Advocating for you

Dear reader,

Starting today, we will be providing you this newsletter – “The Advocate” – to keep you up to speed on MMAC’s legislative priorities as well as everything else going on in city hall, at the county courthouse, in the halls of the state capitol and in Washington D.C.

We hope it serves as both informative and engaging.

If you would like to learn more about our advocacy efforts, please visit our website.
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Now … on to the news.

DPI Standards Bill
In 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), led by State Superintendent Jill Underly, lowered state standards for assessing student and school progress. This change misleads parents and the public about true proficiency rates and overestimates student achievement. Under the new standards, 94% of Wisconsin school districts meet or exceed expectations, despite only 31% of 4th graders reading proficiently. In Milwaukee, only 9% of 4th graders read proficiently and 8% of 8th graders are proficient in math, yet Milwaukee is still considered “Meeting Expectations.”

The MMAC supports bill AB 1, introduced by Sen. John Jagler and Rep. Robert Wittke, to restore nationally accepted educational standards. This bill aims to bring back transparency, accountability and high standards to inform parents and educators better. Milwaukee has the worst racial achievement gap in the nation, and adequate standards are necessary to address these disparities. AB 1 has passed the state assembly, is expected to pass the senate and will go to the governor for approval.

Other Education Priorities
1. Teacher Shortage Bill: Authored by Rep. Cindi Duchow, this bill allows summer school teaching to count toward a new teacher’s student teaching requirement, addressing the teacher shortage in Wisconsin.
2. Siblings in School Choice Programs: Authored by Duchow and Jagler, this legislation ensures siblings enrolled in school choice in Milwaukee and elsewhere can attend school together. This “Once-In-Always-In” principle means if one child attends a choice school with a voucher, the entire family qualifies, regardless of financial situation.

DPI Race
On April 1, Wisconsin will elect its Superintendent of Public Instruction. Candidates are incumbent Jill Underly and Milwaukee education professional Brittany Kinser. Kinser’s platform focuses on restoring high standards, emphasizing core subjects like reading, writing and math and championing educational choice for families. Underly is focusing on public school funding, supporting the teachers’ union efforts for teacher pay increases, improvements in working conditions and enhanced literacy education.

State Supreme Court Race
The race for Wisconsin’s newest Supreme Court Justice includes Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. The outcome will impact key issues like Act 10, the governor’s veto authority and school choice programs.

EPA Legislation
One of the MMAC’s top legislative priorities is finding a long-term solution to a pressing EPA issue that threatens our region’s economy.

In its simplest terms, Milwaukee is considered to have seriously polluted air by the standards of the Clean Air Act. This triggers certain emissions standards costing businesses significantly as they comply with regulatory demands. The irony: H90% of the emissions in our region come from outside of Wisconsin. You could bulldoze all this nonattainment zone and fill it with trees, and the impacted area still be out of compliance. We are not advocating for lower air quality standards, but it is not prudent to hold Milwaukee responsible for the emissions and pollution from other regions simply because it settles here.

I have been traveling to Washington DC and working with our legislative delegation, the Trump Administration and the EPA, to secure a long-term solution, including but not limited to an amendment to the Clean Air Act. MMAC is also supporting a lawsuit filed by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to delay the implementation of the new standards, giving businesses some breathing room as a long-term solution is worked out.

New Staff
MMAC has added JJ Sherman as the new Director of Governmental Affairs. Sherman, with 10 years of experience in state government, will focus on advocating for policies that support MMAC’s mission and its members.

Madison Night in MKE
Mark your calendar for your chance to mix, mingle and thank our state legislators for the work they do to showcase Milwaukee and its business community. We’ll be hosting our annual Milwaukee Night in Madison from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, at the Harley-Davidson Museum. Register now.