I was saddened, angry and disappointed
when Republican legislative leaders fought tooth and nail to keep the
in-person election scheduled earlier this week. We should not be
encouraging mass gatherings during a pandemic against the advice of
every health expert in the country. Even the Wisconsin Supreme Court
met remotely for safety reasons when they made the decision to keep the
election going.
This is reckless - no one should have to endanger themselves or their
communities to exercise their democratic right. Unfortunately, for all
my constituents who live in the 7th Congressional District, there is
still a special election planned for May 12th.
I have signed on to legislation to move to a vote-by-mail election.
Until we get bipartisan support for voting by mail or postponing the
election, the only thing we can do is request mail ballots at myvote.wi.gov. Do it now, and
tell your family, friends and neighbors to request theirs ASAP. You can
also select an option to receive all of your ballots for the rest of
the year by mail.
I'd like to say thank you to all the village, town and city clerks who
are working so hard. Thank you to all who voted by mail so far, and
thank you to those who risked your health to work at the polls or vote
in person.
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Hello to my constituents in Northern
Wisconsin,
I wanted to provide another update concerning the COVID-19 outbreak in
Wisconsin. Thank you to everyone who has contacted my office with your
questions, concerns and local updates.
First, it's important to know emergency warning signs for COVID-19 and
get medical attention immediately if you experience them. Emergency
warning signs include*:
- Trouble breathing.
- Persistent pain or
pressure in the chest.
- New confusion or
inability to arouse (wake) a person.
- Bluish lips or face.
*This list is not all inclusive.
Please consult your doctor or medical provider for any other symptoms
that are severe or concerning.
Of course, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to
this virus. You can protect yourself and others by taking preventative
measures including:
- Avoid close contact
with others and practice social distancing.
- Stay at home as much as
possible.
- Cancel events and avoid
groups, gatherings, play dates and nonessential appointments.
- Avoid gatherings of 10
or more people.
- Stay at least 6 feet
away from other people, when possible.
- Stay home when you are
sick, except to get medical care.
- Practice good hand
hygiene by washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your
face, eyes and mouth when in public.
- Cover your mouth and
nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of
your elbow.
- Clean frequently
touched surfaces and objects daily (for example, tables,
countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles).
Remember, this is a community effort!
You may be healthy, but this is about protecting the vulnerable and not
overloading our healthcare system. We are all in this together.
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In the meantime, stay safe, stay calm
and stay informed.
Important note:
The information in this update is relevant as of April 10th at 10 am.
Things are moving quickly and bound to change.
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My office has been getting a lot of
questions about the federal CARES Act. The state legislature needs to
meet before we can incorporate many of the changes from the federal
bill, and we've been pushing the Republican leadership to meet for a
virtual session ASAP to get the people of Wisconsin the help they need.
As of Friday morning, April 10th, it looks like the Assembly will be
meeting early next week, although nothing has been finalized.
In the meantime, here is a very brief overview of the CARES Act:
Direct
payments to citizens
- Those who make up to
$75,000 ($150,000 for married couples) will receive $1,200 for
individuals, $2,400 for married couples and an additional $500 for
each dependent child under 17.
- Those who make more
than $75,000 but less than $90,000 ($198,000 for married couples)
will receive a reduced payment that is adjusted based on your
gross income.
- Those who make more
than $99,000 will not receive a payment.
- Your payment will be
based on your 2019 federal tax filing, or if you haven't filed yet
this year, your 2018 filing.
- Payments are expected
to arrive within three weeks if you have direct deposit set-up
with the IRS. If you do not, your check will be mailed to you.
- Calculate if you qualify for a stimulus
payment by following this link.
- Here is an FAQ on the stimulus payments from
Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Expanded
unemployment insurance
- Eligibility has been
expanded to include self-employed and gig workers.
- The maximum
unemployment benefit has been increased by $600 per week through
July 31st.
- Unemployment insurance
will be available for 13 additional weeks (for a total of 39
weeks, or 8.9 months, in Wisconsin).
- The Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is waiting for guidance
from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Once they receive this
guidance, they will program their systems to accommodate the
changes. If you don't qualify for unemployment insurance now, but
believe you will under the new program, please wait to
apply.
- The latest information can be found on DWD's
website here.
- Here is an FAQ on expanded unemployment
from Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Child care
assistance for essential employees
Support for
small businesses
- $350 billion in loan
forgiveness grants to small businesses and nonprofits to pay for
expenses like payroll, rent, mortgage and utilities.
- $10 billion for the
Small Business Administration (SBA) emergency grants to provide
immediate relief for small businesses' operating costs.
- $7 billion for SBA to
cover six months of payments for small businesses with existing
SBA loans, and six months of loan forbearance for all small
businesses.
- View the Small Business Owner's Guide to the
CARES Act here.
I will be providing more updates on
this and other federal legislation and how it affects you. If you have
any further questions on federal programs, you can contact your
senators: Tammy Baldwin, (715) 450-3754 or send a message here; Ron
Johnson, (414) 276-7282 or send a message here.
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As for state legislation, I sincerely
hope that we will come together and pass bipartisan bills that help all
Wisconsinites hurt by COVID-19, no matter their age, income or
geography.
Recently, Democrats in the Assembly met (virtually, don't worry) and came
up with ideas and policies we would like to see happen in response to
COVID-19. Here is what we have proposed so far:
Public Health
& Health Care
- Increased funding and
staffing for the Department of Health Services (DHS) and local
public health departments. DHS and Wisconsin
healthcare facilities need more funding to accommodate increased
staffing and additional resources to respond to the COVID-19
emergency.
- Ensure that everyone
has access to quality health care. We need to remove
barriers to services and resources for all Wisconsinites and
mandate coverage for testing, diagnosis, treatment, and
medications/vaccines in relation to COVID-19.
- Save state taxpayer
dollars by maximizing federal resources. Legislators must make
changes to state law so that Wisconsin may receive a federal match
for state Medicaid programs in order to save taxpayer dollars.
Unemployment
Insurance
- Suspend the one-week
waiting period for Unemployment Insurance (UI). This waiting period
should be suspended to bring immediate relief to our neighbors
impacted by unexpected job losses.
- Expand UI to cover
workers without access to paid leave. The legislature must
ensure that workers who do not have access to paid sick leave and
are told to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19, even if not
diagnosed, are considered unemployed and are able to access UI.
- Expand Wisconsin
Work-Share statute. Wisconsin should
provide employers with the flexibility to reduce hours to allow
for more workers to stay employed while allowing employees to use
UI to make up for a portion of lost hours.
Housing
- Protect business and
single-family renters from eviction. It is vital that
businesses and individuals who are not able to generate income
during this crisis are not evicted or have their rental history
negatively impacted.
Education
- Grant additional waiver
authority for DPI. DPI should be allowed to waive requirements in
statutes or administrative rules to allow for flexibility on
things such as mandated testing.
- Ensuring teacher and
school employee pay. Teachers and employees should continue to
receive compensation at their regular rates and hours.
Supporting
Small Businesses
- Expand access to
low-interest, long-term loans and grants for small businesses. Small businesses
should be provided state grants and low-interest, long-term loans
to retain workers, maintain inventory, and pay bills if they have
been impacted by COVID-19.
- Defer sales tax
payments for small businesses. Small businesses
should be able to defer sales taxes without interest or penalty in
order to generate more cash flow.
- Give local government
and small businesses flexibility in meeting state deadlines. We need to allow for
increased flexibility to people, businesses, and local governments
to meet tax deadlines.
Elections
- Allow absentee ballots
postmarked by the day of the election to be counted. Ballots that were
mailed out on time must be counted even if they arrive late due to
slowed postal service that is a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
- Waive the witness
signature requirement during the public health emergency. Wisconsin must
eliminate the requirement to have a witness sign another person’s
absentee ballot to increase access to voting for individuals who
live alone and/or are practicing social distancing.
- Prepare to vote-by-mail
in 2020. We should put a policy in place to eliminate
the need for any in-person voting for future elections by mailing
every registered voter an absentee ballot.
- Modify voter
registration deadlines. Individuals should be
allowed to register online up to five days before the election
date to reduce the number of in-person registration.
- Modify nomination paper
requirements for candidates. Implement safer
processes for collecting nomination signatures that adhere to
public health guidelines.
Legislature
- Allow legislators to
communicate with constituents during a public health emergency. It is crucial that
legislators continue to keep their constituents informed during
this time and the state needs to rescind rules restricting mass
communication with constituents.
These are many the issues we will be
advocating for in the upcoming special session. If you feel there is
something we need to discuss that isn't on that list, feel free to
share your ideas with my office at rep.meyers@legis.wisconsin.gov.
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Travel Under Safer at Home Order
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Under the Safer at Home order, only
essential travel is permitted. This includes:
- Travel related to
essential activities, special situations, or essential businesses
and operations;
- Travel to care for
vulnerable persons;
- Travel to educational
institutions;
- Travel to return to a
place of residence from outside the jurisdiction;
- Travel required by law
enforcement or court order; and,
- Travel required for
non-residents to return to their place of residence outside
Wisconsin.
Many Northern Wisconsin counties have
released an order for those who have summer homes in the area - please
stay where you are until the Safer at Home order is lifted. However, if
you are a seasonal resident who needs to return to Northern Wisconsin,
bring your own supplies and self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
Please follow the emergency order and stay in your homes if you are
able. Essential supplies and health care facilities are limited in
Northern Wisconsin counties, and you must think of the health and
well-being of those around you.
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Help for Small Businesses
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Small businesses that have been
impacted by COVID-19 may qualify for Small Business Administration
(SBA) disaster loans. These disaster loans are another step toward
providing much-needed assistance to Wisconsin's small businesses during
this challenging and uncertain time.
The application to the small business loan portal
can be accessed here.
The SBA disaster assistance loans are:
- For up to $2 million;
- For businesses under
500 employees;
- Low-interest
(2.75-3.75%), long-term (15-30 year) loans;
- Available and funded 21
days after a completed application is submitted.
For more information, visit the SBA website here,
or contact our local Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
Development Director for Ashland, Bayfield, Iron, Price, Douglas
and Sawyer Counties, Lance Ausing, at lance.ausing@wedc.org or call
608.210.6824.
For those who can, I encourage you to support your local businesses and
restaurants. Here are some ways you can help out small businesses in
our community:
- Purchase gift cards to
local restaurants to use at a later date.
- Order delivery or
takeout where possible.
- Visit the websites of
your favorite local businesses, many are offering discounts or
telling their customers how they can assist. Other businesses are
offering services remotely or shipping merchandise to their
customers.
- If you're online
shopping, seek out local businesses to make these purchases.
Every dollar for your locally-owned
businesses will help at this precarious time.
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- Get the 3 “goods." That’s good-for-you
foods, a good night’s sleep, and a good amount of exercise.
- Relax your body. Do what that works for
you, like taking deep breaths, stretching and exercising,
meditation or prayer.
- Do something you enjoy.
Eat
a good meal, read, create a playlist of your favorite music, play
video games, or talk to family and friends.
- Set boundaries. Don’t let the pandemic
take over what you read, watch, or talk about. And don’t be afraid
to ask friends and family to talk about something else.
- Tap into technology. Reach out to family and
friends, colleagues, and support groups in whatever way you can:
calls, email, texting, video chats, etc.
- Use social media
wisely. Connect with the world outside via social
media—but don’t overload on COVID-19 posts, and make sure the
sources you follow are credible.
- Join an online
community. Now is the time to make new friends and
connect with people who share your hobbies and interests.
- Establish a routine. Staying balanced is
easier when you build periods of activity and rest into your daily
schedule.
- Talk it out. Try talking about your
experiences and feelings with loved ones, a trusted advisor, or a
support group or mental health professional. It can help.
If you need help or someone to talk
to, here are some great resources:
- National Disaster
Distress Helpline: Speak to a trained crisis counselor. Call
800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
- National Domestic
Violence Hotline: Support for people experiencing domestic
violence. Call 800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522.
- National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline: Support for people in
emotional distress. Call 800-273-8255.
- Veterans Crisis Line: Support for veterans
struggling to cope with life's challenges. Call 800-273-8255,
press 1.
- Caregiver Help Desk: Connect to information
needed to navigate caregiving challenges. Call 855-227-3640.
Please, stay safe and be kind to
yourself.
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Please be cautious online during the
COVID-19 public health emergency. Scammers are trying to take advantage
of the confusion and fear surrounding the pandemic and may try to take
advantage of you, your family members and your neighbors during this emergency.
- Beware of phishing
email, phone calls and texts that request personal information
from you.
- Be wary of claims of
cures or special treatments. Always verify this information with
the Department of Health Services or the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
- Also be aware of
possible price gouging. Price gouging is generally illegal during
a pandemic, and wholesalers or retailers are prohibited from
selling consumer goods or services at prices that are more than
15% higher than pre-emergency prices.
- Please report all
possible scams to the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and
Consumer Protection at DATCPHotline@wisconsin.gov
or (800) 422-7128 or online here.
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Again, please reach out to my office
with any questions or concerns. Email me at rep.meyers@legis.wisconsin.gov
or call at (608) 266-7690.
We are all in this together, and I have great confidence that the
people of Wisconsin will rise and meet this challenge.
Be well, and thank you,
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