How will the results of the 2014 elections affect Wisconsin’s Jewish community?
First, a quick recap of what those results are.
For the third-straight legislative session, Republicans will control both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature and the governor’s office.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker easily fended off a challenge from Democrat Mary Burke to win his second term. The turnout was high for a gubernatorial race, with approximately 54 percent of voters casting a ballot statewide and several precincts experiencing near presidential levels of turnout. Still, this race did not end up nearly as close as previously predicted.
Republicans continued their domination of the Legislature.
Senate Republicans went into Election Day with 17-15 majority and one vacant seat. The GOP was able to fill the vacant seat and pick up another in the 21st Senate District where Van Wangaard was victorious in the race to fill John Lehman’s (D-Racine) open seat. Republicans will start the 2015-16 legislative session with a 19-14 majority.
In the Assembly, Republicans improved upon their 60-38 majority by picking up three seats in the 70th, 75th and 85th districts. Republicans will have a 63-36 majority, the largest since 1957.
Walker will introduce his third state budget in early 2015. He has said that he will continue to reform government by reducing dependence on public assistance programs and cutting taxes.
Republicans leaders in the Assembly and Senate say they will work on public policy issues ranging from economic development to expanding school choice to public assistance reform.
Wisconsin Jewish individuals and the work of many of the Jewish community’s service provider agencies, such as Jewish Social Services and Jewish Family Services, will be affected directly by many of the policy items being pursued this legislative session. They include:
Medicaid: Walker and the Legislature enacted major changes to Wisconsin’s Medicaid program last session. They lowered the income eligibility standards for parents and caretakers from 200 percent to 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
He also removed the cap on the number of childless adults allowed to enroll in the state’s Medicaid program and set the income eligibility standard at 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
While this change resulted in more childless adults qualifying for the program, it also meant that some parents and caretakers lost Medicaid eligibility.
Health care advocates continue to call on Walker and the Legislature to accept federal funding to expand Medicaid eligibility to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, but they have firmly stated this will not happen.
Public Assistance Reform: Additional reforms will likely be made to the state’s FoodShare (food stamp) and unemployment programs. Both Walker and Republican leaders have expressed an interest in requiring drug tests for individuals on public assistance programs.
In his speech on election night, Walker said he will continue to look for ways to move individuals from “government dependence to independence.”
Voter ID: The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling shortly before the November election placing Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement on hold.
Requiring a photo ID to vote has been a top priority for Republican leaders during the past two legislative sessions. If the U.S. Supreme Court does not ultimately uphold Wisconsin’s current law, Republican leaders say they will make tweaks to the law to ensure that it is constitutional.
Human Trafficking: During the2013-14 legislative session, the Legislature began to work on addressing this issue in Wisconsin with wide bipartisan support.
Many of the legislators who championed human trafficking legislation this past session are returning to the Legislature in 2015. Given the bipartisan support of this issue, it is likely that the Legislature will continue to give significant consideration to it.
SeniorCare: In their 2015 legislative agenda, Assembly Republicans identified fully funding SeniorCare, which helps Wisconsin seniors pay for prescription drugs, as one of their priorities.
Family Care: On Nov. 12, the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee voted to approve Family Care expansion to northeast Wisconsin.
By 2015, 64 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties will have access to this community-based long-term care program for people with disabilities and the frail elderly. It is unclear if the final eight counties will transition to Family Care this session.
School Choice: Both Walker and Republican legislative leaders have expressed interest in expanding the school choice program, which provides state funding for low-income students to attend private and religious schools.
Walker expanded the program statewide in his last budget, but enrollment is currently capped at 1,000 students for the 2014-15 school year. It is very likely that the caps will either be increased or removed entirely.
Mental Health: The Legislature passed several bills meant to improve the mental health system in Wisconsin last session. Assembly Republicans have again identified mental health reform as a top priority for the 2015-16 session.
One of the initiatives they are championing is creating a Treatment Alternative and Diversion program for offenders who suffer from mental illness.
Minimum Wage: On Election Day, 13 Wisconsin communities passed advisory referendums to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. Democratic members of the Legislature are already drafting legislation to enact this change.
However, Walker has previously stated that he does not believe the minimum wage “serves a purpose.” Republican legislative leaders have not commented on this proposal yet.
Michael Blumenfeld is executive director of the Wisconsin Jewish Conference.
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