MADISON, WI – Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point) offered the Democratic weekly radio address this week on the continued momentum to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin.

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

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hi, I’m state Senator Jon Erpenbach with this week’s radio address.

“Earlier this week, I joined Governor Tony Evers to announce that Representative Daniel Riemer and I will be giving Republicans yet another chance to do the fiscally right thing, and join the 37 other states who have expanded Medicaid.

“The Medicaid expansion would make health care affordable for everyone. It will give 40,000 uninsured Wisconsinites health insurance. It will reduce the cost of premiums on the individual market, save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and would keep about $2 billion of our federal taxes right here in Wisconsin instead of sending them to Illinois or New Jersey. These are proven facts, substantiated by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Commissioner of Insurance, and Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

“70% of Wisconsinites agree that we should expand Medicaid. During budget hearings, both Democrats and Republicans listened to stories of real people whose lives have been changed because of Medicaid. After a town hall meeting, the Hamman family from Stevens Point reached out to tell their story.

“Their family was facing out-of-pocket medical bills of about $20,000, when their twins, who were born prematurely, needed extensive medical care. Because of their health complications, the twins did qualify for Medicaid. But, if it weren’t for Medicaid, they could have lost their home, even though the Hamman family had health insurance and full time jobs.

“Plain and simple, Medicaid is health care, it’s not welfare. It is time for the Republican majority to do the right thing – and the responsible thing – and just say yes to expanding Medicaid. Expanding the Medicaid program in Wisconsin will bring billions of new federal investment into our state to cover more Wisconsinites for less money.”

MADISON, WI – Senator Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) offered the Democratic weekly radio address this week after Republicans on the Joint Finance  Committee refused to take up an agency request for critical funding for farmers and farm families in Wisconsin.

https://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/milw-valley-powerplant-s5.jpgWisconsin is a great place to live, work and raise a family because of the unique cities that make up our state. Building relationships between our rural and urban communities makes us stronger.

MADISON - I was sad when I heard the news that Justice John Paul Stevens had died.

I was sad for personal reasons, since Justice Stevens and my father practiced law together in Chicago for many years and were very close.

And I was sad for political reasons, since Justice Stevens, when he was on the Court and afterwards, used his calm and logical and brilliant voice to advocate for a pro-democracy jurisprudence.

Nowhere was this more obvious than in his scorching dissent in the Citizens United case, and I excerpted some of his most powerful passages here:

Justice Stevens’s Dissent in Citizens United Lives On!

He warned that corporate special interests would have a field day, and so they have, here in Wisconsin, as we pointed out the record spending by corporations and PACs last season:

PAC, Corporate Contributions Hit Record $27M

And we also posted something this week on the record amount spent in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year:

2019 Supreme Court Race Cost Record $8.2 Million+

This week, we also weighed in on the issue of the veto power of Wisconsin’s governor, which we have consistently viewed as overbroad:

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign on Gov’s Veto Power

And on Tuesday, there was a jam-packed press conference in the State Capitol in favor of legislation to ban gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Here’s what I said at that press conference:

A Democracy with Fair Play (or watch here)

Those companion bills, by the way, are SB288 and AB303. Please contact your legislators to support those bills, and please contact the chairs of the relevant committees to demand they hold public hearings on them.

The chairs of the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection are Senator Stroebel (Chair) and Senator Kapenga (Vice-Chair).

The chairs of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections are Representative Tusler (Chair) and Representative Sanfelippo (Vice-Chair).

You can reach state legislators at 1-800-362-9472 or 266-9960 in Madison.

Thanks for your activism on this issue!

MADISON - Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) talks about bill she and Senator Dave Hansen rolled out this month that would create a non-partisan redistricting process in Wisconsin.

Audio File of Radio Address

Hello, I am State Representative Robyn Vining with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

Senator Dave Hansen and I rolled out a bill this month that would create a non-partisan redistricting process in Wisconsin.

Every 10 years, new lines are drawn for legislative districts. The bill we authored would take that power away from politicians, and place the responsibility with a non-partisan service agency called the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Our democracy has been threatened by partisan gerrymandering. Rigged maps allow politicians to ignore the will of the people, because their legislative seats are safe. Gerrymandering also distorts election results.

Last November, all five statewide elections in Wisconsin were won by Democrats. Assembly Democrats received 200,000 more votes than Assembly Republicans statewide. And yet, in the State Assembly, the divide stands at 63 Republicans and 36 Democrats.

Wisconsinites have a constitutional right to be fairly represented by their elected officials, regardless of their political affiliation. They have a right for their voices to be heard. But right now, legislators are ignoring the will of the people – because they don’t have to listen.

The public overwhelmingly supports Medicaid expansion – 70% in fact – but their legislators are not listening.

Legislators are ignoring this directive from their constituents because there is no electoral consequence for failing to act. Gerrymandered maps are protecting the seats of representatives who do not represent the interests of the people.

It is beyond time we take the important step of creating a non-partisan redistricting process in Wisconsin.

Our state motto is “Forward”. Let’s bring back fairness, because the people deserve it. If we do not move forward with fairness, we have not moved forward at all.

Thank you.

Senator Jon Erpenbach talks about the U.S. women’s soccer team and the importance of paying women fairly.

MADISON, WI – Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point) offered the Democratic weekly radio address.

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

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hi, I’m state Senator Jon Erpenbach with this week’s radio address.

“When the U.S. women’s soccer team won their fourth World Cup, fans erupted into the chant exclaiming “equal pay,” and that chant followed them back home, inspiring men, women, and children alike. Undoubtedly it is way past time that we recognize that it shouldn’t matter what your profession is- everyone deserves to be compensated for their hard work fairly, but more importantly, free from discrimination based on gender.

“Wisconsin once honored this sentiment by passing the Equal Pay Enforcement Act law in 2009, but the legislation was later repealed by Republicans in 2012. On average, including here in Wisconsin, women earn around 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, and that gap is larger for women of color. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, since women make up nearly half of our workforce and are huge contributors to our economy.

“By not paying women fairly, we are only hurting our state’s ability to grow. In order for our communities to thrive, we need to ensure that everyone has the best opportunity to succeed. Knowingly discriminating against workers based on their gender is just wrong.

“As we enter the second half of 2019, we know that enacting Equal pay legislation is far overdue. It is time for us to end discrimination in the workplace, and endorse equal pay for equal work. As the chant goes, ‘U.S.A., Equal Pay.’”

MILWAUKEE - We welcome Citizen Action co-op member Mireya Sigala-Valadez to discuss the Lights for Liberty national day of action event she is helping organize in Eau Claire where people will gather in solidarity to end refugee camps and to protest the inhumane treatment of refugees.

Co-op member and State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski gives her take on the signed state budget and organizes us to fill out her new student loan surveys. We discuss the Texas lawsuit to end the Affordable Care Act and what state legislators are preparing to do to in response. Gov. Evers says Foxconn will only create 1,500 jobs. The 2020 Presidential Election heats up in Wisconsin this week with candidate visits and Trump fundraiser.

Listen Now – Episode #400
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Press Clips

MADISON - Now that the U.S. Supreme Court abdicated its responsibility to ban partisan gerrymandering, it’s now up to all of us, here in Wisconsin, to solve this problem ourselves.

The good news is there’s a growing mass movement, across party lines, to do just that.

Here are three things you can do to help ban gerrymandering in Wisconsin:

1)  Next Tuesday, July 16th, at 10:30 a.m., please attend the press conference in the State Capitol Assembly Parlor where Sen. Dave Hansen and Rep. Robyn Vining will formally introduce Senate Bill 288 and Assembly Bill 303 to ban gerrymandering in Wisconsin and give us nonpartisan, independent redistricting.

2)  Contact and urge your legislators to support these bills, which have three Republican co-sponsors. And please thank Republican Representatives Todd Novak, Travis Tranel and Joel Kitchens for their support. Call the toll-free legislative hotline at 1-800-362-9472 (266-9960 in Madison).

3)  Please also contact the respective chairs of the Assembly and the Senate committees who preside over this crucial issue and demand that they hold a public hearing on SB288/AB303.

The chairs of the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection are Senator Stroebel (Chair) and Senator Kapenga (Vice-Chair).

The chairs of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections are Representative Tusler (Chair) and Representative Sanfelippo (Vice-Chair).

Thanks for doing your part to ban gerrymandering in Wisconsin.

With your help, we’ll get this done!

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/4th-cedarburg-s5.jpgMADISON, WI - This week, State Representative Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) talks about Independence Day, as Wisconsinites come together with friends and family to celebrate at parades, barbeques, and festivals.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/4th-statue-fireworks-s5.jpgAs we celebrate our country’s independence on July 4th, it’s important for us to remember the incredible progress we’ve made and to look forward to the work that must be done for all Americans to truly celebrate their freedom.