Bill would restore fairness and competition to legislative elections.

MADISON - State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) announced today that he is seeking sponsors for legislation to create a non-partisan redistricting process. Seeking sponsors marks the next step toward introduction of the bill.

Hansen has been a long-time advocate of redistricting reform that would take the responsibility out of the hands of legislators and political parties and place it with the non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau.

“Allowing politicians to draw district boundaries makes it too easy for the majority party to gerrymander the maps to their long-term advantage,” said Hansen. “And when parties engage in that behavior it is the voters and the people who are hurt because they are no longer able to check extreme behavior by the majority party.”

In 2011 Republican leaders and staff worked in secret outside the Capitol to draw district lines designed to lock in their legislative majorities for ten years or more. As a result, in the 2012 election Republicans took over 61% of the seats in the State Assembly despite winning less than 49% of the vote.

“Gerrymandering as we are seeing it practiced is a form of cheating,” said Hansen. “Neither political party should be able to lock in their power by creating an unfair advantage in drawing district lines.”

A federal court ruled the Republican maps are unconstitutional and confirmed that they were drawn by the Republicans in 2011 to help them lock in their control of the State Senate and Assembly.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/voter-primaries-s5.jpgLeague of Women Voters of Wisconsin reports that the new laws caused confusion for voters and election officials alike in some polling sites, and were misapplied by election officials and prevented eligible citizens from voting in others.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/wisc-capitol-dome-s5.jpgVeteran Senator Kathleen Vinehout writes about what it is like to be a newly elected legislator. Newly elected individuals sworn in as members of the Wisconsin State Senate and State Assembly face a daunting task preparing to make all the critical decisions that are required.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/road-repair-wi-milw-s5.jpgTime and again the Governor has put his own political ambition over the needs of Wisconsinites, while Gottlieb has worked in trying to solve Wisconsin’s billion dollar transportation budget deficit.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/gb-listening-crowd-s5.jpgThis week Senator Kathleen Vinehout writes about the many constituents who have offered solutions to Wisconsin’s troubles in 2016, while also encouraging folks to send new ideas for 2017.

Changes could be coming to SeniorCare that could be harmful to those people the program was created to serve. Governor Walker has tried in past budgets to eliminate the program.

MADISON - On Thursday, State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) echoed Senator Tim Carpenter’s concerns with the future of SeniorCare, a popular state program that helps over 90,000 Wisconsin residents 65 and older afford needed medication.

In a meeting with the new Secretary of Health Services, Senator Hansen said he was left with the impression that changes could be coming to SeniorCare that could be harmful to those people the program was created to serve.

“Given the past efforts by the Governor to eliminate it and my recent conversation with the Secretary, I am concerned what changes might be ahead for SeniorCare and for the people who rely on it to afford their needed medications,” said Hansen, who voted to create the program in 2001.

Hansen said he is also concerned that other programs aimed at helping seniors might face an uncertain future as well with a new administration in Washington that appears to support privatizing Medicare and Social Security.

“People voted for change in November and change is going to happen. Given the Governor’s past actions and current conversations in Washington, my concern is that we don’t lose valuable programs like SeniorCare and Medicare in the process.”