wisconsin State Senate. The 31st Senate District includes all of Buffalo, Pepin and Trempealeau counties and portions of Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson and St. Croix counties.