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Clean Water & Natural Resources
Northern Wisconsin has a long tradition of protecting our waterways and natural spaces. From majestic Lake Superior to the tiniest sparkling stream, our water and surrounding woodlands are an integral part of our economic and recreational way of life. It is vital that we take steps now to clean up contaminated groundwater and to protect our water sources from future contamination. Everyone deserves clean drinking water.
What are some steps we can take to protect our water?
Clean up PFAS (forever chemicals) and monitor future contamination.
Offer assistance to property owners with PFAS cleanup and contaminated well and septic system replacement.
Update regulation of water removal for the purpose of bottling in plastic containers.
Protect groundwater and wetlands from contamination.
As part of our efforts to be good managers of our natural resources, we need to restore funding and independence to the DNR. Years of budget cuts have left the department without the enforcement and research capacity needs to effectively do its job. From controlling invasive species to wildlife management to safety enforcement, biologists and enforcement personnel are critical to protecting our fragile resources.
Healthcare & Reproductive Rights
The rural health care system is struggling. Access to health care is an increasingly critical issue up north. Hospitals are closing, causing a shortage of beds and specialty services. In some parts of the 74th District, the closest hospital that will deliver a baby is 80 miles away. A shortage of medical professionals such as dentists and ophthalmologists and surgical specialists prevents timely access to care. Hospitals and nursing care facilities are finding it difficult to recruit and retain staff.
There is a severe shortage of mental health and substance abuse services, including counseling, outpatient and inpatient treatment.
How can we rebuild our health care system? There’s obviously a lot to do and I don’t have all the answers. But there are two things that can be done in the legislature that would make a big difference. First, we can take the Medicaid expansion funding through the Affordable Care Act so that more people are insured. Second, we can raise the Medicaid reimbursement rate in Wisconsin so that providers are compensated fairly for their services. When other states have done these two things, they saw improved outcomes for patients, decreased costs, and an increase in providers.
I believe we must guarantee women’s right to reproductive health care. Period. Government has no role in getting between a woman and her doctor in making medical decisions. No woman should die because her doctor is afraid or to perform or prohibited from performing lifesaving health care.
Education
Education is the driving force behind a strong local economy. Employers need a skilled, educated workforce. An educated workforce attracts employers. Employers and employees both look for good schools when choosing where to locate.
Not that long ago, Wisconsin had a world class public education system that served as a model for systems throughout the country. For nearly two decades, the Republican controlled state legislature has put a stranglehold on school funding, from elementary schools through colleges. Local schools are struggling, with funding cuts forcing them to eliminate programs, eliminate positions and increase class size. The UW system has been forced to close campuses and increase intuition in response to budget shortfalls.
Money isn’t always the answer, but in this case, it is. The legislature needs to increase educational funding to better serve students, better support staff and protect the economic benefits education brings to our communities.
Funding shortfalls are particularly critical in the area of special needs services. Funding is shared between state and federal government. After the federal portion is paid, the current state budget only provides school districts with about 33% of the cost of special needs programming. This results in a 27% shortfall, leaving schools without adequate funds for teachers, aides and specialized equipment. We have an obligation to invest in educational resources for students wholearn differently or have extra educational needs.
In 2018, the overall economic impact of the UW system on Wisconsin included $24 billion in revenue, 167,000 jobs generated or supported and $1.1 billion generated in taxes. Each dollar of state investment was leveraged to support more than $23 dollars of economic activity. And yet, the last state budget included $252 million less than the UW requested. Wisconsin is the 42nd state in the country for funding higher education spending. In the 1990s, student tuition was funded at about 50%—today, it is 17%.
The UW system is a major economic and scientific driver in our state. We need to increase funding levels, to allow more investment in vocational training, two and four year colleges.
Attract & Sustain Economic Opportunity
A number of economic development issues need our attention in Northern Wisconsin, including housing, child care and high speed internet access. It is becoming increasingly hard to attract and keep employees or businesses when people don’t have access to these basic economic drivers.
One way to help stabilize the current supply of child care is to make a program similar to Wisconsin’s Child Care Counts program permanent. Created to stabilize the child care industry during and after COVID, funds are used to support reasonable and necessary costs of maintaining or enhancing high- quality care with recruiting and retaining high-quality staff. A future funding investment will benefit the child care industry, families who need child care in order to go to work and employers who need a stable workforce.
When talking with people about housing shortages in the 74th District, the need for senior options and mid-priced housing options for families are often mentioned. Many seniors are ready to downsize and sell their single family homes, but can’t find suitable housing to buy or rent. Families are looking for mid-priced homes, but the housing supply is currently low. More rental housing is also needed. There are a number of WHEDA programs implemented in 2024 that could benefit communities in this area. I will work with municipalities and non-profits to secure funding through the Vacancy-to-Vitality, Restore Main Street, and Infrastructure Access loan programs and other sources to find targeted solutions to the District’s segmented housing needs.
Job and business development initiatives must be tailored to the unique resources of our small, rural areas. Ideas that work in larger, more urban spaces may not work here. I want to help small, specialty businesses locate here. We can build on the uniqueness of this area and showcase the natural beauty that brings tourists Up North. Eco tourism initiatives that highlight hiking, biking, kayaking and education can bring in tourism dollars with minimal impact on water and wildlife.