November 28, 2000
Beloit, WI -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today completed his
eighth year of Listening Sessions, keeping his promise to the people of
Wisconsin that he would hold these open meetings in each of Wisconsin’s 72
counties every year. Logging approximately 80,000 miles in Wisconsin, or
nearly three and a half times around the world, Feingold has traveled to
virtually every corner of the state to listen to Wisconsinites’ questions
and respond to their concerns.
"Listening
Sessions are the most rewarding part of my job," Feingold
said. "Wisconsinites
give me great ideas for new legislation at these meetings, and when they
come to tell me they are having trouble with a federal agency, I can try
to help. Listening Sessions work for Wisconsin because people care enough
to come and tell me what’s on their mind," Feingold said.
In the last eight years, Feingold’s Listening Sessions have
brought him face to face with more than 25,000 Wisconsinites in large
cities like Milwaukee, Madison, and Eau Claire, and in small communities like Gratiot,
Odanah, and Aurora. At this year’s Douglas County Listening
Session, held on August 3rd in the Town of Wascott, population 608, Town
Chairman Bill Frahm asked Feingold, "I just have one more question for
you. How the heck did you find us?"
Top Issues: What’s on Wisconsin’s Mind
Below are the top ten issues raised at Feingold’s
Listening Sessions in 2000*:
1. Health
Care
241 people
2. Agricultural
Issues
115 people
3. Aging Issues and Social
Security
112 people
4.
Education
92 people
5. Campaign Finance
Reform
89 people
6. Foreign
Affairs
89 people
7. Transportation
Issues
84 people
8. The
Environment
76 people
9. The Federal Budget & Deficit
Reduction 62 people
10. Crime and Law
Enforcement
59 people
*Through
November 20, 2000
Listening Sessions Help Shape Feingold’s Legislative
Priorities
In the last eight years, many of Feingold’s legislative
efforts have been inspired by comments and suggestions Wisconsinites have
made at his Listening Sessions:
Health Care: Increasing Dental Care for Needy
Families
Health care issues have topped the list of issues
Wisconsinites raised with Senator Feingold at his Listening Sessions seven
of the eight years he has been in the Senate. Feingold has
heard from many Wisconsinites about barriers to adequate dental care,
especially for low- and moderate-income families. At his Price County
Listening Session in August, a dental hygienist told Feingold that Price
County has only six dentists, all with full schedules, and only two of
them accept Medicaid patients.
As a result of comments like these, Feingold introduced
the Dental Health Access Expansion Act, which would create a federal grant
program to allow community health centers and local health departments in
designated shortage areas to hire more primary care dentists.
Agriculture Issues: Fighting for Wisconsin’s
Farmers
Many farm families have come to Listening Sessions to
tell Feingold they are struggling to hold onto their farms. A seventh
grader at Feingold’s 2000 Portage County Listening Session said that his
family was struggling to make ends meet, and asked Feingold what he could
do about milk prices.
In response to these concerns, Feingold introduced
legislation to help dairy farmers being hurt by an outdated, voluntary price
reporting system that has caused serious fluctuations in the market for
storable dairy products.
Feingold authored the Dairy Market Enhancement Act to make this reporting system
mandatory, verifiable, and enforceable. The bill has passed both houses of Congress and is awaiting
the President’s signature. Feingold also introduced the Cheese Quality Act
of 2000 that would help preserve the quality of milk in cheese products by
preventing
imitation cheese ingredients such as dry ultra-filtered milk from being
used in cheese bearing the "natural" label.
Aging Issues: Standing Up for Older
Americans
At this year’s Listening Sessions alone, 22 constituents
specifically requested Feingold to work to renew the Older Americans Act,
which funds a wide range
of seniors’ programs, including elderly nutrition programs, home care
services, and elder abuse prevention services. Because of these types of comments,
Feingold cosponsored the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. A
reauthorization passed the Senate unanimously in late October, and
President Clinton signed
it into law on November 13th.
Education Issues: Ensuring Access to Higher
Education
At this year’s Green Lake County Listening Session, a
Wisconsinite spoke about the importance of expanding financial aid
opportunities for middle-income people. As a result of these comments, and
many others like them, Feingold has fought to raise the maximum Pell Grant
award by $400 – the largest increase in history. An amendment Feingold
authored paved the way for an increase that passed the Senate earlier this
year. The final increase in maximum Pell Grant in this year’s final
appropriations bill may be even higher than the proposed $350.
Preserving Wisconsin’s Wilderness: Apostle Islands
Wilderness Study
Feingold first heard about the need to conduct a study to
determine whether the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore should be
designated as a federal wilderness at his 1997 Ashland County Listening
Session. Because of these comments, Feingold introduced his bill to
conduct a wilderness study for the Lakeshore, and to preserve several
lighthouses on the Islands. As a result of Feingold’s stewardship, the
Interior Appropriations Conference Report for Fiscal Year 2001 contained
$200,000 to conduct the wilderness study, and $2 million in federal funds
to repair erosion at the Raspberry Island and Outer Island
lighthouses.
Local Issues: Improving Lake Superior’s Saxon
Harbor
At his Iron County Listening Session in 1999, Feingold first
heard about Iron County officials’ plan to expand and improve Saxon Harbor
on Lake Superior. Local officials requested federal financial help to
improve the harbor at this year’s Listening Session . As a result of these
requests, Feingold requested a $50,000 appropriation for the Army Corps of
Engineers to do an initial study of what role the Corps should play in the
harbor expansion. The funds for the study were included in the Senate’s
Energy and Water Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2001.
Feingold Helps Wisconsinites Cut Through Red
Tape
At his Listening Sessions, Feingold hears from many
Wisconsinites who need help dealing with a federal agency. Below are the
stories of Wisconsinites who Feingold was able assist after they sought
his help at a Listening Session:
Helping A Business Cut Through Red
Tape
John Piotrowski of the Packaging Corporation of America in
Tomahawk came to Feingold’s Lincoln County Listening Session this year to
ask for help in getting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
approve an alternative pollution prevention technique that would allow his
company to meet federal emissions regulations. Feingold’s office asked the
EPA to review the company’s plan. As a result, the EPA issued a
conditional approval that allowed the company to move forward with
implementing the alternative pollution prevention proposal.
Helping A Veteran Get His Long-Deserved
Medals
Karl Galko attended Feingold’s 2000 Waukesha County
Listening Session to ask for assistance in obtaining a second Purple Heart
and a Bronze Star military service medal that his grandfather, Rudolf, had
earned, but not received. Feingold’s office contacted the National
Personnel Records Center on Rudolf Galko’s behalf, obtained the medals,
and sent them to Rudolf Galko in April.
Helping A Constituent Receive His Federal
Benefits
Darwin Wittig came to Feingold’s 2000 Portage County
Listening Session to ask for help in applying for Social Security
Disability benefits. Feingold’s office contacted the Social Security
Administration on his behalf. Mr. Wittig called back in April to say he
won his claim and thank Feingold for his
help.
