Over the two days of visits and events, I heard many stories. One young man told me about his family who is suffering from the opioid epidemic. Another woman told me about her struggles with her aging parents and not having enough access to quality care. I heard of how places like UW Superior can change lives for the better and encourage people to find work and build lives at home. Many folks told me about the struggles their towns and cities have keeping up with basic road maintenance. 

For all of the stories I heard, they had three asks for me and my fellow legislators:

- Increase the reimbursement rate for Medicaid. Northern Wisconsin has a growing elderly population, a drug abuse epidemic and limited access to quality health care. Increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate, even just to match what Minnesota currently has, would be the first step in expanding necessary services and increasing access. 

- Invest in roads. The citizens of Douglas and Bayfield Counties would like to have a local option for a sales tax to address the deteriorating roads in the counties. While we also need an increase in state investment, I understand the need for extra revenue for road maintenance as our counties are struggling to keep up. 

- Support increased funding for UW Superior. The Superior Days participants were all proud of their University, and they asked that I support the budget request to keep up with the needs of UW Superior. It's essential that we invest in institutions like this if we are serious about addressing the challenges of workforce development. 

Thank you to everyone who made the long drive down to Madison in the terrible weather. Your voices were heard, and you have an ally in me. I look forward to working with you in the coming session, and I believe we can get things done. By coming together, we create opportunities to push forward proposals that can directly improve the lives of every resident in the Northland.

Representative Beth Meyers
74^th Assembly District