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Madison, WI
Change City

We're Helping Wisconsinites Age With Dignity & Purpose

Posted on 01/07/25

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As we begin 2025, we at AARP Wisconsin are focused on passing legislation at the local, state, and national level that will enable all Wisconsinites to age with dignity and purpose. Whether that means providing more support for family caregivers, helping Wisconsinites save for retirement, or strengthening Medicare and Medicaid, we will be in the halls of our state and nation’s capitols to advocate for proposals that help all of us live the life we want as we transition from the workplace to retirement.

We will be reaching out to our 800,000-plus AARP members in Wisconsin throughout the year to promote our priority issues while at the same time working on fraud prevention, community development, and a variety of programs in local communities. Our staff and volunteers will work closely with elected officials, advocating for all Wisconsinites in the state legislature and Congress.

If you are interested in joining are team of AARP Wisconsin volunteer advocates, please fill out this form and a staff member will get back to you shortly.

Read about our legislative priorities for 2025 here.

And here's a brief summary of each of those issues

Supporting family caregivers – Family caregivers provide essential care for loved ones, allowing older Wisconsinites to stay homes rather than relying on costly nursing home services. A proposed Caregiver Tax Credit has the potential to alleviate some of their burden. The credit would reimburse certain family members up to $500 each for up to 50% of specific expenses they incur each year related to providing care for loved ones.

Expanding the Family Medical Leave Act – The Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Act law allows employees to take two weeks of unpaid leave for a serious health condition; to care for a parent, child, or spouse; or for the birth or adoption of a child. We support this legislation and encourage greater expansion to cover grandparents, caregivers, and those with chronic conditions.

Expanding BadgerCare – Wisconsin is one of only 10 states that has not accepted Medicaid expansion. States that have accepted full expansion have enjoyed large coverage gains and lower care costs. Medicaid expansion has been associated with positive impacts for low-income adults in terms of improved access to care and the utilization of healthcare services.

Supporting health care workforce – We want increases in Family Care capitation rates, with a commensurate increase in IRIS rates. We also want Medicaid Personal Care (MAPC) rates to cover the actual costs incurred by MAPC provider agencies, and increase nursing home staffing requirements.

Boosting food Security – We want to increase access to fresh, nutritious food for Wisconsin families and ensure a strong, accessible, and effective SNAP program free of barriers.

Saving for retirement – We are seeking public-private solutions that would enable more WI workers to save for their retirement. We support “Work and Save” plans for workers who do not otherwise have access to a workplace retirement plan. These plans will enable workers to set aside a small amount of their paychecks and build nest-eggs that allow them to live their best possible lives in retirement.

Helping fraud victims – We support the creation of a Fraud Victim Restitution Fund and the expansion of recipient eligibility. A restitution fund would take money the government receives from fraud enforcement actions and make it available to victims of scams, who have no other means to recoup their lost money.

Expanding the Homestead tax credit – We support increasing the income limit for the Homestead Credit and restore indexing for inflation.

Protecting Pension Plans – We support state and local government defined benefit pension plans as one of the most reliable and cost-efficient ways to provide financial security throughout retirement.

Keeping utility rates down – AARP opposes “Right of First Refusal” in transmission contracts to reduce cost pressures on utility consumers. We support adequate funding of the PSC to ensure consumers get the help they need when looking for assistance. We want to sustain supports like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Weatherization Assistance Program, and other programs that make utilities affordable.

Expanding broadband – All Wisconsinites should have affordable, reliable high-speed internet access and have the skills, technology and capacity needed to succeed in today’s economy. We want the state to further match the federal funding already approved through the 2021 Infrastructure bill. We support the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which has helped more than 22 million households get and stay online.

Improving telehealth: Many folks are unable to travel to get their health care. We want to improve the ability of folks to communicate digitally at home or in their community; and enhance their skill level with this technology.

Pursing affordable housing options – We favor accelerating the production of more diverse and affordable housing options, including accessory dwelling units and other “missing middle” housing solutions, and efforts to promote housing stability through anti-displacement and anti-discrimination advocacy.

Improving pedestrian and bike safety – We support policies that ensure that roads are designed to provide safe access for all road users, including pedestrians, motorists, bicyclists, and transit users to achieve zero fatalities and serious injuries. We want safe streets and convenient access to local businesses, parks, and public spaces.

We welcome all of you to join our efforts.

This story is provided by AARP Wisconsin. Visit the AARP Wisconsin page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.

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