MADISON, WI – Yesterday, Senate Democrats introduced the Affordable Wisconsin Legislative Packages. The announcement detailed the “Health and Housing” and “Families First” legislative packages, highlighting Democrats’ commitment to cutting the costs of Healthcare, Housing, Childcare, Groceries, and Utilities across the Badger State.

Read More on State Senate Democrats’ Affordable Wisconsin Legislative Packages:

CBS News: Senate Democrats lay out affordability plans as special session stalls

  • Democrats in the Senate said they were prepared to address the special session and instead held a press conference outside the Capitol to highlight their plans to tackle affordability across the state if they gain the majority in the upcoming election.
  • “‘Everything we are discussing today should have bipartisan agreement. These are not fringe issues that people are talking about. These are things that we have been hearing from Rhinelander to Madison to Racine,’  said Dianne Hesselbein, the Senate Democratic minority leader.”
  • “Their ‘Affordable Wisconsin’ agenda includes proposals that would make health care, housing, child care, energy prices and food more affordable.”
  • “On the health care front, Democrats say they would cap the cost of certain medications, like insulin and asthma medicine. They would also remove sales tax on over-the-counter medicine.”
  • “When it comes to housing, they want to expand the homestead credit income limit, ban hedge funds from buying Wisconsin homes and ban algorithmic rent hikes.”

The Wisconsin Examiner: Senate Democrats lay out affordability agenda, criticize GOP for suspending special session

  • “‘We have to watch the Senate Republicans play this really strange game of what they’re doing with this special session,’ Hesselbein said. ‘They refuse to go into the special session and get the job done for the people of Wisconsin.’”
  • “Hesselbein said Senate Democrats are committed to working to improve affordability in the next legislative session and promised to pass a slate of 18 bills if they win the majority. Democrats have already introduced the bills in the current session, but they did not advance in the Republican-led Legislature.” 
  • “‘Senate Democrats are here. We are ready to work,’ Hesselbein said. ‘We could get these bills passed this legislative session and we could lower costs right now, but instead Republicans behind me in this building continue to use their last gasp of power to waste time and ignore the pressing needs of every single person in the state of Wisconsin.’”
  • “Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon) laid out the health care and housing bill package. She is running in a three-way primary in Senate District 17…” 
  • ‘There’s no question that two of the most pressing concerns and most expensive aspects of life in Wisconsin are homeownership or rent and the cost of health care and medication,’ Jacobson said.”
  • “Trevor Jung, the Racine transit director, is running in Senate District 21… introduced the ‘Families First’ package, which seeks to address child care, energy and grocery costs.”
  • “‘The Wisconsin Republican-controlled Legislature has ignored the crisis of rising prices across the state,’ Jung said. ‘When I join these folks behind me in the Wisconsin State Senate, I will get to work…Our work will ease the burden of rising costs on Wisconsin families.’”

Spectrum News: No action taken yet on special session to ban partisan gerrymandering

  • “’We have to watch Senate Republicans play this really strange game with what they’re doing with this special session,’ said Senate Majority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton. ‘They are refusing to go into special session and get the job done for the people in the state of Wisconsin.’”