Dear Friends,

Another successful Wisconsin State Fair is in the books. This year's event drew more than one million visitors! That's up nearly 20%! More than 300,000 cream puffs were sold and more than 100,00 ears of corn. The 2023 fair will be held from August 3rd through the 13th. I already can't wait!

I'd like to congratulate the students of Richmond Middle School in Sussex. They painted a beautiful mural for the residents of VMP Healthcare in West Allis. It's great to see teens giving their time and talents to brighten the lives of others. You can find out more here.

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!

Once again, a state agency is falling short for the workers of Wisconsin. This week, I sent a letter to the acting head of the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), Dan Hereth, asking for a plan to stop the licensing crisis the agency has yet to resolve in our state. 

Everyone from plumbers to psychiatrists needs to have their licenses approved by DSPS. Without state-approved licenses, people can’t work. For the last year, constituents looking to keep or fill jobs in an already tight labor market were ignored by the DSPS. They wait on hold for hours and end up getting dumped to voice mail. Often their checks were cashed months before they received an answer on why their license was still on hold. This is unacceptable.

I am asking DSPS for their plan to help my constituents and workers throughout the state get the licenses they need to work. I want the agency to know that their inaction is hurting everyone in our state.

This is not the first time the Evers administration has failed to act efficiently for the people of Wisconsin. The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) left thousands unemployed without the money they owed. Like DSPS, people struggled to get ahold of someone at the agency. The non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau found that DWD didn't even answer 93% of the phone calls made by people seeking information about their unemployment payments. 

This week, the Joint Committee on Finance took another step toward closing the troubled youth detention center, Lincoln Hills. The committee authorized more than $13 million for a new facility in Milwaukee County. 

Closing Lincoln Hills has been a priority for me, but it also was important to me to make sure the new location had the support of local communities. That's why I served on a study committee and authored a bipartisan bill to close the facility a couple of years ago. 

The Milwaukee City Council recently approved a new site. I'm grateful it is closer to becoming reality.