Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) released the following statement on the passage of Assembly Bill 1 by the Wisconsin State Assembly earlier today:

“As we mourn the lives of the more than 5,000 people in Wisconsin who have passed away due to COVID-19, it is incumbent on every elected official, regardless of party affiliation, to work together to curb the spread of this virus and to provide needed support to our communities.

“Our first order of business in the new legislative session should have been bipartisan action to support our state’s healthcare heroes, small businesses, families, and workers. I’m disappointed this wasn’t the case. Instead, the Assembly passed legislation today on a party-line vote that limits local control and ties the hands of our local health officers, who have been working around the clock to respond to the pandemic since it began.

“We all want an end to this pandemic, a return to a sense of normalcy, and a strong economic recovery, and the only way to achieve that is by working together. This bill does more harm than good by limiting our ability to prevent the spread of this deadly virus, and that’s why I voted no on today’s proposal.

“Earlier this week, I was proud to join my Democratic colleagues in introducing legislation that outlines our shared priorities: supporting community testing and contact tracing, funding rental assistance, helping families put food on their tables, providing meaningful relief for small businesses, strengthening child care, expanding access to affordable health insurance, and investing in hazard pay and sick leave for Wisconsin’s front-line health care workers. I’m hopeful that as we continue this legislative session, we will have the opportunity for meaningful bipartisan discussions with our colleagues on these and other steps we can take together to support our constituents.”

“It’s time to act. The people of Wisconsin are counting on us.”

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