jONline
An
e-newsletter from Senator Jon Erpenbach – 7-11-08
Great Lakes Compact Passes PA, Prepares to Head to Congress
-
Historic
protections for the Great Lakes have now
cleared the legislatures of all eight
Great Lakes states, after the Pennsylvania
Senate adopted the measure unanimously this week. Work on the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact now enters its final phase as it
prepares to move to the U.S. Congress for ratification. The compact
provides a model for a standardized, consensus-based approach to decisions
about Great Lakes water use, with the idea
that care and protection of the world’s largest system of freshwater lakes –
home to fully 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater -- starts at home.
Diversions of Great Lakes water to places
outside the vast watershed are banned, with limited exceptions, and are further
discouraged by requiring that water removed from the basin must be returned to
it.
Elder Economic
Security Index Announced at Press Conference on New Report - Many Wisconsin
elders age 65 and over struggle to make ends meet. Living costs are high,
especially for housing and health care. The “Elder Economic Security Standard
Index for Wisconsin” report released this week
presents the Index for Wisconsin
to benchmark basic living expense costs for elder households. The report
provides numbers for all of Wisconsin’s
72 counties and summarizes the findings.
In Dane County,
the average social security benefit provides only 67-70% of the amount needed
to cover basic living expenses. For example, an elderly couple in Green County
will have expenses of $2,264 if they own their own home without mortgage but
will only have social security payments of $1,722 per month – leaving a gap
every month. For the complete report visit: http://www.wowonline.org/ourprograms/eesi/state-resources/wisconsin.asp
Senator Erpenbach spoke at the press conference, view this report from the
Janesville Gazette http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/jul/09/study-many-seniors-cant-afford-basic-necessities/
Badger Care Plus Enrollment Up - BadgerCare Plus enrollment grew by more than 7,000 people
in May and over 75,000 since the program started early this year. The vast
majority of the kids that have been added are below 200% of the federal poverty
level, rather than kids made eligible by lifting the income ceiling. As of the
end of May, 83% of the increase in kids covered was among those below 200% of
the poverty level. An article by Jason Stein for the Wisconsin State Journal reports
on the enrollment increase and notes that it is likely to put BadgerCare Plus well over the budgeted spending level. That
article can be found at:
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/06/22/news/z00badgercare.txt
For the statewide and county-by-county enrollment figures, go to:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/badgercareplus/enrollmentdata/enrolldata.htm
Erpenbach “A” from NARAL Pro Choice Wisconsin - NARAL
has released its Legislative report card from the 2007-2008 session.
Erpenbach along with 16 other Legislators received a grade of “A” or “B” for
reproductive health care votes, while five Senator were mixed and twelve
received “D” and “F”. View the complete list online: http://www.prochoicewisconsin.org/instate/legislators.shtml