Contact: (608) 266-7506 MADISON – Today, Representative James Edming (R-Glen Flora) announced he will be holding his first budget listening session in the Village of Athens on Monday March 6, 2017.  This listening session is an opportunity for residents of the 87th Assembly District to share their thoughts regarding the governor’s 2017-19 State Budget proposal. “Hearing my constituents’ thoughts is an important part of the budget process,” said Rep. Edming.  “This feedback will allow me to better advocate for the priorities of the 87th Assembly District as the budget moves through the legislative process.” Additional listening sessions will be announced

Contact: (608) 266-2722 MADISON – Wisconsin ranks in the top 10 states in the percentage of people with disabilities who are employed in the state, according to the 2016 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, which was released this month.   More than 144,800 civilians – representing 41 percent of people with disabilities age 18 to 64 in Wisconsin – were employed in 2015, according to the study published by the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Wisconsin moved up 6 spots to 10th from 16th in the previous compendium. Wisconsin outpaced the national rate of 34.9 percent and

Contact: Cassie Steiner steinerck04@uww.edu (262) 930-3963 On March 4, 2017, young Wisconsinites and allies concerned about the future of the environment, environmental responsibility, and justice will be marching in Whitewater, Wisconsin, a town in the path of a proposed pipeline expansion, and the site of a related pumping station. Wisconsin is already bisected by five existing pipelines, and now Enbridge, a $57 billion Canadian company, has announced plans via shareholder letters to construct Line 66, a pipeline which would run parallel to the existing Line 61. Together, these two pipelines would carry 2 million barrels of oil per day from

Contact: Liz Mueller (608) 509-4154 liz@judgetownsendforcircuitcourt.com MADISON, WI – AFSCME PEOPLE has endorsed the candidacy of Judge Marilyn Townsend in the April 4th election for Branch 12 of the Dane County Circuit Court. AFSCME PEOPLE is the political arm of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employee, which represents public employees in Dane County “I am honored and grateful for the endorsement I have received from AFSCME PEOPLE. I began my career as a lawyer more than 30 years ago as a labor union attorney for the United Mine Workers. I have continued to fight for workplace justice

Contact: Daniel Suhr (608) 266-3516 daniel.suhr@wisconsin.gov Madison, WI – Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch has been elected by her colleagues as vice chair of the Aerospace States Association (ASA).  This new position affords her a national platform to lead on behalf of one of Wisconsin’s high-growth industries.  ASA is the voice of aerospace in the states, bringing together government, industry, and education on a nonpartisan basis to cooperate on workforce, economic development, science/technology/engineering/math (STEM) education, and global competitiveness. “Aviation and aerospace are two industries poised for explosive growth in the near future, and the states are leading the way to maximize

Contact: Holly Botsford (MCW) (414) 955-8761, hbotsford@mcw.edu Tony Marusic (UnitedHealthcare) (312) 348-3825, tony_marusic@uhc.com MILWAUKEE (Feb. 27, 2017) – United Health Foundation and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) will create a program to improve women’s health and birth outcomes, and reduce health disparities. The Periscope (PERInatal Specialty COnsult Psychiatry Extension) Project aims to provide real-time care coordination, behavioral health services and support for new and expectant mothers across southeast Wisconsin. Primary-care providers will have access to care- coordination services including: • immediate, real-time, peer-to-peer access to consultation by a perinatal psychiatrist; • a Periscope Project coordinator to help identify community

Hazelhurst – Wisconsin State Senator Tom Tiffany’s campaign television ad finalist for Reed Award. Senator Tiffany released the following statement: “I want to thank Casey Phillips at RedPrint Strategy for creating an effective television ad campaign focused on real issues affecting northern Wisconsin. In ‘Political Games,’ Casey was able to capture my priorities while injecting a refreshing air of humor and light-hearted family fun. I applaud RedPrint for their work, but we all know my wife and daughters were what really made the ad. ” Named after Stanley Foster Reed, the Reed Awards recognize excellence in political marketing. The Reed

Contact: Brandon Weathersby brandonw@wisdems.org MADISON – Wisconsinites have had enough of being ignored by Republican leaders and now they’re stepping up to hold them accountable on everything from national security to health care. This weekend, frustration over Speaker Paul Ryan’s refusal to hold in-person town hall meetings boiled over as his constituents held a meeting Ryan refused to attend. According to news reports, nearly 300 people showed up to UAW Local 72 in Kenosha on Sunday. Organizers of the town hall invited Speaker Paul Ryan to spend the afternoon speaking with his constituents, however, the Speaker declined to respond entirely. Here’s

Contact: press@baldwin.senate.gov (202) 224-6225 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited the Harry & Rose Samson Family Milwaukee Jewish Community Center (JCC) to join a roundtable dialogue with families, staff and local leaders. Amidst bomb threats against the Milwaukee JCC and Jewish community centers across the country, and the recent spike in anti-Semitic incidents in America, Senator Baldwin visited JCC Milwaukee to offer support for the Jewish community. “When we turn a blind eye to intolerance and discrimination against any community or group, we allow the things that fuel hate crimes to go unchecked,” said Senator Baldwin. “Today,

Contact: Kyle Bunnow (608) 266-4551 City of Madison Weights and Measurement staff have determined that all gasoline pumps in the City are in full compliance with a new City ordinance requiring unique locking devices on gas pumps to protect consumers. The Madison Common Council recently passed an ordinance requiring the unique locking devices after Weights and Measurement staff located several skimming devices within gas pumps that allowed access to unknowing patron’s credit card information. Since the ordinance went into effect on January 1, 2017, City staff has been inspecting all pumps at gas stations throughout the city. Recent determination has

Contact: (608) 267-7990 (Madison, WI) Representative Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) would like to hear what his constituents think of the governor’s budget proposal, which was released on February 8. He has scheduled Town Hall Meetings in four locations around the district over the next few weeks. Interested citizens are encouraged to read over the Budget Presentation, Budget in Brief, or the Executive Budget, which is available on the Department of Administration website, www.doa.state.wi.us. The budget bill can be found at www.legis.wisconsin.gov. The best bills, and especially the best budgets, are the ones with the most participation from the people. Residents of

Contact: Matt Kussow (608) 441-5110 Madison- The following statement was issued by Badger Advocates’ Executive Director Matt Kussow: “No one should confuse Governor Walker’s proposal for a five percent tuition cut with Bernie Sanders’ position on “free college.”  A sizable gap exists, to say the least. “What is in question, however, is the method applied for aligning the cost of going to college with the average Wisconsin family’s ability to afford tuition. State Representative Dale Kooyenga has proposed a practical approach. Allow the delegated authority, in this case the Board of Regents, to debate modest, inflationary-like increases to tuition to avoid the

Contact: press@baldwin.senate.gov (202) 224-6225 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced Roddy Rice of New London, Wisconsin will be her guest for President Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday. Roddy Rice worked at Neenah Foundry for 38 years and will join Senator Baldwin to highlight the need for a strong Buy America commitment from President Trump and Congressional Republicans to Wisconsin workers. “President Trump will make this address at a time when too many people feel like their voices aren’t being heard. When too many hardworking Wisconsinites feel Washington is broken and isn’t working for them. It’s my

Contact: Brandon Weathersby, brandonw@wisdems.org MADISON – During this weekend’s Democratic National Committee (DNC) Winter Meeting, DNC members from across the country elected Jason Rae of Wisconsin to serve as DNC Secretary. The Secretary is the Party’s official record-keeper and keeper of the Party’s relationships with members. As such, the Secretary maintains all official records, coordinates correspondence, and communicates with the National Committee members regarding business to be considered at the meetings. The Secretary’s office also works with the National Archives to preserve the Party’s records and official documents. The Secretary also has an official role with the National Convention, publishing the