MADISON – Yesterday, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting public health and economic crisis impacting every part of the state, Representative Chris Taylor (D-Madison) signed on to a joint letter to Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald urging them to immediately call a legislative session to enact policies that will help Wisconsin’s families and businesses.
The letter, which can be found here, details a number of legislative issues that need urgent action, including many of the provisions in the robust legislative packages proposed by Governor Evers’ administration, such as repealing the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, increased support for small businesses, and additional funding for public health and health care.
Representative Chris Taylor (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Wisconsinites simply cannot wait any longer. It has been almost three weeks since Governor Evers declared a public health emergency in the state, yet the Republican leaders of the legislature have waited to act, and now their inaction is putting our families and small businesses at risk, not to mention needed federal dollars. The federal legislation that Congress passed included nearly $600 million in increased federal match dollars for health care providers, but the legislature needs to act in order to qualify for the funds. The federal legislation also provided increased funds for states if they eliminated their one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, but Republicans have failed to act on this as well, despite the massive increase in people who are relying on these benefits.
“The people of this state want to see their elected officials working together to do everything possible to manage this public health crisis and provide the aid that people need. Republican leaders have expressed support for some of these policies, so what are they waiting for? We need to hold a remote legislative session immediately and actually do the jobs we were elected to do.”
