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governor evers' budget: a moral document

2/19/2021

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February 19, 2021
 
Dear Friends
 
On February 16, Governor Evers announced his proposed 2021-23 Wisconsin State Budget.  Any budget, whether for your family, an organization, or the state, reflects its values and priorities. As people of faith, we hope the state budget will reflect our values, prioritizing people over corporations, the more vulnerable over the wealthy, building toward the future rather than preserving the status quo.
 
Of course, this proposal is just the first step on a long road to finalizing the budget.  The Joint Finance Committee will look at the proposal, immediately take out any items deemed to be policy and non-fiscal and decide whether to work from this proposal or write their own.  In previous years, hearings were held around the state to give the public an opportunity for input. What that will look like this year due to the pandemic remains to be seen. From there, the legislature will work on the final proposal to be voted upon.  The Governor then has the option of signing, vetoing, or signing after vetoing portions of the bill.
 
The Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign and the ACLU-WI held a training webinar on Feb. 23 led by Molly Collins, Advocacy Director at the ACLU-Wisconsin. The budget process was explained, and participants were trained in how to be good advocates for a just and moral budget.

You can watch the recording of the training here.
 
The Governor, the Joint Finance Committee, and individual legislators are holding hearings and listening sessions, both virtual and in-person, to give you opportunities to share your values and your vision for what you want to see in the state's budget over the next two years.  Go  here to find out more about these opportunities to share your voice. 
​
Some key items in the proposal that align with our values and priorities:

  1. Directs the Department of Transportation to implement automatic voter registration,
  2. Modifies voter ID requirements, particularly requiring the UW system to issue student IDs that comply with voter ID laws,
  3. Extends absentee voting timeframe,
  4. Requires the legislature to go by the Fair Maps Commission recommendations when redrawing district boundaries, abide by open meetings rules, and retain records of their deliberations on redistricting for ten years,
  5. Funding to improve broadband access,
  6. Funds two new DMV offices in Dane and Brown Counties, which will help with access to obtain appropriate ID for voting,
  7. Creates new offices and grant opportunities to promote equity and inclusion in all aspects of government and in our communities,
  8. Provides funding to increase access to affordable childcare, particularly in areas that are currently childcare deserts, and stipends for childcare workers based on educational attainment and longevity in the field,
  9. Raises the age for juvenile offenders to be treated as adults from 17 to 18,
  10. Repeals aspects of Act 10 to restore some collective bargaining rights and strengthen unions,
  11. Accepts Medicaid Expansion to cover adults making up to 138% of poverty, establishes a state-based health insurance marketplace in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act, establishes a program to provide premium assistance for those making between 138 – 250% of the federal poverty line, repeals BadgerCare work requirements,
  12. Repeals work requirements and drug screening for FoodShare recipients,
  13. Allows in-state tuition for immigrants who meet certain requirements,
  14. Allows for drivers licenses/state ID for undocumented immigrants,
  15. Raises the minimum wage to $10.15/hr by 2024 and sets up a commission to study the feasibility of raising to $15/hr.
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Unlock the Vote!

2/9/2021

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The following is a guest blog from Ramiah Whiteside, Community Organizer for EXPO - Ex-Prisoners Organizing. Read his important message on the disenfranchisement of thousands of Wisconsin citizens due to felony convictions, and hear from him why we should all care about this issue!  Then join us for a webinar on March 1 at 7:00 pm when you can hear directly from Ramiah himself. Register for the webinar here to receive the Zoom link.

My name is Ramiah Whiteside and I am a Community Organizer/Coordinator for EXPO; "Ex-incarcerated People Organizing." EXPO is a group led by directly impacted people who are committed to dismantling all systems that support mass incarceration and excessive supervision. We are dedicated to creating systems with policies that build healthy families and safe communities. 
EXPO is a statewide effort. Throughout the year, EXPO offers leadership training opportunities for formerly incarcerated people. EXPO recruits, trains, and supports people with conviction histories to be part of the movement for change.

   EXPO has played a pivotal role with the following:
• Ban the box for federal jobs
• Ban the box for local jobs in Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine
• Expand TAD funding (Treatment Alternatives and Diversions)
• Reduce the use of solitary confinement in WI prisons
• Expand funding for WI transitional jobs program
Other campaigns include:
• End crimeless revocations
• Restore the Vote/Unlock the Vote
• #Closemsdf
• #JUSTICEnotjails
• FREE- Lifting women's experience with incarceration and reentry
As a directly impacted person, currently on Parole Supervision, I am barred from voting. In fact, I will not be eligible to vote for at least another fifteen years. Along with me, there are over 40,000 additional Wisconsinites currently on felony supervision who are ineligible to vote. My case had nothing to do with voting. Reinstating my voting rights does not endanger the community in any way. My taxes are paid in full. My community engagement is far above average. In addition to my job, I also volunteer in the community. Even if I discovered the cure for ALL cancer and could change water to wine, I would still not be allowed to vote. While this is not the classic voting disenfranchisement, it is still a form of voter suppression.
 
Why is this relevant or important to anyone else? 

Voter suppression to one of us is suppression of all of us! Our Country was established on the premise that we would not allow a monarchy to tax us and then not represent us (taxation without representation). 

Today, we witness the effects of years of a myriad of systemic inequalities. EXPO has stood in solidarity with many other organizations locally and nationally to bring about changes in our Criminal Justice System. The data is overwhelmingly clear when we look at the arrest and conviction rates for minorities compared to everyone else. The data is overwhelmingly clear when we look at all of the disparities minorities suffer just because of their skin color or zip code. When we are not allowed the right to vote, we are unable to represent the priorities that we have in our communities. When we are not allowed to represent our communities, someone not from our communities makes laws that disproportionately HURT our communities. From years of felony disenfranchisement, our Black communities have been redistricted from an abhorrent system of gerrymandering. The right to vote is critical in rebuilding the Black Community. To that end, help EXPO Unlock the Vote! 

--
Ramiah Whiteside
Relational Organizer Fellow/EXPO

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