Latest news with #WisconsinStateAssembly
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State legislators in Waukesha County push for more district attorney positions in budget
The Waukesha County District Attorney's Office, struggling through what it considers a critical staffing shortage, has at least caught the ears of eight state legislative leaders. Wisconsin State Assembly representatives whose districts include Waukesha County submitted a budget amendment motion on May 20 that proposes funding for the addition of 10 more Waukesha County assistant district attorney positions — a measure they say addresses a core Republican concern about public safety. The effort at least targets a concern county officials have recently addressed about the lack of funding for state-mandated services. In April, Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese focused on her own 16-attorney department. In a loosely orchestrated public campaign, including media interviews, she spelled out the difficulties her staff has faced as caseloads have grown and the number of prosecutors to work on them has not. "It's just become a crisis," Boese said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in April. "I've got prosecutors who I think are kind of getting burned out by the hours. At some point, you can't do more with less." Individually, the eight legislators — State Reps. Scott Allen, Barbara Dittrich, Cindi Duchow, Dan Knodl, Dave Maxey, Adam Neylon, Jim Piwowarczyk and Chuck Wichgers — essentially concurred in statements issued May 20. In a news release, they noted that the budget proposal addresses rising caseloads and criminal justice efficiency. "Public safety is the primary function of government," Allen, of District 82, said in a statement. "We cannot keep our community safe if our justice system does not have enough staff to do the work." Neylon, whose District 15 office issued the news release, noted the caseload backlog threatens a fundamental right to "timely justice" for victims and defendants alike. "The justice system in Waukesha County is under immense strain, with a growing backlog of unresolved cases," Neylon, of Pewaukee, said. "Without immediate investment in staffing, our courts cannot ensure a fair and swift judicial process. It's time to give Waukesha County's justice system the tools it needs to serve our community." District 97 Rep. Duchow, R-Town of Delafield, echoed earlier data called out by Boese, who noted that Waukesha County had the second fewest prosecutors per capita in the state, based on 2024 figures. (Using two different metrics, Boese said her office is short between 10.6 to 24.7 attorneys.) "The Waukesha County's DA office has been and continues to be understaffed and overwhelmed," Duchow said. "We're not talking about a few vacant positions, or having a few extra cases to manage." Legislators also echoed concerns by county officials about the impact of residents from outside the county on the local criminal caseload. You can read the statements from all eight legislative leaders here. Strictly speaking, the proposal for more district attorney funding isn't tied to existing legislation. Rather, it's part of a collection of ideas, in the form of budget motions, that will take shape in the coming weeks as the state fully forms its budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. In a brief phone interview, Allen noted that the Assembly's Joint Finance Committee "has only taken a couple of actions so far," meaning the process is barely underway to create a 2025-2027 budget. Whether the district attorney staffing issue will gain the support of that committee depends on numerous factors as funding prospects are debated. The district attorney proposal will fall under the state Department of Justice budget, Allen said. Ideally, the budget process would conclude prior to the start of the new fiscal year, he said. Otherwise, under Wisconsin law, the government would continue to operate under funding established in the current fiscal year. As such, additional funding for the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office would have to come from the new fiscal year budget. The funding proposal is tied to a broader effort by the county officials to gain additional financial assistance from the state for mandated services. Those services include law enforcement and prosecutorial positions that county officials say are threatened by their own budget. County officials, whose own budget crisis was publicized in 2024 as they considered a local sales tax to raise new revenue, had indicated in recent months that they hoped to gain legislative support for more state funding. That push became more pronounced after the county abandoned an ordinance proposal that would have put a county sales tax in place on July 1, 2025. But the district attorney proposal represented a more focused effort, citing what officials called an unworkable situation that threatens public safety. In a May 21 statement, Boese thanked area legislators for hearing her message, noting that funding for county attorney positions doesn't only fall short in Waukesha County. "The lack of funding for prosecutors in Wisconsin has hit a crises level," she said. Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Legislators seek funding for Waukesha County District Attorney jobs
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Assembly passes bipartisan health care bills including letting pharmacists prescribe birth control
The bill passed 87-10 with only Republican lawmakers voting against. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The Wisconsin State Assembly, in a departure from prior floor debates this session, passed several widely bipartisan bills related to health care, including one to exempt direct primary care services from insurance laws and another to allow pharmacist to prescribe birth control. AB 43 would allow pharmacists to prescribe certain birth control, including the pill and contraceptive patches, to patients 18 and older as a way of making it easier to access. Currently, Wisconsin patients have to make an appointment with a doctor or advanced practice nurse and answer a mandatory list of questions regarding their health before a doctor could prescribe birth control. Once a physician determines it safe, patients can take a prescription to a pharmacy to be filled. Under the bill, pharmacists would have to give patients a self-assessment questionnaire and do blood pressure screening. If there are any 'red flags,' then a pharmacist would need to refer patients to see a physician. Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) said during a press conference ahead of the session that the process included in the bill is 'much more rigorous' than when women get birth control online. He said it would also help women with family planning, noting that about half of pregnancies in Wisconsin are unplanned each year. 'These women are unlikely to finish school, and it will severely affect their potential earnings throughout their lives…' Kitchens said. 'Birth control is 99.9% effective when it's used according to directions and regularly. The lack of access is the biggest reason that it sometimes fails. Women will leave home for a couple of days and forget about it, or they can't make an appointment with their doctor, and this bill is going to help with all of that.' This is the fourth time the Assembly has passed a similar bill. Last session, it passed a Senate committee but it never came for a floor vote. Kitchens said he thinks there is a 'good chance the Senate will pass it this time.' Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) said in a statement that the policy 'will increase access to contraceptives, particularly for women who live in rural areas, where many Wisconsinites live closer to their pharmacy than they do to their doctor's office,' and urged her Senate colleagues to take up the bill. 'This is a good bill that will make for greater access to contraception. I have voted for this proposal four sessions in a row. I urge the Senate to follow our lead,' Rodriguez said. The bill passed 87-10 with only Republican lawmakers voting against. SB 4 would exempt direct primary care, which is a health care model where patients pay a monthly or annual fee to a physician or practice for access to primary care services, from insurance laws. Advocates have said that clarifying that insurance law doesn't apply to direct primary care doctors would encourage more providers to opt in to this model. Bill author Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Town of Delafield) said at a press conference that direct primary care 'is not insurance.' 'It's a private contract you have with the doctor, then you have insurance for something catastrophic — if you need to have surgery or you have a heart attack, you have insurance to cover that — but this is just for your everyday needs, and it's more one-on-one, and you have more personal experiences with the doctors,' Duchow said. Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) expressed concerns about the bill, noting that it is missing nondiscrimination language and that she would be voting against it. '[This] is getting us nowhere helpful,' Vining said. The nondiscrimination language, Vining referenced, was in relation to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 'gender identity.' Conservative organizations had lobbied against the bill last session due to the inclusion of that language and it never received a vote in the Senate. Vining expressed concerns that Evers might veto the bill without the nondiscrimination language. Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) said she had similar concerns but would be voting for it. 'I think it is a good bill, and it does something that is important, but I do it knowing that I wish the bill could be stronger,' Subeck said. The Assembly concurred in SB 4 in a voice vote. The Senate passed the bill in March, and it will now head to Evers' desk. Lawmakers also concurred in SB 14, a bill to require written informed consent from a patient when a hospital performs a pelvic examination for educational purposes on a patient while the patient is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious. The bill was advocated for by Sarah Wright, a teacher who was subjected to a nonconsensual pelvic exam while she was undergoing abdominal surgery in Madison in 2009. Subeck said it is a 'horrifying' story that Wright has shared every legislative session. '[Wright] was unconscious. There was no medical need for a pelvic exam and medical students were brought in to do public exams in order to learn the procedure because it's easy as to learn on an unconscious individual,' Subeck said. 'This is tantamount to sexual assault. This is not giving consent. This is assuming consent from somebody who is unconscious.' Subeck noted in a statement that lawmakers have been working on the legislation for over a decade. 'It has taken far too long, but we are finally honoring her bravery by putting an end to this disturbing and unethical practice,' Subeck said in a statement. 'Patients entrust medical professionals with their care at their most vulnerable moments. That trust must never be violated. Performing a medically unnecessary and invasive exam without consent is not only a breach of ethics — it is a violation that can feel indistinguishable from sexual assault.' Rep. Joy Goeben (R-Hobart) noted that one study found that over 80% of medical students at major training hospitals reported performing pelvic exams on anaesthetized patients, but only 17% said that the patients were informed, while nearly half reported that the patients were rarely or never explicitly told so. 'I am really thankful for the bipartisan support,' Goeben said. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said in a statement ahead of the session that the bills were a sign that lawmakers could work across partisan lines, but said they could do more. 'It is possible to come together to pass good, bipartisan bills that will move our state forward — but we know that there is so much work left to be done,' Neubauer said. 'Just last week, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee cut proposals by [Evers] that would have lowered costs for working families and cut taxes for the majority of Wisconsinites. Removing these critical proposals from consideration and preventing future discussion is ridiculous, and on top of this, the GOP has refused to have public hearings, let alone votes, on popular and bipartisan legislation that would move our state forward.' Ahead of the floor session, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) told reporters that work on the budget is on hold until legislative leaders meet in person with Evers. Republican lawmakers are seeking a tax cut in the budget. 'Our preferred option [is] to be able to get an agreed upon tax cut so that we know we have X dollars to invest in schools and health care and all the other things that are important,' Vos said. 'It's pretty hard for us to move forward… I think we're kind of on pause until we hear back from Gov. Evers.' 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Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Three Assembly members form Wisconsin's first Legislative Asian Caucus
Reps. Angelito Tenorio, Francesca Hong and Renuka Mayadev in the Wisconsin State Assembly chambers. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) After two sessions as the only Asian American lawmaker in the Wisconsin Legislature, Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), who was first elected in 2020, stood alongside freshmen Reps. Angelito Tenorio (D-West Allis) and Renuka Mayadev (D-Madison) Thursday to announce the formation of the state's first Legislative Asian Caucus. The lawmakers announced the creation of the caucus on the first day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, saying that they have a responsibility to represent Asian American Wisconsinites, who make up 6% of the state, and to work to advance their rights, visibility and improve their daily lives. 'I'm deeply grateful, and I couldn't think of a better team to be in the Asian caucus with… We have the distinct opportunity to make all of our communities stronger,' said Hong, who is the daughter of Korean immigrants, said. At one point during the press conference, Hong said she felt like she was going to cry. Tenorio is the first Filipino American to be elected to the state Legislature, and said during the press conference that his parents immigrated to the U.S. 'in hopes of finding a better life.' He said that growing up he didn't see people that looked like him in leadership positions, including in government. 'That lack of representation stuck with me, and I knew I wanted to change that,' Tenorio said, adding that he was an activist in college, served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and has become an advocate for addressing climate change and protecting the environment. Tenorio said the creation of the caucus is 'historic' and a 'declaration' that Asian Americans deserve to help shape the future of the state. 'For too long, our stories, struggles, strengths and victories have been overlooked,' Tenorio said. 'As members of the Legislature, we have a seat at the table, and we carry the responsibility to make this table bigger, more inclusive and more representative of our state.' Tenorio noted that the lawmakers have introduced a resolution to recognize 2025 as the 'Year of the Snake' and a resolution to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos and of the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Phnom Penh in Cambodia — conflicts that led to people from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam resettling in the U.S. 'Such communities largely resettled in Wisconsin, overcoming adversity to establish vibrant communities that have significantly contributed to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our state' the commemorative resolution states. 'Wisconsin is now home to the third-largest Hmong population in the United States, with communities thriving in cities like Appleton, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Wausau and Milwaukee.' 'These resolutions aren't just ceremonial. They're a part of our broader efforts to write our stories into the narrative of our states, to affirm that we are not outsiders,' Tenorio said. 'We are part of the fabric of Wisconsin.' The caucus members said they will host events throughout the month to highlight the contributions of Asian Americans, including one focused on Japanese internment, another on celebrating the Hmong community and one to uplift Filipino stories. 'There is so much to celebrate, so much to be proud of and so much to feel honored by being an Asian American,' Hong said. Maydev is the first South Asian elected to the Assembly and represents the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and other parts of the state's capital city. She noted that her district is about 17% Asian American and she represents the highest concentration of Asian Americans in the state. Mayadev said that her journey to hold public office didn't start when she submitted her nomination papers. 'It started when my parents decided to leave everything they knew in their homes more than 50 years ago, and traveled from India as immigrants to the United States,' Mayadev said. 'Like the representatives beside me, we are all first-generation Americans — proud children of immigrants.' Mayadev also emphasized that the lawmakers will bring in the voices of others in the community. She said people have reached out to her for that reason already. 'They said they've never reached out to an Assembly person before, but they reached out to me because they felt that they would have an empathetic ear and an understanding that goes deeper that maybe they felt that somebody else wouldn't be able to be,' Mayadev said. Hong said caucus members will also make sure to go to different communities in the state and work to identify leaders who want to build relationships. The formation of the caucus comes as Republicans at a federal and state level have targeted immigrants as well as diversity and inclusion efforts. 'We must do more. We know the reality on the ground. AAPI folks, like so many immigrants, workers and people of color, continue to face threats and challenges — from the underrepresentation and political exclusion of Asian Americans to the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes to growing economic inequality,' Tenorio said. 'We are navigating a landscape that too often undermines our dignity and our safety.' Mayadev acknowledged the caucus is being established during a time of upheaval for immigrants as the Trump administration has proclaimed its aim of carrying out mass deportations and has detained even immigrants who are in the country legally. Wisconsin Republicans have supported those efforts, seeking legislation that requires local law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to discussing removing a Milwaukee County judge who was arrested by the FBI and is accused of impeding the arrest of a man that ICE followed to her courtroom. 'There's much uncertainty and fear,' Mayadev said, adding that caucus members are committed to providing 'guidance and leadership during this time, so that all feel welcome in Wisconsin.' Asked about the targeting of inclusion efforts by Republicans in the state Legislature, Hong mentioned a recent hearing in the Joint Audit Committee, where Republican lawmakers grilled state agency leaders on their inclusion efforts. 'I plan to speak with the chairs of that committee about my experiences when I first got here of deep xenophobia and racism,' she said, adding that she hoped by being 'very truthful, honest and vulnerable' she and other members of color could 'dispel some of the preconceived notions that racism and discrimination isn't happening right here in the halls of power amongst colleagues.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Assembly passes bills targeting transgender youth in school and their medical decisions
Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) speaking during floor debate Thursday. Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner. The Wisconsin State Assembly passed several bills Thursday that target transgender youth in sports, their medical care and decisions on pronouns and names used in school. The bills are part of a national wave of actions targeting transgender people that have been taken since President Donald Trump took office. According to the Trans Legislation Tracker, 796 bills have been introduced across the country in 2025. Hearings on the bills over the last two weeks were emotional and lengthy, lasting over 20 hours, with the vast majority of people testifying against the bills. Republicans dismissed the public feedback, saying the policies are popular. They cited recent surveys, including a Marquette Law School poll that found 71% of U.S. adults favor requiring transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth. It's unlikely the bills will become law as Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed similar bills in the past and vowed to veto any legislation targeting LGBTQ+ youth. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said lawmakers were still pursuing the bills because they provide an opportunity for the public to tell Evers what it thinks. 'At some point you would hope that public pressure would convince Gov. Evers that he has to change his stance,' Vos said. 'We have seen some brave Democrats across the country realize that their party has veered way too far to the left, and then if they want to win elections again, and they want to be on the side of the public, they're going to change their stance.' When asked what he made of the overwhelming opposition to the bills at hearings, Vos referenced a saying by former Wisconsin Gov. Lee Dreyfus that Madison is '30 square miles surrounded by reality.' 'If you look at where the most part of Wisconsin is, I think everywhere there's broad bipartisan support,' Vos said. The area surrounding the Capitol 'is the one place where the majority of people think that it's OK to mutilate your kids. It's OK to have women never win another sporting event. Yes, did they succeed in getting a couple dozen people to come and testify? Yes, they did and to that, they deserve the credit, but the reality is, we had elections. This was an issue.' Since the 2024 elections, some Democrats across the country, including U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have challenged other Democrats' positions on policies related to transgender people. Wisconsin Democrats were mostly united against the bills, giving impassioned speeches about how the bills would do more harm than good and citing testimony delivered at the hearings. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said that denying children health care is a 'new low' and accused Republicans of proposing the legislation in order to create a political issue and rile up their own base. 'We are here because the majority party is trying to gain an advantage in the Supreme Court election by bullying kids. We know it. You know it. It's mean-spirited, and it's not helping people of Wisconsin,' Neubauer said. One Democrat, Rep. Russell Goodwin (D-Milwaukee), joined Republicans voting in favor of AB 100, which would ban transgender girls in Wisconsin K-12 schools from participating on teams that reflect their gender identity. AB 102, which would ban transgender women attending UW System schools and Wisconsin technical colleges from participating on women's teams, passed 50-43 along party lines. Goodwin left before voting on that bill or any of the other bills on the calendar. Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) said the sports bills are needed to fill the 'gaps' left by recent policy updates by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which recently barred transgender girl athletes from competing on teams that don't correspond with their sex at birth. The changes came in reaction to an executive order signed by Trump. The bill was amended to explicitly exclude transgender women from locker rooms and shower areas as well. Dittrich said the bills are about fairness and inclusion for women, saying that a co-ed option for teams is included. 'If you want to play with boys, have at it, there's a co-ed track for you to do that,' Dittrich said. Rep. Angelina Cruz (D-Racine) and Rep. Angela Stroud (D-Ashland) questioned how the legislation would be enforced. 'This bill would inflict harm on girls. This bill is an attack on girls. This bill is about exclusion and not protection. This bill does not contemplate enforcement mechanisms — raising concerns about girls' privacy,' Cruz said. 'It is unclear whether the bill would require them to answer intrusive questions about their bodies or undergo physical exams.' Stroud said it would likely require people to carry documents to avoid harassment and discrimination. She said the bill wouldn't help women as a group. 'One of the reasons we so often celebrate Title IX is because sports have allowed women to defy narrow definitions of acceptable femininity. We could be strong. We could be aggressive. We could be tough. We could be leaders,' Stroud said. 'No woman is benefited by narrowing the definition of what counts as being a real woman.' Several Republicans complained throughout the debate about 'name-calling' and harsh words that were said to them during hearings. 'The only bullying I saw was coming from the trans community,' Dittrich said, adding that she was physically threatened, called a Nazi and had to be escorted to her car from her office. She added that there were 'vile' comments posted about her and her family on social media. AB 103 would require school districts to implement policies that require a parent's written permission for school employees to use names or pronouns different from a student's legal name. There is one exception in the bill for a nickname that is a shortened version of a student's legal first or middle name. The bill passed 50-43 along party lines. Dittrich, the author of the bill, said it is necessary for parents to be included in those decisions. 'We don't want to divide between home and school,' Dittrich said. 'This is meant to heal that.' AB 104 would ban gender-affirming care, including the prescribing of puberty-blocking drugs or gender-affirming surgery, for those under 18. It would also require revocation of a medical provider's license found to be providing the care. It passed 50-43 with Democrats against and Republicans in favor. Republican lawmakers said that the bill is necessary because children often change their minds about things, and shouldn't make medical decisions that cannot be reversed. 'It would be a failure on our part to allow children to make life-altering decisions, decisions that they will have to live with for the rest of their life, even when that choice is made with parental support,' Rep. Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger) said. Gender-affirming medical care is often a lengthy, multi-step process. For those under 18, it typically focuses on pubertal suppression or hormone therapy and surgeries are extremely rare for those under 18, according to KFF. Decisions in the process are made with the input of children, their families and health care providers, including mental health providers. Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) said her office had gotten many calls from people who have concerns about the actions lawmakers are taking, including a Wisconsinite she said was 'afraid that standing up for trans people would result in retaliation to her business.' Hong said the bill is 'deeply shameful' and she was 'embarrassed' to be there as the Assembly passed it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crime bill package approved in state Assembly
MADISON — The Wisconsin State Assembly passed a number of criminal justice proposals on Thursday, which will now head to the state Senate. The bills would: • Increase penalties for killing or injuring K9 officers. • Require a district attorney to get a judge's approval before dismissing or deferring prosecution for certain crimes. • Require schools to promptly notify parents if there is reasonable cause to believe their child is a victim of sexual misconduct by a school employee. • Require the Department of Corrections to recommend revocation if a criminal on extended supervision, parole, or probation reoffends. • Increase the penalty for child trafficking to a Class A felony — with a life sentence — if at least three children are victimized. • Require a person convicted of human trafficking to immediately pay restitution to their victims. It also requires anyone convicted of a felony and certain other crimes to pay off all sentence-related financial obligations before regaining their right to vote. State Rep. David Armstrong, R-Rice Lake, issued a press release about the legislation. 'My Republican colleagues and I are serious about keeping our communities safe,' Armstrong said in the press release. 'To mention a few, some of today's bills protect our state's children, another ensures that district attorneys can't drop charges for serious crimes without a judge's permission, and another makes it easier to revoke a criminal's extended supervision if they reoffend. These are all commonsense proposals, and I'm pleased that several of them — but unfortunately not all — enjoyed bipartisan support.' 'I don't want to sugarcoat anything at this point,' he said. 'If we don't bring in the funds, the plan is we would have to close on May 1. Right now, we're about $450,000 short, about six months worth, of where we need to be in the budget to be able to keep it open year-round. This isn't just a one time support. We really need to increase support year over year to be able to plan ahead and have the shelter be open.' Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce President and CEO David Minor said that the city of Eau Claire was notified of the problem by local Catholic priests in the area on Tuesday. Mentioning the shock the community had with the sudden announcement of the HSHS hospital closures last year, he said the priests 'just wanted to be proactive in this case and look at the situation from a community standpoint. Are there other solutions out there, other ways we could look at to keep this a viable option?' A group of representatives from the city, the county, the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, and the Catholic Church met early that afternoon. 'We have at least two, if not three, subsequent meetings coming up over the next month to continue to talk about the situation and what options we can identify,' Minor said. 'This is critical to our community. If Catholic Charities is not able to keep it open come May, that's just going to exasperate the problem that we already have. I think, as a community, we have to look at this and see what can be done.' Grover said that the financial situation the shelter has been facing began in 2020 during the pandemic and seems to be affecting many non-profits. 'I think we have seen folks are giving less, and some of that is residual from COVID,' Grover said. 'And to be honest as well, I think the last couple of years, people have been economically strained as well. It's kind of that perfect storm. People haven't maybe come back from giving as much as they might have and there's also a lot of uncertainty not just with individuals, but within the greater business community as well.' He said that they rely on donations from both individuals and businesses, and that the organization is working to try to increase those donations. 'But I think there is a lot of anxiety when it comes to economics right now,' he said. 'I think that the problems we're seeing aren't just what we're experiencing. Non-profit agencies all over the country are dealing with a lot of the same issues.' Grover specified that the financial issue is not due to any federal grant limitations as the organization does not currently receive federal grants. He said the biggest issue is that they've been seeing 'a real drop off from private donors.' Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse is a separate legal entity from the Catholic Diocese of La Crosse, though it works in partnership with the Diocese and receives some of its funding from the diocese. When asked if the renovations to the building in 2023 were contributing to the increased costs in operating, Grover said, 'I don't want to say that it has had no effect, but the truth of the matter is the real effect has come down to a decrease in donations and foundational support. Even if we hadn't done the renovation, we would be facing some of the same issues.' 'This is a really really important issue that we have to solve and I want to see the city council and our city be a part of the partnership that is forming to basically support Sojourner House,' said City Council member Andrew Werthmann.
