State Legislative Advocacy
2. Continue to support the extension of Wisconsin’s Senior Care program by supporting the federal waiver to Wisconsin.
3. Continue our efforts to work for reform of Wisconsin’s property tax code so that no person is forced out of their home because of their inability to pay property taxes. Possible ways to provide relief/reform include but not limited to the following:
~ Increase the state’s sales tax, including the elimination of some sales tax exemptions, to provide property tax relief while maintaining high-quality public education
~ Increase the eligibility for the state’s Homestead Tax Credit program by retroactively increasing the homestead income eligibility level for inflation and then index the eligibility level for future inflation (Computer Price Index)
~ Exempt the first $60,000 of assessed value from the local property tax
~ Amend the state constitution to allow options to tax residential property at different levels to take into consideration age and/or income
~ Review and determine those recommendations by the Wisconsin Way Project in reducing our reliance on property taxes to pay for education and other local services.
4. Continue to support the expansion of the state’s Elderly Benefit Specialist program to meet the benefits counseling needs of the rapidly growing elderly population in each county.
5. Support increased funding for the state’s Elderly and Disabled Transportation program. Support legislation to create Regional Transportation Authorities to provide more efficient and cost-effective transit systems for older persons.
6. Expand the Ombudsman program to provide services to Family Care participants, to residents of assisted living, and to nursing home residents, especially through an expanded Volunteer Ombudsman program.
7. Continue to oppose a state constitutional amendment known as Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) or Taxpayers Protection Act (TPA), which takes away local control from taxpayers.
8. Continue to support state legislation to provide more cost-effective and universal health care to Wisconsin residents, including but not limited to the need for patient centered care, quality measures and outcomes, prevention and wellness programs and the need for coordinated and continuity of care.
9. Support state legislation to reform and strengthen Wisconsin’s campaign finance reform laws, such as public financing of our state constitutional elected offices and all legislative elected offices.
10. Continue to support the increased access to dental care, especially for children and persons receiving Medicaid and Badger Care.
11. Expand access to benefits by increasing income levels and eliminating asset testing in the Medicare buy-in programs.
12. Support increase in the minimum wage to a “livable wage” in order to create interest in lower paying jobs for those over age 18.
13. Improve and increase low-income and elderly housing with supportive services, especially for people with mental and physical health disabilities.
14. Support repeal of Wisconsin’s minimum markup law for low cost prescription drugs only.
15. Support high quality nursing home care in Wisconsin through higher reimbursement for better quality care and higher acuity levels, and a more appropriate geographic distribution of the number of licensed beds.
16. Expand consumer protection laws, especially in telemarketing, predatory mortgage lending, health care fraud, check-cashing companies (pay day lenders), e-commerce fraud and consumer protections for all utility rate payers.
17. Support legislation to improve mental health services for the elderly and all consumers including parity with other medical health insurance coverage without legislative loopholes.
18. Support passage of stronger environmental protection laws for both surface and ground water, and for higher air quality standards to alleviate the causes of asthma and other respiratory diseases among children and the elderly. In addition, support statewide regulation of greenhouse gases (CO2) in Wisconsin.
19. Close tax loopholes so that corporations pay their fair share for state services and taxes.
20. Exempt pension income from state income tax for lower income people.
21. Support the need for “adequate notice” for older adults and persons with disabilities when Family Care programs cause a change in their residential location.
22. Support an interest cap on all payday lenders that would limit interest charges and hidden fees to 36% or less. (Current payday lender interest rates are 400% to 500% per annum causing financial exploitation and injustice to the elderly and other vulnerable consumers).
23. Support legislation that would eliminate the state statutes of limitation for children of sexual assault/sexual abuse in order for them to use the legal system on accused sexual predators.
24. Support legislation that would protect the elderly and disability consumers in nursing homes or residential homes from requiring residents and/or guardians from signing arbitration agreements that take away their rights to civil action for nursing home or residential homes violation of patient safety, negligence and other forms of physical and mental abuse.
25. Support legislation that would prohibit for one year, Public Services Commissioners, their executive assistants and department heads from accepting employment and/or consulting contracts from utilities, utility holding companies, utility subsidiaries, utility law firms, utility consulting and/or public relation firms and utility lobbying organizations or associations.
26. Support legislation that would prohibit state constitutional elected office holders and legislative elected office holders from becoming a lobbyist or governmental affairs consultants with any organization or company that had lobbied state government within the last year of the office holder term. This law would also include state cabinet secretaries of the Governor.
27. Support legislation that would prevent the Governor and the legislator from taking segregated funding/fee sources to balance the state budget. (Using segregated funding/fee sources are double taxation.)
28. Support Drug Reform that would reduce the cost of prescription drugs to government, employers and to people of all ages, especially our elderly.
29. Support a Wisconsin constitutional amendment to ban all oil drilling in the Great Lakes and to support the Great Lakes Compact (all current Great Lake States and Canadian Providences) and redouble our efforts to protect the Great Lakes – the world’s largest freshwater system – to potential environmental threats before disaster can strike.
30. Oppose any Medicaid “rate reform” which reduces or eliminates vital services to older adults or persons with disabilities.
31. Support affordable college education for Wisconsin residents by holding tuition increases to the rate of inflation.
