State Budget Won't Wait for Recall Election Outcome

Sixteen years ago I started on a path precipitated by the deaths, 6 months apart, of my grandmother and mother from breast cancer. I began volunteering for the newly-formed Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition (WBCC), eventually joining the Board of Directors, serving 3 years as President, and now am Executive Director - the only staff for this non partisan, grassroots advocacy organization.

My first "official" job as a member of the Board was to be part of a press conference with Alberta Darling to promote a Healthy Schools bill that would ban the use of pesticides & herbicides on school grounds.  Over the years, Alberta has been a staunch supporter of our cause - not surprising, given that she is a breast cancer survivor herself. I have a State Assembly commendation for our work, jointly signed by both her and former State Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, hanging in my office. When funding for the state's Well Woman Program, which provides breast and cervical cancer screenings for uninsured or underinsured women, has been cut in the last 2 proposed budgets, she has helped get the funding restored.

Yesterday was WBCC's lobby day at the Capitol. The Senate was in session so Alberta wasn't available for a sit down but we presented our biggest concern to her aide. Why, oh why, would Senator Darling support a policy change in the budget giving Dennis Smith, the unelected head of the Department of Health Services complete power to make whatever changes he wants to programs within DHS without legislative oversight? Why would ANY legislator give up not only their voice but the voices of their constituents to one administration official? Clearly, a 25-year-old aide is not going to speak for the Senator and answer that question. However, moments later , as my sister Kelly Herda and I were in the hallway, we had an Alberta spotting...... and did what every other constituent stalker would do. We followed her into the ladies room.

Well, this is not the ideal place to hold a confab, but what the heck? Her response to us? "They're running ads in my district saying I don't support women's health!"  (Cue the violins).

Well, let's see. Yes, she helped restore the 10% cut to Well Woman. But Dennis Smith will have the power to cut the program, change eligibility for it, and/or remove the Medicaid treatment component for women who are diagnosed through it, as soon as this budget passes and she GAVE him the power to do so without anything more than a report to Joint Finance. She supports de- funding Planned Parenthood, who provides thousands of screenings for underserved women in Wisconsin. Those cuts will close down 8 or 9 clinics in rural areas that serve as those counties' only Public Health Departments. This budget contains multiple assaults on women's health - and Alberta has supported every one of them, lockstep with Governor Walker and the Fitzgerald brothers. She's become a Stepford Senator.

WBCC is looking for some brave Republicans to step up and offer an amendment to the budget next week to remove this horrible policy change regarding the head of DHS. I have a better chance of a dream date with Johnny Depp than that happening...... However, I will ask all of you in Alberta's district to keep calling her office and push on this issue.  As we told her aide yesterday, WBCC has over 1000 members and supporters in the 8th district - she needs to hear from them before the budget goes to the floor next week.