Conservationists Praise Passage of Assembly Bill 226

MADISON – The Wisconsin State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 226 yesterday. The bill will make it easier for more households to replace wells contaminated with manure and human sewage or fix failing septic systems.

Executive Director Kerry Schumann issued this statement:

“This bill represents a step forward for Wisconsin residents suffering from manure-tainted drinking water. As taps run brown in some parts of the state and one-in-five private wells are poisoned with coliform bacteria, this crucial action will offer immediate relief to victims of Wisconsin’s drinking water crisis. We urge the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible. 

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters looks forward to tackling the manure management problems that made this bill necessary through upcoming administrative rules and future legislation. It is unconscionable that thousands of Wisconsinites are unable to drink their tap water. We urge decision makers to make reduction of manure pollution a high priority. We thank Rep. Joel Kitchens for introducing the bill and members of the Assembly who voted for its passage.”

Senate Republicans will release their health care bill today in Washington, and here's what you can do about it.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Republicans are poised to release the long awaited details of their health care bill later today and details leaked to the media last night. While many hoped the Senate would produce a more humane bill, in some ways it may be worse than the House version which even Donald Trump says is “mean.”

This explains why the bill has been developed in secret, and why Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to ram it through in one week with as little public debate as possible. The Republican leaders know that their goal of taking health care away from millions of Americans to fund huge new tax cut for the super rich cannot succeed if the public is fully informed.

Because of the incredible work of thousands of people like you across Wisconsin, Senator Ron Johnson now says he is on the fence. Today Johnson told The Hill newspaper: “I’ve told [McConnell], unless I have the input from my constituents, unless I have got the information I need to justify a yes vote, I won’t be voting yes.”

McConnell can only lose 2 votes, so a defection by Ron Johnson could be huge. But there is a good chance that McConnell will be able to twist Johnson’s arm and force him back in line unless we can keep the pressure on!

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/road-construction-worker-s5.jpgNew report from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute examines impacts to the salaries of construction workers in Wisconsin.

SCOTUS Decision to Postpone New State Election Maps is Disappointing News for Wisconsin Voters

MILWAUKEE, WIS. – The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Monday to stay the order by federal judges that required Wisconsin to redraw its unconstitutional voting maps by this November. The stay means that even if the people ultimately win the Gill v Whitford court case in the U.S. Supreme Court, it will be tougher to have fair maps in place by the 2018 election.

“Candidates need time to prepare and campaign within their districts. We hope this case will be decided quickly, otherwise we could be facing another unfair election in 2018,” responded Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action, which has been leading a statewide campaign for redistricting reform. “But we are not deterred. Our members are more committed than ever to fight for fair maps.”

In January, a federal trial panel ordered Wisconsin to redraw its election maps by November 2017 following the landmark decision last fall that Wisconsin’s legislative districts were an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. Attorney General Schimel appealed both the ruling and the order to redraw the maps. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide on the Gill v Whitford case within the year.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/wisc-dairy-farm-s5.jpgThis week Sen. Kathleen Vinehout writes about celebrating Wisconsin’s Dairyland as part of June Dairy Month. She shares some reminiscences about being a dairy farmer.

GREEN BAY - With the Supreme Court’s decision to take up Wisconsin’ redistricting case, the Court has the opportunity to correct a part of our electoral process that has opened the door to election rigging here in Wisconsin and across the country.

Wisconsin Republicans rigged the electoral map so profoundly that two federal courts have ruled it unconstitutional saying the Republican effort “intended to burden the representational rights of Democratic voters...by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats.

"Republicans can argue that rigging the maps is legal, but anyone who believes in a truly representative democracy knows it is not right," said Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) in a statement released today. "Voters have a right to expect fair and competitive elections. And the health of our system of government depends on it."

Our democracy works best when we have fair and competitive elections. Regardless of how the court decides this case. it is time to take partisan politics out of redistricting and adopt a non-partisan process that voters can be confident in.

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Legislative writer Jay Wadd contributed this story.