On Tuesday, February 6th, I testified before the Senate Committee on Education in support of a bill I co-authored, Senate Bill 663, which would allow the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to award grants for the expansion of four-year-old kindergarten programs in up to 3 economically disadvantaged counties. In these counties, the intention is to expand supported 4k programs into full day programs.
 
In today’s world, early educational success is critical for workforce and academic readiness.  The evidence supporting early childhood education is overwhelming. For many students, they receive a measurable leg-up beginning traditional K-12 education after being enrolled in 4k. This is especially true in reading achievement. Further, children who are behind when they start five-year-old kindergarten not only have a difficult time “catching up” and “keeping up” with their peers, their slow development may also hinder the development of other children in their class. 
 
I understand that not everyone agrees that this model will work. For those reasons, we limit the opportunities to fund this program to just three counties with historically high unemployment. The bill does not authorize new money be allocated for this purpose or require that DCF spend money on these programs. Rather, the bill allows DCF to fund these programs if DCF has funds available for this purpose. 
 
We know that early childhood education and a healthy learning environment is one of the keys to success in life. As our workforce needs evolve over the coming years, one thing is certain – we need every child to be ready to either work or continue their education when they leave high school. This pilot program may hold the key to unlocking their success.

On Tuesday, February 6th, I held a hearing on Senate Bill 704, which makes changes to the Department of Justice (DOJ) address confidentiality program.  Currently, victims of abuse and those effected by abuse can participate in the Safe at Home program, which provides alternate home address for victims to use to receive their mail.  This legislation expands the program to address some of the challenges that have been detected since its inception last year.  SB 704 also provides a penalty for intentionally disclosing a participant's address.

The Safe at Home program has been a safety planning tool for victims of acts or threats of abuse since April of 2017.  Enrollment in the program allows participants to keep their home, work or school addresses confidential by providing a legal substitute address that is rerouted through the DOJ.  In just over 10 months, they have enrolled 334 participants from 154 households in 40 Wisconsin counties.  Safe at Home advocates have been designated in each of the 72 counties.  Advocates are responsible for Safe at Home applications and they provide a personalized safety plan for each participant.

Safe at Home program not only provides a mail forwarding service, but they also help in day to day life, for instance by navigating the redaction of information at the DMV and by working  with local school districts to facilitate the transfer of student records, while continuing to keep their location private.

The Safe at Home program is one way we can help victims and their loved ones to feel safe.  Senate Bill 704 strengthens an already effective program.

For more information on the Safe at Home program: Click.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received a straddling community diversion application from the city of Racine on January 26, 2018, and has begun reviewing the application. The city of Racine requests to divert up to an annual average of 7 million gallons of water a day in the village of Mount Pleasant. The diversion area includes part of the area identified by Racine County as the future site of the Foxconn facility.

The DNR has scheduled a public hearing March 7 in Sturtevant regarding the city of Racine's Lake Michigan water diversion application.
 
When: Wednesday, March 7 at 6:00 PM

Where: SC Johnson iMET Center, 2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant
 
Format: The hearing will include a 30-minute presentation followed by a public comment period. The department will accept both written and oral comments at the hearing. A hearing officer will be present to conduct the hearing and may put time limits on individual oral statements to ensure an opportunity for all persons present to make statements.
 
Persons wishing to provide written comment on the diversion application should do so by March 21, 2018. Comments can be emailed to: DNRRacineDiversionComments@wisconsin.gov. You can also send comments via regular mail to:
 
DNR Drinking Water and Groundwater Program DG/5
Attn: Adam Freihoefer
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707-7921
 
For more information, visit DNR.wi.gov and search "Racine diversion."

Last week, Representative Samantha Kerkman and I met with the Bristol School Board to discuss economic development and the school district's role in the growth in their area.

On Tuesday, Racine County Board member, Rusty Clark stopped by as part of the County Constitutional Officers Day at the Capitol.