Dear Friends, This week, seven bills I authored became law! The bills continue the state's fight against opioid addiction, improve educational opportunities for veterans and children, and get more qualified workers into family-supporting jobs. So far this session, 19 of my bills and the state budget are now law. Despite what you may hear from the media, almost all bills have bi-partisan support. According to the the non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau, 94% of bills had bipartisan votes this session. I'm proud to work with both sides of the aisle to get things done for you. Good luck to Homestead, Nicolet, Menomonee Falls/Germantown, and Whitefish Bay high schools' gymnastics teams as they take part at the WIAA Tournament in Wisconsin Rapids this weekend! 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!

Seven Darling Bills Now Law

Here is a summary of the seven new laws and how they will move Wisconsin forward.

Wisconsin Act 119: Part of the HOPE Agenda, this bill expands access to medication-assisted treatment in our correctional facilities. Wisconsin Act 120: Also part of the HOPE Agenda, increases access to safe and reliable recovery housing. These bills continue the state's successful HOPE Agenda and continue our fight against opioid addiction. Both bills will help people in our state struggling with addition.

Wisconsin Act 154: Requires state agencies to create a Diabetes Action Plan for Wisconsin. The plan will recommend ways to reduce the impact of diabetes in our state. Nearly 30% of adults in our state have diabetes and don't know it. This bill develops a plan to combat the seventh leading cause of death in the country.

Wisconsin Act 123: Creates a council to review and issue certificates for ex-offenders who are not likely to pose a risk to public safety. The certificate will help people who have paid their debt to society re-enter the workforce and give employers protections for hiring them. Too often inmates learn new skills in prison, but aren't able to use them after they served their time. My bill helps make sure talented workers can re-enter the workforce.

Wisconsin Act 149: Allows veterans to use the Wisconsin GI Bill for private colleges. Our veterans bravely served this nation and bring leadership and value to our communities. This bill gives vets more options to continue their education here and find a job in Wisconsin after they complete their degree.

Wisconsin Act 170: Students who start school without basic skills are more likely to drop out and never graduate from college. My bill creates a pilot program to create an online early learning program to help kids better transition into kindergarten. This new law will help make sure students are ready for school and won't fall behind. With online help before they enter schools, children will have a better chance at success.

Wisconsin Act 117: According to a 2018 report from the Office of Children's Mental Health, 24% of Wisconsin teens have been diagnosed with a mental illness. The same report shows our state is lacking in providing access to the care they need.  Now we will be able to help connect kids with mental health services in their schools. Through consultations with mental health professionals at the Medical College of Wisconsin, school personnel will be educated on how to manage mental health concerns in the classroom, where to refer complex cases, and will also receive educational training seminars.

Local Road Projects Funded

Congratulations to the Village of Fox Point which received $200,000 to improve Santa Monica Boulevard. Also to the Town of Grafton for getting $293,659 for Cedar Sauk Road. And to the Village of Germantown for receiving $1,000,000 for work on Holy Hill Road. Those grants are part of $90 million in road funding that we put in the state budget. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed $15 million out of the fund that could have fixed more roads.

Wisconsin is Still Winning!

Did you know? Taxpayers are now paying the lowest share of their income to pay state and local taxes in at least 50 years. According to a report from the non-partisan Wisconsin Policy Forum, the tax burden has declined in our state every year since 2011. Total personal income, which includes wages and salaries, investment income, and government benefits, rose 5.1% to $299.93 billion in calendar year 2018. Wisconsin is ranked in the top ten in the nation for female entrepreneurs. Our last budget started with a surplus of more than $1 billion. By 2021, we will have cut taxes by more than $13 billion since 2011. Wisconsin is finally out of the top ten highest taxed states in the nation. Wisconsin’s GDP was 2.9% for the first quarter of 2019. That’s higher than Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Michigan. For all of 2018, Wisconsin’s economy grew 2.5%, the best year of growth for the state since 2010. WalletHub ranks Wisconsin as the 6th best state to live in. CNBC ranks Wisconsin as the 17th best state in the nation for business. According to the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy, the income for a median family of four in Wisconsin grew 13.1% since 2010. Nationally, incomes grew 10.7%.

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