Dear Friends,

I hope you are well. We are getting great news on our economy. The U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is exceeding very high expectations. On Thursday, the Commerce Department announced the economy grew at a whopping 33.1%! That's fantastic news.

While there is good news in the economy, we are seeing some concerning news in the number of COVID-19 cases in our state and in our area. So please be careful and continue to follow CDC guidelines, wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands.

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!

It's been one week and still no answers or even an acknowledgment from Governor Tony Evers over delays in responding to families waiting for the unemployment.

Hundreds of constituents who followed the rules and have more than half a year are still waiting to hear from Tony Evers' administration. These are real families, facing real crisis.

Last week, I joined Representatives Janel Brandtjen, Jim Ott, and Dan Knodl to send a letter to the Evers Administration asking for the Department of Workforce Development to further utilize the tools provided to the administration to shift staff between agencies as well as expand call center hours. 

We are still waiting on Governor Evers to even acknowledge our letter. This week, we sent another letter asking for a response from Governor Evers. 

A recent news story highlighted the struggles of Brittney Gitzlaff of Menomonee Falls. Brittney is still waiting for answers from the Department of Workforce Development - eight months after filing her claim. She's not alone. Hundreds of constituents have reached out to our offices - some experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, issues with mental health, and trouble accessing critical medications.

You can read the original letter to Governor Evers here.

Recently, the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a review of how Governor Evers has spent the $2 billion from the federal CARES Act meant to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the report, the governor has announced $1.87 billion in programs with $127.3 million remaining. Any funding not used by December must be returned to the federal government.

 

Earlier this year, the legislature acted quickly and passed a COVID-19 Response bill. The bill cut red tape and allows the administration to act quickly to respond to the needs of our constituents. 

 

The COVID-19 Response Bill: 

 

I'm proud to have supported this. The ideas in this legislation came from Republicans, Democrats, and experts affected by the pandemic and the shutdown. It is truly Wisconsin-made solutions to the crisis we all face. 

The table above contains data reported on October 28, 2020 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on coronavirus cases in our area.

According to data from the Center for Disease Control, emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms are around three percent.

Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker

Early voting will soon be coming to an end, click on the button above to find the deadline for early voting in your community.

If you haven't returned your absentee ballot yet, it must be completed and returned by 8:00 pm on Election Day, November 3rd. Click on the button for more information.

If you prefer to vote on Election Day, make sure you have a plan and know where you vote. Click here to find out what's on your ballot and where to find your polling location.