Milwaukee Biz Blog

In the last days of this legislative session, that is now adjourned until January 2009, the State Assembly had the chance to pass the most sweeping protection for the Great Lakes ever proposed - the Great Lakes Water Compact.

The compact is the result of seven years of negotiation between the Great Lakes States and Canadian Provinces - a historic document that would allow Great Lakes States to control the largest source of freshwater in the world under our own terms for generations to come.

We were very close to passing our own version of the Compact in Wisconsin.  Our version is supported by a bi-partisan coalition of State Legislators, citizen activists, local elected officials, business groups, and many others. The final product even passed the State Senate overwhelmingly on a bipartisan 26-6 vote, and enjoys the support of our governor.

Despite this popular support in our state, the Republicans in charge of the Assembly and every single one of their members, voted not to take the compact up for a vote. Even Republicans who had stood with the governor just hours before the vote, echoing his call to pass a strong Compact quickly, voted against bringing the bill up for a vote.

Our governor and the other Great Lakes governors took five years to negotiate the founding compact document. We spent another two years negotiating it in Wisconsin. Facts that make Assembly Republican claims that this bill is being rushed ring a little hollow.

The threats that the compact would protect us against are very real. Last summer, calls came from the parched Southeast and Southwest to use Great Lakes water to solve their problems. We can never allow that to happen. The compact will help us protect our water so that we never have to fall victim to another state selling our water without our permission.

In Wisconsin, we have always prided ourselves on being leaders in environmental conversation and in promoting our natural spaces. If we're the last state to ratify the compact, it will be a major embarrassment.

As one of the millions of people who enjoys and depends on our Great Lakes, I was beyond disappointed with what happened in the Assembly. The Great Lakes are vital to our state and we must take bold action to save them. Not protecting our lakes puts our tourism, our economy, and our environment at risk. That's not a risk I'm willing to take - especially not when we have a sound bill just waiting to be passed.

Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) is the assistant minority leader in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Middle class families in Milwaukee have been telling us for years to fight for the things that will make life a little easier for them - like access to affordable, quality health care; a promise to protect our public schools in order to keep property taxes steady; a strong university and technical college system they can afford, and a safe community.

We listened to their concerns. What they need was reflected in Governor Doyle’s budget. A great deal of what they need was even approved by the Joint Finance Committee. On Tuesday, the Assembly Republicans, instead of honoring their requests, did the exact opposite and stuck it to Milwaukee’s middle class families.

It’s outrageous. The Republicans cut an expansion to BadgerCare that would have insured Milwaukee’s children and low-income adults. They cut our public schools by $14 million dollars – that means nearly 200 teachers lost, larger class sizes, the elimination of the SAGE program and other worthwhile programs. They passed historic cuts to the university system and financial aid. They also singled out Milwaukee for budget cuts that are greater than the cuts to other communities in our state, and could result in a loss of police and fire protection that we need in our city.

The worst news is that all of these cuts could result in the largest tax levy increase in our city’s history, and push many middle class families over the brink. 

Fortunately, this isn’t the last word on the state budget. There is still time to make things right for Milwaukee’s middle class families. I will continue to do all I can to make sure that their priorities are put back into our state’s budget. It’s the only fair way to craft a budget.

State Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) represents the 19th District in the state Assembly and is the assistant minority leader.

The Wisconsin Legislature is poised to make the fundamental changes needed to address Wisconsin's health care crisis.

We are responding to the middle class families and small business owners who have been asking for dramatic action to address our state's health care crisis. At countless meetings around the state we heard from business owners who are struggling to afford health care for themselves and their employees. People like the owner of a small manufacturing firm in my district in Bay View, who is spending more than 20 percent of his payroll on health care, and people like the owner of a small business in downtown Eau Claire whose health care premiums rose 27 percent last year, 7.5 percent the year before that and 15 percent the year before that.  

Based on what we heard from citizens across our state, legislators created a plan (known as Healthy Wisconsin) that will provide every Wisconsin citizen with their choice of doctor, their choice of provider, and will cover people regardless of pre-existing conditions or job status. It gives people the power to follow their dreams, whether it's getting a job they've always wanted, or whether they want to start a new business on their own.

The plan is paid for with an assessment that replaces what companies currently pay for health insurance. Employers will pay 10.5 percent of Social Security wages and employees will pay 4 percent of Social Security wages. Sole proprietors will pay 10 percent of Social Security wages. 

The nationally-respected Lewin Group analyzed our proposal and found these changes will save most companies money, especially those companies already providing insurance to their employees. The savings are greatest, on average, for companies with 10 or fewer employees who already provide insurance. Lewin estimates that local governments will save $1.3 billion under the plan – savings that make property tax relief for property owners and businesses possible.

People have proposed a state deduction for Health Savings Accounts and improved transparency as stand alone solutions to our health care crisis. By themselves, they are not a solution. The average Wisconsin has a family income of roughly $40,000. It is asking too much for a family already struggling to afford groceries and gasoline to save enough money to fill a Health Savings Account and have that be the only way to get health care.   Transparency, on the other hand, is already part of the initiative we are proposing and is a worthwhile initiative. But knowing how much a procedure costs is not the same as having the ability to pay for that procedure.

In the coming weeks we will be debating different approaches to health care in the legislature. I hope that both sides of the aisle can come together to make access to quality, affordable health care a reality for more middle class families. Working together we can make this dramatic and positive change in Wisconsin's health care system.  

State Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) represents the 19th District in the state Assembly and is the assistant minority leader.