Dear Friends,

Congratulations to Sussex Hamilton's Patrick Baldwin Jr.! Patrick is one of the top basketball recruits in the nation and was pursued by Duke and Georgetown. Instead, he is staying home to play for his father at UW-Milwaukee! It's very exciting for the Panthers to land the number four ranked senior in the country.

Everyone in Wisconsin 12 and older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. If you are eligible and are having trouble finding the COVID-19 vaccine in your area, the State of Wisconsin now has a map of vaccine providers. The website not only helps link people to the vaccine but also provides information on how the state is distributing doses. The state also has a COVID-19 Vaccine Assistance Hotline. The hotline is offering personal assistance for vaccine-related questions. The toll-free number is 1-844-684-1064.

Please continue to be careful and follow CDC guidelines. Continue to wear a mask when necessary, practice social distancing, wash your hands, and get vaccinated.

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!
Senate Approves Election Reforms
We are making progress in ensuring our elections are fair, transparent, and secure. This week, the State Senate passed two more election reforms. So far, the Senate has approved six different election protections.

On Tuesday, the Senate approved one of my election reforms that will make sure our laws are clear and consistent. Senate Bill 212, authored by Representative Joe Sanfelippo and me, will give voters notice if there is a problem with their ballot and allows them to correct it. It also helps prevent outside groups from having access to your ballot at any point in the process.

Fixing problems on a ballot is a good thing. Who fixes those mistakes is also important. Until the vote is counted, the ballot should belong to the voter, not the clerk or an outside group. For too long, we have relied on guidance and not the law when it comes to curing ballots.

In her dissent in the Trump lawsuit case, Chief Justice Roggensack raised serious issues regarding ballot curing in our state. She noted that guidance issued by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) directed clerks to write in missing address information. However, the statutes do not permit that and, instead, mandate that when ballots are counted, any ballots with missing witness addresses must be discarded. Without clear laws, everyone's absentee ballot is in jeopardy of not counting on election day.

We saw a record level of absentee ballots cast in the last election. Since that trend will likely continue, it’s important to update our statutes and make sure everyone is playing by the same rules.
Back the Badge
It's National Police Week and our great law enforcement officers need to know we support them. Like many others, I have been working diligently over the past several weeks to consider how we might go about addressing reforming law enforcement. I am and have been listening to all sides to find solutions. However, reforming police does not mean defunding them.

Law enforcement does a great job, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. This week, the Senate approved four bi-partisan police reforms that I authored with former police officer and chair of the Senate Judiciary & Public Safety Committee Van Wanggaard of Racine and Senator Lena Taylor of Milwaukee. Our bills focus on maintaining effective law enforcement service while improving the accountability and transparency of police and increasing community involvement.

The package was developed through conversations last summer between the senators, law enforcement, and reform advocates. I’m excited and encouraged to find common ground to foster a better relationship between the police and the communities they serve.

The bills approved this week will:
  • Reform the dysfunctional and controversial Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission and Madison Police and Fire Commission
  • Require the publication of use-of-force policies
  • Create annual reporting of use-of-force incidents
  • Begin a $600,000 grant for a Community-Oriented Policing (COP) house program which Racine implemented in 1996 and helped reduce crime.
COVID-19 Vaccine, Testing Information
Please Donate Blood, Plasma
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.
COVID-19 Cases in Our Area
The table above contains data reported on May 12, 2021 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on coronavirus cases in our area.
Emergency Room Visits with COVID Symptoms
Around the 8th...