>> The following program is a PBS Wisconsin Original
production. >> The bill is passed.
>> Monumental legislation is maneuvered through the House
and on to the Senate. While local leaders stay focused
on health care, housing, and water.
[MUSIC] Tonight on "Here& Now" a
Milwaukee business leader and activist reacts to the
latest moves on immigration. A new class of nurses could
bring relief to primary health care. AI, computing
power finds a home in Wisconsin. And a Northwoods
community hopes housing gains bring an economic
boost. It's "Here& Now" for May 23rd.
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
>> The house passage this week of a tax cut and
spending bill that enacts President Donald Trump's
agenda, does so by adding some $2.5 trillion to the
national debt over ten years. That's after cutting
more than $1 trillion in social safety net programs
like Medicaid and food aid. The bill also beefs up
spending on immigration enforcement, billions of
dollars for more Ice officers and the border
wall, for example. And it includes things like a
thousand dollar fee on migrants seeking asylum, on
immigration policy as it affects Wisconsin. We turn
for reaction to Darrell Morin, who's national
president of Forward Latino. He joins us from Milwaukee.
And thanks very much for being here.
>> Well, thank you for having me here today.
>> So passage of the bill, as you know, was not without
kind of Republican infighting over its
provisions. But what is your reaction to what's in it
around immigration? >> Well, we're continuing to
see an attack on our immigrant community, which
we know has so many, you know, impacts our state in
so many different ways. From from the workforce and labor
force shortage that we have right now in the state of
Wisconsin to the very social fabric tearing apart people,
tearing apart families. And we're talking about people
for the majority who are worshiping in our pews,
working in our shops, helping pick our food and
care for our parents. So it's going to continue to
have a profound impact on our state here.
about the numbers of immigrants in Wisconsin who
have come in contact with Ice?
>> Well, fortunately, the Ice offices in the state of
Wisconsin do not have the resources that we know they
wish they had. So we've seen we've seen a slight uptick
in the number of detentions. But the ones that have
happened have been very high profile, such as the
detentions that have taken place in courthouses, for
instance. And that was a practice that under
Democratic and Republican administrations before was
strictly banned because they realized the impact that
would have on public safety. But sadly, things have
changed with this administration.
>> Yes, because perhaps the most visible arrest in
Wisconsin was that of Milwaukee Judge Hannah
Dugan, charged with allegedly helping a man
evade arrest by Ice agents. And it was shown in a photo
released by FBI Director Kash Patel. What do you make
of that case? >> Well, sadly, I fear that
the FBI and the folks working there are not being
led well, that issue seems to be more one about
garnering headlines and trying to intimidate the
courts than doing anything to improve public safety.
What's been rather surprising and welcome
welcoming to see, is that so many people on both the
liberal and conservative sides are actually donating
to the judge's campaign to fund her. Her her legal
representation. And in fact, she's being represented by
two of the most conservative attorneys, well credentialed
conservative attorneys in the state. So I think
everybody's coming together and said it's important not
only to defend her, but more importantly, defend the
Constitution and the separation of powers between
the executive branch and the judiciary.
>> And yet, when people you advocate for see a judge
arrested, what do they think about their own protections?
>> Well, there's I'm not going to deny it. There is
tremendous concern out there right now with all of the
policies and rules that are changing outside of the
normal channels. We're seeing individuals across
the country, even those lawfully present in the
United States, being detained and deported
without any due process whatsoever. And what I think
should concern every American is that a lot of
those detentions and deportations have taken
place despite court orders. Saying that they're we're
not to move forward, and they were not to occur. So
not only is this an immigration issue, but it's
quickly becoming a constitutional issue as
well. >> We know this week that
the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to
revoke Venezuelans protected status, as that case
proceeds. What is your and others reaction to that?
>> Oh, there's a tremendous amount of fear. And but I
think, more importantly, a feeling of betrayal amongst
so many in the Venezuelan community whose vote was
literally courted by the administration's campaign,
you know, accusing our previous president of being
a dictator and the framework of the current leader of
Venezuela. And then to see what is happening today,
they are completely dismayed and disappointed and enraged
and fearful because many of them are going to be
returned under these conditions to an oppressive
regime and will feel those repercussions in a very
serious way. >> When you consider all of
the kinds of ways that the administration wants to
sweep immigrants from our shores and prevent new
immigrants from coming here, what stands out the most?
>> Well, being a person of faith, I can tell you that's
the first thing here. I think that I fear the
administration has taken an all stick approach to this.
It doesn't have to be one or the other. For years we've
advocated with others, such as former Speaker Paul Ryan
and the late, great Senator John McCain. We've advocated
for immigration reform that would not only meet our our
country's security and economic concerns and
requirements, but would allow us to fulfill the
tenets of our faith and to be the defenders of
humanity. So we know we can have all three. They're not
mutually exclusive. >> Darrell Modine, thanks
very much for joining us. >> Thank you.
>> Higher education leaders in Wisconsin sounded the
alarm this week over provisions in the House
reconciliation bill that tightly curbs student
financial aid. They called out the elimination of the
federally subsidized loan program for undergraduates.
In addition to restrictions on loans for graduate
studies and of major concern, changes to Pell
Grants for lower income students that nearly 80,000
Wisconsin students receive. These changes require full
time attendance, whereas 35% of current recipients attend
college part time. This is of particular concern to the
Technical College system. >> We have serious concerns
about the numbers of students who would lose Pell
Grant eligibility entirely. We think, according to our
preliminary analysis, at least 6000 students would
lose eligibility entirely. Many thousands more would
lose portions of their grants, as they would be
prorated based on the number of credits that these
students are able to take. Now, when they're working
part time and often raising families on their own. It's
very difficult for them to increase those credit loads
college, career and in their family responsibilities.
>> For students like me, that change would make a
hard situation even harder. It's not as simple as
signing up for one more class. I'm already taking as
many credits as I can while working. Being present
father to my young daughter, and managing
responsibilities outside of the classroom. I'm doing
everything I can to stay on track and earn my degree.
just about effort. It's not about wanting success badly
enough. My days are full. My early mornings, late nights,
a lot of hard work raising the credit requirements
would wouldn't speed up my education. It would slow it
down. It would force me to choose between work and
school. It would would make the path harder. It would
push students out. >> With the spring state
Supreme Court election barely in the rearview. One
candidate is already eyeing the next seat up for
reelection. Former Democratic state
representative and current appeals court Judge Chris
Taylor announced this week she would be challenging
conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley, who last month
confirmed she would be running for a second ten
year term on the High Court. Highly trained nurses in
Wisconsin could soon be able to practice on their own,
outside the supervision of physicians. Under a bill
gaining support at the state Capitol, the advanced
Practice Registered Nurse Modernization Act just had a
public hearing before the Assembly Health Committee,
with physician groups formally opposed to the new
licensure now formally neutral to the bill.
Governor Evers had vetoed the measure twice, but
negotiated its terms with Republican sponsors.
Republican Patrick Teston of Stevens Point is Senate
sponsor of the bill, and he joins us now. And thanks
very much for being here. >> Thanks for having me.
>> So what would this new advanced practice,
registered nurse licensure >> So the Aprn Modernization
Act has been introduced over the course of the last
decade and a half in some form or fashion. It's taken
different approaches and routes, and I've been the
co-sponsor of it the last two sessions. But
ultimately, what this agreed upon bill will do will allow
Perez after four years of experience, to practice
independently without having to have a collaborative
agreement with a physician. On top of that, despite the
fact that this was vetoed last two sessions, we've had
very good conversations with various stakeholders, along
with the governor's office to alleviate some of the
concerns that he had laid out in the previous two
sessions with his veto message, which was the years
of training and experience. The second was dealing with
title protections and then third, dealing with pain
language, primarily for our nurse anesthetists who
practice in rural areas. The reason why this bill is so
critically needed is we face a significant healthcare
workforce shortage here in the state, and our aprn help
fill that void. And by allowing them to operate the
highest level of their scope of practice, it's going to
empower providers to do the jobs that they were trained
to do, which is take care of Wisconsin patients. And
while this has taken a long time to get there, I'm
relieved that we have an agreement with the governor,
and I am confident that when it reaches his desk, it's
going to get signed into law and this is going to be a
step forward in the right direction to empower our
nurses and our aprns all Wisconsin.
>> Great. So what will it mean for areas of the state
in high need of health care providers?
>> I think this is going to be huge, especially when you
take a look at our critical access hospitals. We're
in rural areas, they rely on nurse anesthetists because
oftentimes they don't have an anesthesiologist on site.
And on top of that, for communities where they have
a lack of physician positions, it's going to
allow our aprn to go into these underserved areas and
provide that that first line of care for, for patients.
And so this is a profession that has seen a tremendous
growth in recent years, but yet we still have vacancies
and shortages, upwards of 9 to 10% in many of our areas
around the state. And so this is just one small piece
of the puzzle as we work with our colleagues on both
sides of the aisle to address healthcare shortage
here in the state. But it's a monumental step in the
right direction. And I'm very pleased that we've been
able to get a deal. I know it's been very at times
arduous and seemed like we were never going to get
there, but through hard work and determination, primarily
from the nurse organizations that came to the table and
were relentless in their pursuit to get this done,
that we are one step closer to seeing this bill become
law. >> What can you tell
patients who, in coming years, might be seen by
advanced practice nurses about whether they are in
good hands? >> Well, I think the fact
that 28 other states have enacted similar legislation.
And when you take a look at the data from other states,
the quality of care hasn't diminished. And in fact,
here in the state of Wisconsin, one of the silver
linings of the pandemic, if there if there was any, was
the fact that there were emergency orders put in
place that allowed our Aprn to operate the highest level
of their scope of practice without a collaborative
agreement. And the good news is, is that the quality of
care did not diminish. And so we already have a track
record through the pandemic at a time when our health
care systems were challenged at the highest levels, and
they, they, they delivered, they provided great care.
And so I think once we have a few years under our belt,
we'll be able to come back to the table and see what
else can be done to empower these providers. But this is
first and foremost a step in the right direction. That
has taken nearly 13 years to get across the finish line,
and we're almost there. >> What will it mean for
nurses now to be able to maintain their own practices?
>> So this was part of the negotiated agreement. So in
the original bills that I authored the last two
sessions, we allowed them to have independent practice.
After two years of experience out in the field
last session, in a last ditch effort to try and
reach a compromise with some of my Democrat colleagues in
the state Senate as well as the governor's office, we
moved to three years. Most states that have enacted
this legislation are around experience before they can
practice independently. Now, again, as part of the
compromise, the governor was very firm that he was at
four years of training and experience before they could
practice independently. have been at 2 or 3, we
decided, you know what? Let's get this behind us.
Let's have this fight be settled with and move it
forward. And so we will be at four years. We will be a
bit of an outlier in that regard, but still, we are
going to allow our aprn after four years of training
and experience, to operate at the highest level of
their scope of practice, which should be the end goal
for all medical providers Wisconsin.
>> Senator Patrick Testin, thanks very much.
>> Thank you. >> In Ozaukee County, one of
the largest data centers in the U.S. Could soon be part
of the landscape. Port Washington officials are
advancing plans for a proposed 900 acre data
center campus. That data center under consideration
is joining the list of such developments in Wisconsin.
Because it turns out we have the perfect conditions.
Here's a story produced by “Here& Now” reporter intern
Jane McCauley on how water and climate factor into data
center siting decisions. Wisconsin is rich in one of
the most important natural resources. Water.
>> We are projected to be relatively water rich in the
coming decades. >> But a new technological
frontier could test the waters.
>> Data centers, particularly AI data
centers, need a lot of water. >> Data centers are popping
up around the state. They run artificial intelligence
data and store information. Mi Barrilleaux,
communications director of Clean Wisconsin, cautions
that the long term environmental impacts remain
uncharted territory. >> We need to pay attention
to how much withdrawals are happening. We have a lot of
competing interests for that. Water communities, farming
businesses, manufacturing, and now AI data centers
coming in to access some of that water.
>> Wisconsin has become a destination for new data
centers because of the extreme heat they generate,
requiring cooler climates and lots of water to
regulate their temperatures. That's why companies are
eyeing Wisconsin for its climate and water.
>> A lot of people don't really realize the impact
that this kind of heavy computing is having on our
environment and could potentially have on our
really critical water systems.
valuable resources on this planet.
>> Annette Zimmerman is a political philosophy
professor who focuses on AI ethics and use.
>> We're dealing with a small number of people and
companies who are able to decide, oh, we're now going
to operate in this environment, and nobody
really can argue against us because we have very limited
competition and almost no regulation.
>> For its part, Microsoft and Meta are already
investing billions of dollars into AI
infrastructure in Wisconsin. Microsoft says the Mount
Pleasant Data Center will provide jobs and tax
revenue, saying the project is expected to bring an
influx of 2300 union construction jobs to the
area by 2025, as well as providing long term
employment opportunities over the next several years.
Missy Hughes, secretary of the Wisconsin Economic
Development Corporation, discussed the initial
construction in a 2023 here and Now interview.
>> Well, having a company like Microsoft, a blue chip,
a true blue chip, American company decide to create
such an opportunity in Wisconsin is incredibly
important and really exciting. It brings in high
tech, artificial intelligence, all of these
things that we see in the economy of the future. And
so Microsoft, Microsoft choosing Wisconsin is really
a testament to what we've done to create the workforce
that they need to create the infrastructure that they
need. And we're so excited to have them here.
>> More recently, construction in Mount
Pleasant has been on and off, but is expected to
finish by the end of 2026. When it comes to water
usage, Microsoft says it has plans to replenish the
water. It is used by 2030 and be net positive in 2022.
Their global usage was more than 1.5 billion gallons of
water, a 34% jump from the year prior. Microsoft
declined an interview, but provided this statement
about sustainability. Quote, we made ambitious
commitments in 2020. These commitments are rooted in
science and take the necessary steps to protect
our ecosystems and prevent the most severe impacts of
climate change. Our data center facilities in Mount
Pleasant will not require ongoing access to large
quantities of water. This is because the facilities have
been designed with a closed loop cooling system that
employs a combination of cooling chemicals and
recycled water. Data centers expect to provide short term
employment for Wisconsin. Longer term, Wedwick expects
spin off development that generates increased property
tax revenue. As for environmental impacts,
Barrio and Zimmerman argue they may not be seen for
years to come. >> People get uneasy when
they start realizing that this resource that means so
much could be harder and harder to get, and we don't
want to get in that situation.
we don't know. And that's because we can't fully
predict what the next wave of innovating in the
generative AI space will look like.
>> This coming weekend, Memorial Day weekend kicks
off the summer tourist season in Wisconsin. In
years past, tourism hotspots have seen difficulty hiring
enough workers. Part of the trouble with hiring has to
do with employees finding a place to live that they can
afford, and these sought after areas. This week, new
workforce housing units opened in Vilas County in
Lac du Flambeau. The two and three bedroom units are
very, very welcome, according to the chair of
the Vilas County Economic Development Corporation, Jim
Tuckwell. He joins us along with the developer, Kevin
McDonnell. And thanks to both of you for being here.
>> Thanks for having us. >> So, Jim, first to you.
Why are these units so very welcome?
>> Well, as you pointed out, Frederica, we badly need
affordable housing here. Our our population is skewed to
older residents. We have a lot of retirees in Vilas
County. And conversely, the people that are aged 20 to
34, those that would be looking for affordable
housing, most likely as they're starting out their
careers. We have much fewer, like 8% fewer people in
residents in that age group than the state of Wisconsin.
So we really badly need units like Kevin's to
attract younger people who can join the workforce, as
you pointed out. >> So, Kevin, tell me about
this new development of apartments. They're
described as workforce housing, but also luxury,
affordable, with rents ranging I saw from about 900
to $1200 a month. What are the units like?
>> Yeah, I mean, the units are really great. They're
all townhouse style units. Individual entries, attached
garages, all of the buildings have rooftop solar.
And in terms of the affordability and the level,
we have a wide range of residents that we're
serving. So we have market rate units, which we have
actually a tremendous demand for a huge waiting list.
Right now, we have on the other end of the spectrum,
something called 811 housing voucher units that are for
folks that have some type of disability, physical,
mental, emotional. There's a number of different types of
disabilities that can qualify for those units, but
those units are set aside for individuals with very
low incomes, 30% or less than the county median
income. And then we have about 27 out of the 40 units
are what we call kind of more traditional workforce
housing units set aside for 50 to 60% of the Vilas
County median income. >> Why did you decide to
break ground in Lac du Flambeau?
>> So originally when we started, it was kind of the
beginnings of Covid. The work from home kind of
movement was starting, and we saw a lot of people
moving into areas like Vilas County and thought there'd
be some of that trend would continue. When we got into
Vilas County and started working with Jim and the
county and the local tribal members, we realized kind of
how much of a need there was for the local tribal members
as well. So it was kind of originally Moore with kind
of tourism kind of economy in mind, with the kind of
work from home thought. And then just the need in the
area for the local tribal members is tremendous as
well. >> Interesting. So, Jim, how
will 40 new two and three bedroom townhomes help the
affordable housing crunch in your county?
>> Well, the key here is that this this development
serves not only Lac du Flambeau but also the
surrounding communities. So people typically commute,
you know, anywhere from 10 to 30 miles for work. And so
this is going to serve a wide range of the
surrounding communities. >> Jim, you've described
that some people can't take jobs that are offered to
them in your region because they can't find the housing.
What are employers saying to you about that issue?
>> Oh, we hear this and have been hearing it for a while
from employers that in some cases they've offered and
had jobs accepted. And then the individuals can't find
an affordable place to live and have to turn the job
down. And others just aren't even applying for the jobs
just because, again, they can't find a place to live
in advance. So it's a very key issue. And this this
serves a very, very significant need for us.
>> How rewarding is it for you to build these
affordable units for folks? >> It's really, really
rewarding. I mean, going to a grand opening or an open
house where we get to see residents come in and like
the smiles on their faces is priceless.
quality, very well done and very impressive. So it's a
it's a phenomenal development.
>> Great. We'll leave it there, Jim. Tuckwell and
Kevin McDonell, thank you so much.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> For more on this and other issues facing
Wisconsin, visit our website at PBS Wisconsin. Org and
then click on the news tab. That's our program for
tonight. I'm Frederica Freyberg. Have a good
weekend. [MUSIC]
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.