Citizen Action Weekend E Newsletter; Friday, April 14th
Friday, April 14th
Citizen Action members attend Back-to-Back Joint Finance Committee State Budget Public Hearings in Eau Claire and Wisconsin Dells.
On April 11 and 12th, The Joint Finance Committee continued their four-part series of public hearings about the state budget. Citizen Action is going to every event to advocate for BadgerCare Expansion.
Eau Claire; Tuesday, April 11th
Citizen Action members and staff arrived early at 7:30am to get in line to speak. Citizen Action Northwest Coop organizing staff brought volunteer proxies to reserve speaking slots for out-of-town members.
At the hearing, six Citizen Action members spoke, and we recruited four more speakers to discuss the importance of expanding BadgerCare.
Watch member Julia Bennker’s testimony.
Event Highlight: “Citizen Action member Julia Bennker (pictured to the right) spoke near the end of a long day. But when she told her own, personal story, tired-looking legislators sat up and took notice” –Emily Anderson, Citizen Action Movement Communications Specialist.
Wisconsin Dells; Wednesday, April 12th
Citizen Action Driftless Coop organizer Kristie Tweed and member Joni Anderson (pictured testifying) arrived at 7:45am to get in line to speak. Like Eau Claire, the hearing was well attended with hundreds of people arriving before the vent started.
Event Highlight: “It was something to see for sure. The activist groups with their matching t-shirts, emergency services in uniforms, mayors from all over dressed in business attire. Everyone was there because of something they are passionate about, but found camaraderie with other groups. You could see someone make a great speech and then get followed out by others praising their statements and wanting to connect.” – Kristie Tweed, Driftless Co-Op Organizer
Advice for final JFC Public Hearing
“Perhaps organize folks to speak as a group to get 5 minutes and craft a longer and coherent narrative about BadgerCare Expansion, or other issues” – Jeremy Gragert, Northwestern Co-Op Organizer
“Get there even earlier!” – Kristie Tweed, Driftless Co-Op Organizer
Attend the final Joint finance Committee State Budget Public Hearing
- Minocqua JFC: Wednesday, April 26th
Citizen Action Northwest Organizing Coop holds State Budget Review event in Eau Claire with local legislators.
The Citizen Action Northwestern Organizing Co-op organized a State Budget Review Session in Eau Claire on Monday, April 10th, the night before the Joint Finance Committee hearing held at UW-Eau Claire.
State Senator Jeff Smith and State Representative Jodi Emerson presented an overview of Governor Evers’ proposed budget, took questions, and gave advice to help attendees prepare for the hearings the next day.
Jeremy Gragert, Northwestern Co-op Organizer, hosted the event, and Emily Anderson, Movement Communications Specialist, shared some of Citizen Action’s budget priorities, including BadgerCare Expansion, and helped attendees craft their remarks.
Citizen Action North Side Rising Organizing Coop rallies against We Energies cut offs and utility rate hike in MKE
Keviea Guiden, Energy Organizer for North Side Rising, along with the Sierra Club and other organizations, rallied at WE Energies on North Ave in Milwaukee in opposition to energy cutoffs April 15th and utility rate hikes. In addition, attendees wanted to show support for affordable clean energy alternatives that will also provide residents with good paying green jobs.
It’s efforts like these that call attention to the recent WE Energy price hike, and weak efforts to move away from fossil fuel energy to renewable energy sources.
To get active in the fight against We Energies rate hikes and cut off and for a just and equitable green economy, contact: [email protected]
To learn more about joining North Side Rising contact: [email protected]
Attend “Back off our Benefits” Bus Tour set to visit LaCrosse this Saturday, April 15th, 12 Noon
This Saturday, April 15 at 12 PM, Citizen Action of Wisconsin will be co-hosting the final stop of Courage for America’s nationwide “Back Off Our Benefits” bus tour, before the bus tour heads to Washington, D.C. The bus tour will stop in Red Cloud Park (520 Powell St., La Crosse to call on Representative Van Orden to promise his constituents that he will not cut essential programs that Americans rely on – including Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ benefits.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin will be joined by Courage for America, Protect Our Care, Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, Opportunity Wisconsin, and Rep. Van Orden’s constituents to shine a light on how MAGA lawmakers’ political games are pushing the country toward a default crisis at the expense of American seniors, veterans, and children.
Join us in person at the event in Red Cloud Park at 12 PM on Saturday (4/15), or tune in to the livestream here.
Take Action: Tell Speaker McCarthy and Members of the House Majority to Back Off Our Benefits
Citizen Action Northeast Organizing Coop Co-Sponsors Earth Day Rally & March in Appleton
Join us in the Northeast for an Earth Day celebration! Citizen Action is co-sponsoring an Earth Day event in Appleton on Saturday, April 22nd. We will be joined by many local organizations including Wisconsin Conservation Voters and ESTHER.
Come on out to the rally at Houdini Plaza starting at 12:00pm, followed by a march to further festivities at Lawrence University!
Citizen Action Movement Politics Academy graduate, Nick Ross, wins on April 4th and is featured in Appleton Post-Crescent
Last week, Nick Ross won election to the Appleton School Board.
We are so proud of the hard work and planning that Nick Ross invested to make their victory on April 4th possible. Nick ran a second time, after a tough defeat in the first campaign. They spent significant time learning and attending training on how to be a great movement progressive elected official and what it would take to run a successful campaign.
Nick is a graduate of Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Academy, an in depth candidate training program. Nick planned this and worked hard to make it happen. Thank you Nick for leading.
Nick was featured this week in the Appleton Post-Crescent newspaper.
If you want to learn what it would take to run for office, contact: [email protected]
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action executive director, Robert Kraig, did an extended interview with WORT Radio during their popular morning news program to discuss how Citizen Action is building grassroots power across the state by getting progressives directly involved in elections and on big issues. Listen here.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Earl Ingram Show for the full hour for his regular 10 AM Wednesday segment to discuss the power of MAGA and why Governor Evers must use his veto power as a weapon or end up with a far-right budget that damages Wisconsin.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig did an interview with the Progressive Radio Network on the victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
Listen to “After April 4th” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We continue to debrief the historic Supreme Court election, including Ron Johnson urging the Republican Party to reduce its reliance on advertising and invest in a ground game and college students voting. We welcome Attorney Matt O’Neill, who represented the Janet Protasiewicz campaign, to discuss the campaign’s successful effort to remove from broadcast a false and trashy ad by the WMC. Matt provides his perspective on the ads and the challenges judicial elections face in the current campaign environment. We discuss Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling on mifepristone and how Big Pharma enabled these judges. In Wisconsin, Legislative Republicans want to arm school staff and scheme up new barriers and requirements designed to kick people off needed benefits like health care and unemployment insurance.
Listen to the show.
Donate to Citizen Action 2024 Battleground Fund.
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