Dear Friends,

Once again, our careful budgeting is paying off for Wisconsin taxpayers. Back in January, the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau announced that Wisconsin has an estimated surplus of $3.8 billion! That's the highest estimate ever. Now it looks like the surplus will grow even more.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, tax collections are up more than 5% compared to last year. Our reforms, tax cuts, and careful budgeting over the past decade have helped deliver this surplus. Since part of the surplus is from one-time federal funds, it would be irresponsible to use that money for ongoing expenses, particularly with the threat of a recession looming. It's my hope we will deliver as much of the surplus as possible back to you.

Also, this week I worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to author a bipartisan letter to Wisconsin’s congressional delegation urging our federal legislators to save the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. You can read more about that effort below.

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!
Darling Urges Congress to Help Families
An important program for Wisconsin families is in jeopardy. I'm happy to report that more than 50 lawmakers from both houses of the Legislature and both sides of the aisle signed a bipartisan letter I authored to try to save it. 

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) is a federal grant program that supports evidence-based home visiting for families from pregnancy through kindergarten entry. Home visiting programs provide important support for low-income, high-risk families to improve the health and well-being of children and new parents. The MIECHV program is set to expire on September 30, 2022, unless Congress takes action to reauthorize the program. This program provides millions of dollars for Wisconsin to use for our successful, evidence-based home visiting programs. 

This week, I sent a bipartisan letter to Congress requesting the reauthorization of the MIECHV program, an increase in funds to meet current needs better, and the continuance of a policy to allow virtual home visits. Virtual visits were instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and both providers and participating families appreciated the added flexibility virtual visits provided.

It's my hope our letter will spur Congressional leaders to act and re-authorize this program quickly.
Protecting Wisconsin's Elections
I continue to have significant concerns about the way election observers and poll workers were treated in November of 2020. The public has a right to watch our election process, and poll workers must be able to conduct their work without being harassed.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case in Milwaukee. Observers were denied access to the viewing process and some observers and election officials were even threatened with violence. That's why I authored a common-sense reform to help restore trust in our electoral system.

Senate Bill 210 solidifies the rights of poll observers and protects the men and women who serve as election officials. 

Under my bill, election observers must be allowed uniform and nondiscriminatory access to all stages of the election process, including the certification of election technologies, early voting, absentee voting, voter appeals, vote tabulation, and recounts. Clear rules for everyone and a high level of transparency make elections smooth and promote public trust.

Sadly, the Governor vetoed this common-sense reform.
Happy Independence Day!
Click on the picture for a list of Fourth of July fireworks in our area.
Around the 8th...