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2023 LWVLA Annual Meeting
The LWVLA 2023 Annual Meeting was held via Zoom on May 15. View the recording to hear the opening address from Morgan Hose, the first student member of the LWVLA Board of Directors, committee reports from the 2022-23 year and election of new officers and board members.





April Lunch & Learn

The 2023 Farm Bill: Why It Matters

The 2023 Farm Bill is an omnibus, multiyear law that governs an array of food, agricultural, and conservation programs. The bill helps to strengthen local infrastructure, support rural economic development initiatives, protect our nation’s food supply, increase access to healthy food for low-income populations, and promote environmental stewardship and conservation. 

Learn more about renewing this federal authorization bill from Margaret Krome, the Policy Program Director of the Michael Fields Agricultural institute.




2023 Legislative Breakfast

April 1
at the
Myrick Park Center

 The annual Legislative Breakfast offers League members an opportunity to meet with state and national representatives or staff in order to hear and ask questions about current legislative priorities and challenges.
FYI:
The video is divided into sections--look in the description to locate individual speakers. Sound quality becomes very good after the first few seconds. 

Attending, in the order of appearance, were
Rep. Jill Billings
Rep, Steve Doyle
Sen. Brad Pfaff
Gregg Wavrunek, representing Sen. Tammy Baldwin
Michael Holland, representing Sen. Ron Johnson
Mary Carey, representing Rep. Derrick Van Orden

February Lunch & Learn

Public Education Spending: Decisions and Tradeoffs

The LWVLA hosted a discussion of trends in public education funding, the upcoming biennial state budget and the expected debate over allocation of one-time federal pandemic relief funds.

Our speaker, Troy Gunderson, is former superintendent of the School District of West Salem, and a 2021 candidate for the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction. His 35-year career in public education includes stints as a classroom teacher, a high school principal, and district superintendent, giving him a broad perspective on the pressures facing educators and how public policy actions affect the capacity to serve and educate students.
The LWV has long promoted equal educational opportunity for Wisconsin’s children through an equitable state aids formula that includes retaining program and personnel responsibilities in the local district. According to a 2022 report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, our state’s per-pupil PreK-12 school spending continues to fall below the national average. The success of recent school referenda in Wisconsin suggest that many voters are not satisfied with the spending allowed by state revenue limits.

Related resources:
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum, July 2022 report here.
LWV Position Paper on Education Issues here.

January Lunch & Learn

What's Undermining Our Courts?

The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court primary and election is an opportunity for citizens to voice their commitment to fair and independent courts. Money and weak recusal rules are undermining our courts. Our speaker, Lisa Graves, created True North Research and is its Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief. Ms. Graves also serves as President of the Center for Media and Democracy. In March 2021 Ms. Graves submitted testimony to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights “What's Wrong with the Supreme Court: The Big-Money Assault on Our Judiciary.”
See the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
Fair Courts webinar series for background information: 

View LWVWI Fair Courts Webinars Here


Imbalance of Power:
How Shifts in State Government
Undermine Wisconsin's Conservation Legacy

"Over the past ten years Wisconsin has fallen behind neighboring states, both in addressing longstanding conservation issues as well as emerging environmental threats....Since 2011, the collective effects of state legislative actions, court rulings, and political practices have undermined democratic processes and profoundly changed the way state government operates...Outcomes of this shift include failure to conserve natural resources in a range of areas including management of fish, wildlife, and forests, protection of public lands, and protection of clean air and water."

~Wisconsin Greenfire 

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This program is based on a recent publication of Wisconsin Green Fire, a non-partisan organization whose mission is to advance science-informed analysis and policy solutions to address Wisconsin's greatest conservation challenges.




December Lunch & Learn

Because Democracy Is Not a Spectator Sport

The December program was a members-only opportunity to learn more about the LWV Wisconsin legislative agenda for 2023 and about how local members can be involved through advocacy and participation in a state-level committee.

The Legislative Committee of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is composed of members from around the state who work together to analyze legislation and agency rules as they are introduced in the state legislature.  They recommend action to promote the League's policy goals. Recommendations for legislative action are justified by policy positions approved and adopted by membership.  Some of the League policy positions have been in existence for decades. Click below to view LWVWI policy positions. 

Sign up for LWV Wisconsin Action Alerts and join the legislative committee. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels.


November Lunch & Learn

Implicit Bias and Micro-Aggressions Training

As an alternative to our regularly scheduled November Lunch & Learn, we  joined the LWV of Wisconsin's Statewide Implicit Bias Training. 

In 2020 the LWVUS elevated diversity, equity, and inclusion as a core institutional value, on par with the League’s nonpartisanship policy.



October Lunch & Learn

Empowering the Vote for Special Populations
Voting from Jail
College Student Voting
Voting for Persons Living with Disabilities

For over 100 years the mission of the League of Women Voters has been to educate and empower voters. We work to protect voting rights and ensure that all voters have equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote. This online meeting will focus on the challenges to vote confronting college students and people with disabilities in our area. Learn about the League’s current partnership with the jail. Together we will work to ensure that all eligible voters have the opportunity to let their voices be heard at the ballot box. Join with the LWV La Crosse Area as we reach out to the community to encourage that “Everyone Vote”.



Speakers
Chris Haskell
Voter Services Director for LWVLA
Abi Reiter
UWL Student Democracy Fellow, Campus Vote Project
UWL Election Engagement Team

Matthew Gast
UWL StudentSenior
UWL Student Democracy Fellow, Campus Vote Project
UWL’s Election Engagement Team. 
Tonya Whitfield
Voting Outreach Advocacy Specialist 
Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition/ Disability Rights Wisconsin

Barbara Beckert
Director of External Advocacy from Disability Rights WI




September Lunch & Learn

What's New for Voters in November?
Reviewing Wisconsin's Election and Voting Rules

The LWV of the La Crosse Area is confident that our regional election officials conduct transparent, accurate, secure, and fair elections. However, recent administrative and court rulings, proposed legislation, and misinformation are leading to citizen confusion and mistrust about voting in Wisconsin. 


In our first program of the 2022-23 League year, the LWVLA local election officials will update members on voter registration, voting, and Election Day basics.