It was a big day for bipartisanship in the Capitol! On Tuesday, we held a regular session, passing several mental health initiatives that include:

Expansion of telehealth services: To improve accessibility, especially in rural and underserved areas, the initiative aims to expand telehealth services for out-of-state mental health professionals to practice via telehealth making it easier for individuals to connect with licensed professionals.

Training for First Responders: Recognizing the role of first responders in identifying and addressing mental health concerns, the pilot program provides training to law enforcement officers to equip them with the necessary skills to support those in need and provides 24/7 virtual access to mental health professionals when they arrive at the scene.

Peer Support Counseling: this bill establishes peer support and critical incident stress management (CISM) service teams. Peer support teams provide emotional and tangible support to public safety employees in times of personal or professional crisis, often providing 1-on-1 support from peers to help them deal with everyday difficulties.

Other bipartisan bills that passed include protecting patients from sexual assault by a doctor, letting seniors purchase 100-day supplies for prescriptions, and allowing municipalities to install a newborn infant safety device, also known as a baby box, at a hospital, fire station, or law enforcement agency building that is staffed 24/7.

After the regular session, we convened for the Governor's special session to address workforce and childcare issues and provide tax relief for the middle class.

In a recent referendum, 80% of Wisconsinites supported work search requirements for welfare recipients. The provisions in the bill would require unemployment recipients to fulfill work search requirements.

The reforms to Wisconsin's childcare industry improve availability by creating more childcare slots throughout the state and affordability by expanding the childcare and dependent tax credit. An average family with two children in high-cost child care could receive nearly $6,000 in total tax benefits.

Republicans voted for a $2 billion tax cut, with every Wisconsinite making $27,630 or more seeing a reduction in their tax bill. The average family would see a $600 reduction in taxes.