Starting Sunday, everyone in Southern Wisconsin will be required to include the area code on numbers you dial on your phone. This change affects everyone in the 414, 262, 920, and 609 area codes. For more information, visit here.

Wisconsin remains in strong financial shape. Thanks to years of careful budgeting, our state closed out the fiscal year with a record surplus of $2.58 billion surplus. This didn't happen by accident. We prevented billions in tax hikes and deficits that Governor Evers' proposed budgets would have caused. We have been careful with your money and significantly lowered the tax burden for working families in Wisconsin.

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.

When a patient is going through life-saving medical treatments like chemotherapy, the last thing they need is for their insurance company to make them jump through hoops. That’s exactly what is happening in our state.

This week, I authored a bill with State Representative Tony Kurtz of Wonewoc called "Koreen’s law." It's named after a Wisconsin woman whose insurance company put unnecessary hurdles that delayed her chemotherapy. Koreen's insurance company engaged in a dangerous and unfair process called "white bagging."

Koreen was eight months pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Soon after giving birth, she began chemotherapy treatments. Months into her treatment, Koreen’s insurance company told her they wouldn’t pay for the medication provided by her hospital any longer. Instead, her medicine would need to be shipped to the hospital or administered at a specialty pharmacy.

This raised red flags for her oncologist who became concerned her team couldn’t guarantee they would have the drugs when needed or whether they would still be safe and effective after being shipped. While Koreen eventually received a 90-day exemption to complete her treatment, many Wisconsinites have not been as fortunate.

This raised red flags for her oncologist who became concerned her team couldn’t guarantee they would have the drugs when needed or whether the medication would still be safe and effective after being shipped. While Koreen eventually received a 90-day exemption to finish her treatment, many Wisconsinites have not been as fortunate.

Koreen’s story, and others, can be found by visiting www.PatientsFirstWI.com. If you, or someone you know, has also experienced delays in care from white bagging, please share your story on the website.

You can find out more about white bagging and how it could affect your healthcare by clicking on the video above.

I serve on the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges and this week, we had a fascinating informational hearing on the Chinese Communist Party is having on our institutions of higher learning.

Congressman Mike Gallagher and a host of experts testified. Click on the video above to watch the hearing.

If kids don't learn how to read by the end of third grade, they are likely to fall behind in all of their other subjects and say poor readers for the rest of their lives. On Thursday, the Senate Education Committee, which I chair, approved an important bill to make sure kids become early and proficient readers.

I co-authored Senate Bill 454 with Senator Kathy Bernier of Chippewa Falls which will screen schoolchildren on their reading abilities earlier and more often, notify parents of any issues, and create a clear direction to get kids back on track to succeed. This is one of the most important bills we've heard in the Education Committee and many people traveled to the Capitol to express their support.

In our state, 64% of fourth-graders are not proficient in reading. Sadly, our state ranks dead-last in reading achievement among black students. Hispanic students dropped from 1st in the nation to 28th while white students fell from 6th to 27th. This can't continue.

Our bill is based on successful models in other states, including Mississippi which saw their reading levels increase dramatically after passing similar legislation. If kids can't read, their prospects in life are dim. We can't let that happen any longer. It's my hope this bill will change the way reading is taught in our schools and make it a priority. Spotting reading problems sooner dramatically increases the chance that a child will succeed in school and in life.

The bill now heads to the full State Senate for further consideration.

I'm happy to report that an early learning program that I helped create is showing positive signs after its first year. More than 83% of students in the Waterford Upstart program are demonstrating strong readiness for Kindergarten.

This is great news. Too many of our kids are falling behind. The achievement gap in too many school districts is appalling. Innovative programs like Waterford Upstart will help us close the achievement gap and provide a solid base for children to show up ready to learn when they reach kindergarten. Waterford Upstart helps low-come, four-year-old children prepare for school at home for free.

Especially during these times, it’s important to have online learning options with proven methods that lead to future success. If you know of a family that could benefit from Waterford Upstart, click here.

Do you know a remarkable young person who is interested in government? The Senate Scholar Program is a week-long program, where students get to see first-hand how the State Senate operates.

Only 33 students are picked for the 2022 program and applications are due by November 1st. You can read more about the program by clicking here.

The new Wisconsin Blue Books will soon be here!

The Blue Book is an invaluable resource about our state's history, demographics, and data.

If you would like a copy, please click on the picture and fill out the form. We will mail one out to you at no cost.

We expect the Blue Books to arrive in a couple weeks. My office will ship them out as soon as possible.

One way you can help is by donating blood. If you have recovered from COVID-19, please especially consider donating your plasma.

You can find out where to donate here and here.