Our Representatives In the News

Governor Scott Walker

After signing two bills that loosen Wisconsin’s gun laws, Walker defended the timing of his public event on June 24, saying it had been scheduled before nine people were shot and killed in a South Carolina church. With his signature, the all-but-certain Republican presidential candidate eliminated the state’s 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases and allowed off-duty, retired and out-of-state police officers to carry firearms on school grounds. Both measures passed earlier this month in the GOP-majority Legislature with bipartisan support. The timing of the bill signing comes amid a renewed debate over gun control and race relations after the fatal shootings at a Charleston, South Carolina, black church on June 17; a white man faces multiple murder charges. Walker said the bill-signing event was scheduled on June 11. Ten states and the District of Columbia impose some form of waiting period for buying handguns, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Wisconsin’s 48-hour period has been in effect since 1976. Supporters of eliminating the waiting period said it’ll better allow people to protect themselves, while opponents said it would lead to people caught up in fits of rage or depression to obtain weapons quickly.

Source:  The Associated Press

Representative Reid Ribble

Ribble released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled to allow people to keep receiving federal subsidies on health care premiums purchased through federal exchanges in states that did not establish state-run health care exchanges.

“I believe all Americans should have access to high-quality, affordable health care. I want our children to grow up strong and healthy and for those with chronic diseases to receive the ongoing care that keeps them productive and happy.

 However, I do not believe that the Affordable Care Act is the correct path for improving our health care system, and I have supported a number of measures that would address what I believe are some of the most damaging parts of the law. These include restoring the work week to its traditional 40-hour definition, delaying the individual mandate, and repealing the damaging medical device tax. Today’s Supreme Court ruling does nothing to change our commitment to securing a health care solution that will lower costs, increase the quality of care, and fix this flawed law so that everyone can truly have access to quality care at an affordable price.”

Source:  Ribble press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin released the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage:  “Love is love, family is family, and discriminating against anyone’s love, against anyone’s family, is simply wrong. America can proudly say that discrimination doesn’t just violate our values – it violates our Constitution. And now we can proudly say that marriage equality will be the law of the land.

“Today’s ruling by the United States Supreme Court is a huge victory for freedom, fairness and equality in America. This is a historic step forward for America, where every family’s love and commitment will now be recognized and respected under the law. This reaffirms our nation’s founding belief that all Americans are created equal under the law. It’s about fairness – about whether gay and lesbian Americans deserve to be treated just like their family members, their friends, and their neighbors. It’s about opportunity – about whether every American gets to dream the same dreams, chase the same ambitions, and have the same shot at success. And it’s about freedom – the freedom to love, the freedom to commit, and the freedom to build a family.

“I believe America is ready to take the next step forward and there is more work to be done to advance the cause of equality in America. I remain committed to continuing this march of progress with a growing number of Americans to pass on to the next generation a nation that realizes the promise of full equality for every American.”

Source:  Baldwin press release

President Barack Obama

Obama shared his thoughts on the Supreme Court’s ruling that the 14th Amendment requires individual states to license same-sex marriage. “This ruling is a victory for America, this decision affirms what millions of Americans all believe in their hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free,” he said from the White House Rose Garden on June 26. “We are big and vast and diverse a nation with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, different experiences and stories, but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look like, or how and who you love, America is a place where you can write your own destiny.” He continued, “There’s so much more work to be done to extend the full promise of America to every American, but today we can say, in no uncertain terms, that we’ve made our Union a little more perfect.” CNN reports that after the ruling, Obama called lead plaintiff Jim Obergefell, telling him, “Your leadership on this has changed the country.”

Source:  The Hollywood Reporter