MADISON - This week, Rep. Greta Neubauer (D - Racine) talks about the needless $6.8 million GOP advertising campaign to attract out-of-state millennials to jobs here for the Wisconsin Assembly Democrats.

Audio File of Radio Address

Hello, this is State Representative Greta Neubauer with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

Last week, republicans pushed a bill through the legislature that would allocate $6.8 million for an advertising campaign to attract millennials to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Republicans understand millennials are leaving Wisconsin, but they don’t have any idea how to keep us.

The Wisconsin GOP is out of touch and outdated.

As a newly elected official, and a millennial, I understand what we need to do to make Wisconsin a more desirable place to live, work, and play.

Young people want to live where the environment is clean, the schools are good, healthcare is affordable and accessible, and the transportation systems are strong. We want meaningful work that supports our families and builds our communities.

That starts with making clean air and water a priority and ensuring our natural resources and tradition of sporting heritage continue to thrive for future generations.

It continues with investing our resources in public education at all levels, so the schools our children go to are just as strong as the schools we attended.

It means rebuilding our infrastructure so whether you are biking, driving, or busing, you can get from point A to point B safely.

Millennials want a Wisconsin where they can raise a family, attend a world class university, and know that regardless of who you are or where you are from, you are welcome in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Democrats understand the real solution to our problems isn’t $6.8 million advertising campaign, it is upholding the progressive values that move Wisconsin forward.

Thank you.

We discuss AG's shameful election year call for arming teachers in Wisconsin schools in an effort to fire up gun advocates, and more...

STATEWIDE - We review this week’s Spring Primary Election results and looking forward to April 3rd General Election. Robert reviews the latest Gov. Walker healthcare scheme which vainly attempts to cover one of his greatest political vulnerabilities.

We dive into Attorney General Brad Schimel’s shameful election year call for arming teachers in Wisconsin schools in an effort to fire up gun advocates. Finally we review explosive new research from the ACLU documenting that that hundreds of thousands of Milwaukee Police stops violate basic constitutional rights because they are not based on reasonable cause, and disproportionately subject people of color to stigmatizing and traumatic police encounters.

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #332
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Citizen Action Press Clips

Assembly action this week will make it substantially easier to replace wetlands with paved surfaces all across Wisconsin, and may cause enormous damage in future storms.

MADISON, WI – Senator Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) offered the weekly Democratic radio address today.

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here:

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hello, this is State Senator Janet Bewley

“As I’m recording this, 12 Wisconsin counties are under flood warnings. In the middle of February.

“It’s been 16 months since deadly floods caused enormous damage across Northwestern Wisconsin. We spent months detouring around washed out roads as crews did heroic work helping our communities recover and start rebuilding. It will be years before we’re back to where we started.

“That’s why I was so disappointed to see my republican colleagues vote for a bill yesterday that is almost guaranteed to make things worse. Assembly Bill 547 will make it substantially easier to replace wetlands with paved surfaces all across Wisconsin. We saw what that did in Houston, why would we want to replicate it here in Wisconsin? Wetlands not only provide critical protections for our water by filtering out pollution, they also protect against flooding.

“I understand the need to update laws to make sure that we aren’t needlessly thwarting economic opportunity, but we shouldn’t go too far. We need to ensure that any changes we make to wetland protection don’t result in increased flooding. It’s not just a question of having to spend more time with our shop-vacs in our basements, it’s a question of where are we going to find the resources to rebuild whole communities that have been devastated by flooding.”

MADISON - This week Rep. David Bowen (D - Milwaukee) presents the Democratic Weekly Radio Address on Black History Month, a time to honor African American leaders and important historical events.

Audio File of Radio Address

Hello, this is State Representative David Bowen with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

February is Black History Month.  This is the time of year many host commemorative events to honor African American leaders and important historical events.

But Black History is about so much more.

It is about the real, shared experiences of African Americans from all walks of life.

A time when we remember those who fought for the right to vote.

Those who marched for access to public services without Jim Crow laws.

Those who died fighting for the recognition that all people are created equal.

It is about those experiences strengthening this state and strengthening this nation, because Black History is American history.

Most of all, it is remembering where we have been, so we can remember and recognize how far we still have to go.

Black History Month, just like every month, is a time of action.

That action can be working on economic equity, criminal justice reform, advocating for fair housing practices, and demanding quality education for our children.

For me, it means tirelessly working to ensure our community has a seat at the table and a voice in our state government.

Like the great black public servants who came before me, Lloyd Barbee, Vel Phillips, and so many others, I will continue to fight for the community I was born and raised in.

I will continue to work making Wisconsin a better place for all of us.

Thank you.

Walker’s plan for a one-time child tax credit and sales tax holiday is an election-year gimmick says legislator.

MADISON – On Wednesday, Assembly Bill (AB) 944, Governor Walker’s plan for a one-time child tax credit and sales tax holiday, was recommended for adoption on a party-line vote by the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. State Representative Melissa Sargent (D-Madison), ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, released the following statement about the vote:

“The chickens are coming home to roost for Wisconsin Republicans. Seven years’ worth of their failed policies have finally caught up with them, so their last-ditch effort is to buy votes at $100 apiece. Well, I have news for Governor Walker and Republicans in the Legislature: you can’t buy our votes.

Governor Walker might not be handing these checks out at polling locations in November, but Wisconsinites are smart enough to read between the lines. This is a one-time sales tax holiday and a one-time $100-check to be delivered right before an election—if that doesn’t scream ‘election-year gimmick,’ I don’t know what does.”

We discuss State Supreme Court candidate Tim Burns' progressive values and his fight for average people against the big corporate interests, the latest mass school shooting in Florida, and more...

STATEWIDE - We welcome Tim Burns, Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s endorsed candidate for State Supreme Court (primary next Tuesday, February 20) to discuss his novel willingness to run on his progressive values and fight for average people against the big corporate interests that are rigging the system.

We also talk about the latest mass school shooting in Florida and the GOP’s serial appeasement of gun extremists. We also are joined by Citizen Action Western Wisconsin Organizing Cooperative member Sarah Godlewski who educates us about the referendum to abolish the State Treasurer, a move that would further reduce fiscal accountability in Wisconsin government.

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #331
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Built in 1963, the current State Office Building on 6th Street in Milwaukee is old and needs to be replaced, but maybe we should combine it with some County functions to save time and money.

MILWAUKEE – Last week, Governor Scott Walker announced his plans to sell state offices in Milwaukee to a private developer and build a new state building in the Milwaukee area. The current state office, located at 819 North 6th Street in downtown Milwaukee, was built in in 1963 and houses multiple state offices and the Governor’s office. State Representative David Bowen (D-10) attended the announcement and released the following statement:

“While the Milwaukee State office is aging and needs to be replaced, I’d like to take Walker’s plan for a new facility a step further. In order to ensure that even more taxpayer dollars are saved, I call on Milwaukee County to submit a proposal within the RFP 30 day time period to replace our current state building with one that houses both the state and county offices together in order to save taxpayers more money. The County Safety Building serves important functions and has long been in the category of severely needed replacement.”

“Before my time in the legislature, I served on the county board and am aware of the challenges of budget constraints and Capital improvement challenges at the county level. Placing the county and state in the same new & energy efficient building will help alleviate some of those constraints savings millions that can be invested in other needs.”

Walker’s plan to give Kimberly-Clark a Foxconn-style public subsidy, we preview our Democratic Governor candidate forum in Eau Claire, and more...

STATEWIDE - We discuss Gov. Walker’s plan to lure Kimberly-Clark a Foxconn-style public subsidy.

We then dig into what elected Democrats from the region and the some of the Democrat governor candidates are saying and proposing as alternatives. We preview our Democratic Governor candidate forum in Eau Claire this Saturday at 9:30 am that will kick off Citizen Action's endorsement process.

We also talk about the new data showing unexpectedly high enrollment in Obamacare. What are the implications for the GOP's sabotage and repeal crusade.

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #330
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Press Clips

Walker plans to spend $7 Million on recruiting out of state for Foxconn workers while we are losing jobs from major employers like Kimberly Clark say Dems.

MADISON - “Taxpayers are being taxed twice for Gov. Walker’s election year stunt,” said Martha Laning, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “If we don’t have the workers to fill Foxconn jobs, why is Walker gambling away $4.5 billion taxpayer money to bring Foxconn here when we are losing jobs in our communities from major employers like Kimberly Clark?

“This only serves Scott Walker, who is scrambling to paper over seven years of neglecting our state,” added Laning. “Wisconsinites need a leader who will work every year of their term to make our state a place people want to live, work and grow their business.”

MADISON, WI – Senator LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) offered the weekly Democratic radio address today.

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here.

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hello.

“I’m State Senator LaTonya Johnson.

“There is always reason to celebrate black excellence, but this black history month, I would like to take some extra time to honor the greatness of my fellow African Americans.

“In 1906, Lucien Palmer became the first African American elected into the Wisconsin Legislature. Years later, in 1978, Vel Phillips made history by becoming the first woman, and first African American to be elected secretary of state in Wisconsin. Representative Palmer and Judge Phillips’ dedication to improving Wisconsin inspires me to do the same. But Representative Palmer and Judge Phillips are only two amongst millions of African Americans enacting change and fighting against the inequities we face.

“Today, I encourage each and every one of you to join me in working to improve outcomes for our African American friends and neighbors, because in doing so we will improve the nation. As Wisconsin has some of the worst African American disparities in the country, we have a long way to go and a lot that must be accomplished. This month we will celebrate black history, but we must also look ahead to the future knowing that, standing side-by-side with one another, we can create the community that Lucien Palmer, Vel Phillips, and many others worked so tirelessly to achieve.

Thank you.”