Mother's Day is a great time to recognize the commitment our state has made to support the unique needs of women of all ages. Whether we are providing funding for specialized health care or services for female crime victims, Wisconsin invests in the women of our state. As your state senator, but also as a husband and father to a daughter, I am honored to support initiatives that help the women of Wisconsin. Please note that most of these programs have received bipartisan support during several sessions of the legislature. Following are just a few examples of our efforts:
Wisconsin Well Woman Program
The Wisconsin Well Woman Program provides breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services to women ages 45 to 64 with little or no health care coverage. The program is available in all 72 counties and 11 tribes and reached 5,799 women in 2014.
The Joint Finance Committee passed a motion unanimously to increase funding for this very successful program by $100,000 in 2016-17. Base funding for this program is typically $2.2 million every two years. Women throughout our state are served and saved by cancer screenings and diagnostic services. This program has been an invaluable tool and I am proud to support it. To find the WWP in your area, please visit: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wwwp/counties.htm
Sexual Assault Victim Services
Sexual assault is an underreported crime in Wisconsin. It is estimated that fewer than 40 percent of victims report these crimes. It is important to note that both men and women are victims of these crimes in Wisconsin, however, 85 percent of victims in Wisconsin are women. Eighty-eight percent of these crimes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
Sexual Assault Victim Services grants are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Justice to nonprofit or public agencies that provide services to victims of sexual assault. Those agencies eligible for grants would need to provide the following services: Advocacy and counseling services, crisis telephone services 24/7, professional intervention and prevention education and services for victims with special needs or that are hard to reach such as rural residents, men, elderly, disabled and other underserved groups.
In the state budget, the JFC added an additional $100,000 in grants to the Department of Justice in 2016-17 to distribute to agencies that assist victims of sexual assault. This provision was passed unanimously on a bipartisan basis. Base funding for this program over two years is a little over $2 million.
We have agencies across southwest Wisconsin that offer services to residents of the 17th Senate District, including centers in Platteville, Richland Center and Baraboo that provide crucial services to assist victims of sexual assault locally through SAVS funding. It is unfortunate that we have these types of crimes in our communities, but it is important that we provide victims with the support they need.
Approximately one in four Wisconsin women has been beaten, sexually assaulted or stalked by a current or former intimate partner at some point in her life. Since 2000, more than 500 individuals in Wisconsin have lost their lives as a result of a domestic abuse incident.
I was proud to support a bipartisan effort to add $5 million to domestic abuse grants under the federal Violence Against Women Act. This investment is in addition to the base funding of more than $9.5 million annually to nonprofit agencies statewide that provide domestic abuse victim services. The recipients of this grant that serve members of our communities are: Family Advocates (Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Counties), Green Haven Family Advocates (Green County), Hope House (Sauk, Juneau Counties) and Passages (Richland County).
Human Trafficking
Between 2012 and 2013, a nationwide investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation rescued 16 children from human trafficking and arrested 160 suspects for these crimes. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and Lad Lake, a nonprofit serving at-risk youth, established a pilot program for victims of sex trafficking in 2014. The Lad Lake program offers a safe environment that removes victims from their trafficking situations, while helping to build self-esteem through trauma-focused behavioral therapy. The program only had the capacity for seven children at a time.
I was proud to support a bipartisan budget provision that would provide $2 million for this successful program in 2016-17 while requiring DCF to make this program available to children in all areas of the state, including rural communities.
If you are in need of any of the services above or have any suggestions on how we can improve programming in our state for individuals in need, please contact me at 608-266-0703 or Sen.Marklein@legis.wi.gov for assistance.
For more information and to connect with me, visit my website legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/17/marklein and subscribe to my weekly E-Update by sending an email to Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. Do not hesitate to call 800-978-8008 if you have input, ideas or need assistance with any state-related matters.
- Sen. Howard Marklein represents Wisconsin's 17th Senate District. His column is published Mondays in the Times.
Wisconsin Well Woman Program
The Wisconsin Well Woman Program provides breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services to women ages 45 to 64 with little or no health care coverage. The program is available in all 72 counties and 11 tribes and reached 5,799 women in 2014.
The Joint Finance Committee passed a motion unanimously to increase funding for this very successful program by $100,000 in 2016-17. Base funding for this program is typically $2.2 million every two years. Women throughout our state are served and saved by cancer screenings and diagnostic services. This program has been an invaluable tool and I am proud to support it. To find the WWP in your area, please visit: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wwwp/counties.htm
Sexual Assault Victim Services
Sexual assault is an underreported crime in Wisconsin. It is estimated that fewer than 40 percent of victims report these crimes. It is important to note that both men and women are victims of these crimes in Wisconsin, however, 85 percent of victims in Wisconsin are women. Eighty-eight percent of these crimes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
Sexual Assault Victim Services grants are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Justice to nonprofit or public agencies that provide services to victims of sexual assault. Those agencies eligible for grants would need to provide the following services: Advocacy and counseling services, crisis telephone services 24/7, professional intervention and prevention education and services for victims with special needs or that are hard to reach such as rural residents, men, elderly, disabled and other underserved groups.
In the state budget, the JFC added an additional $100,000 in grants to the Department of Justice in 2016-17 to distribute to agencies that assist victims of sexual assault. This provision was passed unanimously on a bipartisan basis. Base funding for this program over two years is a little over $2 million.
We have agencies across southwest Wisconsin that offer services to residents of the 17th Senate District, including centers in Platteville, Richland Center and Baraboo that provide crucial services to assist victims of sexual assault locally through SAVS funding. It is unfortunate that we have these types of crimes in our communities, but it is important that we provide victims with the support they need.
Approximately one in four Wisconsin women has been beaten, sexually assaulted or stalked by a current or former intimate partner at some point in her life. Since 2000, more than 500 individuals in Wisconsin have lost their lives as a result of a domestic abuse incident.
I was proud to support a bipartisan effort to add $5 million to domestic abuse grants under the federal Violence Against Women Act. This investment is in addition to the base funding of more than $9.5 million annually to nonprofit agencies statewide that provide domestic abuse victim services. The recipients of this grant that serve members of our communities are: Family Advocates (Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Counties), Green Haven Family Advocates (Green County), Hope House (Sauk, Juneau Counties) and Passages (Richland County).
Human Trafficking
Between 2012 and 2013, a nationwide investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation rescued 16 children from human trafficking and arrested 160 suspects for these crimes. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and Lad Lake, a nonprofit serving at-risk youth, established a pilot program for victims of sex trafficking in 2014. The Lad Lake program offers a safe environment that removes victims from their trafficking situations, while helping to build self-esteem through trauma-focused behavioral therapy. The program only had the capacity for seven children at a time.
I was proud to support a bipartisan budget provision that would provide $2 million for this successful program in 2016-17 while requiring DCF to make this program available to children in all areas of the state, including rural communities.
If you are in need of any of the services above or have any suggestions on how we can improve programming in our state for individuals in need, please contact me at 608-266-0703 or Sen.Marklein@legis.wi.gov for assistance.
For more information and to connect with me, visit my website legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/17/marklein and subscribe to my weekly E-Update by sending an email to Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. Do not hesitate to call 800-978-8008 if you have input, ideas or need assistance with any state-related matters.
- Sen. Howard Marklein represents Wisconsin's 17th Senate District. His column is published Mondays in the Times.
