I hope that you and your family are staying safe, remaining home when possible and following the federal guidelines the CDC has outlined. In short, these are unprecedented times. I and my office remain committed to working with Governor Evers and his administration on issues related to COVID-19, and are staying abreast of the rapidly-changing policies his office has been putting forth.
Businesses Invited to Participate in Survey
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is conducting a state-wide survey to better understand and measure the economic hardships and impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the state’s business community. If you’d like to participate during their 1st observation period, please take the survey by this Friday, April 10th.
Unemployment Benefits Reminder
I know many Wisconsin families are struggling with job loss and looking into unemployment options during these hard times. As a reminder, the Department of Workforce Development is receiving an unprecedented number of applications for benefits, and is asking those in need to file unemployment insurance claims through the Department’s website when possible. Of course, phone lines are open, but many are experiencing longer-than-usual delays.
New Flexibility for Schools
The U.S. Department of Education has announced a new streamlined process for providing states funding flexibilities to meet the needs of students and educators during COVID-19. Specifically, schools will be allowed to repurpose existing K-12 education funds for technology infrastructure and teacher training on distance learning, among other things.
Stay Alert to Potential Cyber-Scams
Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a joint alert with the UK’s National cyber Security Centre regarding cybercriminals during the COVID-19 pandemic. To read the full alert with information on scams, phishing, and more, click here.
Mental Health Resources
With so much of our lives turned upside down, finding ways to cope with the stress is crucial for our overall mental health. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has launched a new website, Resilient Wisconsin, that gives the latest mental and behavioral health self-care tools and trauma-informed practices. Additionally, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has launched a COVID-19 page that includes advice and guidance from mental health and suicide prevention experts.
For those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that I’m making every attempt at getting take-out lunch or dinner for me and my family. While local bars and restaurants are not allowed to host patrons during this time, many great local establishments are providing hungry customers with delivery or take-out options.
My office has worked to compile a list of area establishments providing such offers and published it on my website, RepSteineke.com.
If you are a restaurant owner or know of a business that is missing from this list, please let me know at Rep.Steineke@legis.wi.gov. We will do our best to keep it current.
Thanks for joining me in this effort to help our small businesses!
