Earlier this week, Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) was officially sworn in for a third term to represent the people of the 14th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Among the honor of serving her community on the Assembly floor, Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer appointed Rep. Vining to serve on the Committee on Children and Families; Committee on Jobs, Economy, and Small Business Development; Committee on Family Law; Committee on Health, Aging and Long Term Care; and to be the Ranking Member on the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Prevention. In response to these committee assignments, Rep. Vining released the following statement:
“I am honored to serve my constituents and the great state of Wisconsin on this exciting combination of committee assignments, and I thank Leader Neubauer for her trust in me, and in my commitment to this important work. I look forward to returning for a third session to what in the past has been called the Committee on Health, and is now the Committee on Health, Aging and Long Term Care. In addition to introducing various bills like Healthcare Heroes and EpiAccess and the Pregnancy Protection Act to expand Wisconsinites’ access to quality, affordable healthcare, I have lived my life in close connection to my grandparents and great-grandparents who have lived into their 90s, and I am enthusiastic to dive into the expanded topics on this new committee.
“I am also honored to serve as the Ranking Member on the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Prevention, also a newly combined committee. Last session I introduced the ‘Mental Healthcare is Healthcare’ legislative package, and will continue to work to advocate both that mental healthcare is healthcare, and for more funding and support to mental healthcare in Wisconsin. I also look forward to engaging in a substantive dialogue about how we talk about substance use disorder, and why it is important that we use the correct language.
Rep. Vining continued, “I am excited to serve alongside my colleagues on the Committee on Children and Families, where I hope we will again hear the Safe Harbor bill, and that this will be the session Wisconsin joins the majority of the nation that has passed good legislation that protects children from sex trafficking and appropriately charges the criminals in the situation–the men illegally buying sex with trafficked children, rather than criminalizing the victims–the children.
“I will be new to the Committee on Family Law, and look forward to bringing with me my experience on the Adoption Task Force.
“And finally, as a small business creator and owner myself, in a state with over 99% of our businesses being small businesses, I look forward to serving on this newly combined and expanded committee, Committee on Jobs, Economy, and Small Business Development. I will be reintroducing my bill, Go Big for Small Business, and look forward to continuing to work hard to advocate for small business creators and the small business community.
It is a new session, a new day, and there is new hope in the Capitol. May we come together from all sides of the aisle and work to move Wisconsin forward, together.’”
Rep. Vining represents the 14th Assembly District, which includes parts of Wauwatosa and West Allis. For more information, visit Rep. Vining’s website here.
