WI State Senator Chris Larson - 7th District
Bill to Aid Displaced Workers Introduced
My Democratic colleagues and I introduced legislation this week to remove the one-week waiting period for newly-displaced workers needing to collect unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
Earlier in the month, Republicans placed partisan ideology above the interests of Wisconsin 's displaced workers by voting to increase the burden on these neighbors by forcing them to arbitrarily wait one week before obtaining unemployment compensation. As a result, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites who were knocked down by the economic crisis will not receive the help they need, when they need it the most.
The legislation proposed by my colleagues and I would delete the one-week waiting period, allowing displaced workers to receive unemployment compensation immediately after losing their job so they can continue to pay their mortgage and feed their family. This legislation is crucial to our community as 8.4% of our neighbors, family and friends in Milwaukee County are currently unemployed. Should this legislation pass, Wisconsin’s displaced workers would be able to receive much-needed support during these tough economic times helping them to get back on their feet.
CLICK HERE to view a copy of this recently-introduced bill.
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Walker Administration Declines Funds to Fight Drug and Alcohol Abuse
This week I signed a letter to Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Dennis Smith expressing our disappointment for Governor Walker's administration declining to pursue several federal health grants this year. These grants would have helped fight drug and alcohol abuse and expanded health care access across Wisconsin. Additionally, the letter urges Secretary Smith to support future prevention and health care grants that will expand our health care safety net and decrease dependence on drugs and alcohol statewide.
Wisconsin currently has the highest rates of drunken driving and binge drinking in the nation. Unfortunately, because Secretary Smith did not apply for two federal health grants our state lost out on $8.6 million to combat this pervasive problem. One of the federal grants would have helped to expand delivery of substance abuse intervention services by laying the groundwork for Wisconsin’s alcohol and drug screening, intervention, and treatment referral services. The second federal grant would have enhanced our state’s substance abuse prevention infrastructure.
Making quality health care available to Wisconsin citizens is a priority of mine. This includes supporting accessible and affordable programs that prevent and expand treatment for substance abuse across the state for our family, friends and neighbors.
It is my hope that our request for Secretary Smith to aggressively pursue future federal health funding for Wisconsin is given serious consideration so that we can properly address substance abuse problems plaguing Wisconsin communities and families.
To view a copy of this letter, please CLICK HERE.
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