Dear Friends,

Last week, Representative Evan Goyke of Milwaukee and I met with the members of the policy board of the Waukesha Business Alliance about the bi-partisan Pathways to Employment bill that we are working on with Representative David Steffen. I'm happy to report the Alliance has endorsed our bill!

Our Pathways to Employment Bill will reform our state's expungement laws. This will allow someone to remove a criminal conviction from their record after they have served their time, if a judge allows it. Often a previous conviction is the only thing holding someone back from supporting themselves and their families. You can read more about our bill here.

Congratulations to 3-year-old Lainie Stephens for raising hundreds of dollars for the Germantown Police Department's K-9 unit. She set up a lemonade stand to raise money for the department. You can still help. Lainie's family set up a gofundme page to accept donations for the K-9 unit. Thank you Lainie!

As always, if you have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our great state, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 608-266-5830 or by email at Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov.

On, Wisconsin!
Character Education Public Hearing
Kids learn a lot of important things in school, but one thing I believe they should learn about is how to be a good citizen and to respect others.

This week, the Senate Committee on Education held a public hearing on Senate Bill 138, which I authored with Representative Jessie Rodriguez of Oak Creek and Senator Chris Larson of Milwaukee. Our bill would give schools funding to create a character education curriculum.

Character education is about creating a culture of respect and understanding in schools. Values such as respect, justice, civic virtue, citizenship, and responsibility for self and others are crucial in our society. Watch the video above to see how character education is making a difference in schools in our area.
Empowering Victims of Sexual Assault
Thanks to investments we made, our state has virtually eliminated the backlog for testing sexual assault kits. This week, I testified in favor of my bill that will give victims of sexual assault up-to-date information on their kits as they go through the legal process.

Under the bill, the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System will be a data bank for health care professionals, law enforcement, state crime laboratory personnel, and prosecutors to update information on the location and status of a sexual assault kit. The bill also enables victims to track or receive updates on the location and status of their kit. The bill provides $800,000 in funding to create the initial infrastructure for the data bank.

It’s time for Wisconsin to ensure that victims of sexual assault have access to information about their sexual assault kits. I’ve worked with members of both houses and both parties to ensure that Wisconsin statutes protect victims and prevent another backlog of cases. This bill will empower victims to track their sexual assault kit as it moves through the criminal justice process.
Protecting the Families of Fallen Officers
On Tuesday, I was proud to stand with the authors of a bipartisan bill that provides health insurance protection for the immediate families of fallen police officers. I am a co-author of the bill written by State Senator Van Wangaard of Racine and State Representative John Spiros of Marshfield.

Since 2011, sixteen police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. The families of those fallen officers are often suddenly left with no income and no health care. This bill will provide health insurance coverage for a spouse until they reach age 65 or remarries and for surviving children until they reach age 26.

Wisconsin already provides this protection to firefighters that die in the line of duty, it's time we also protect the families of police officers.
September is Suicide Prevention Month
Wisconsin is Still Winning!
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