On a day when the state Assembly took up Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to expand state Medicaid, the legislative body made strides in other areas byswearing in state Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, R-Franklin, the second Latina member of the Assembly in state history and the first from the Republican Party.
Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos, R-Burlington, who swore Rodriguez in, said in a statement he was “glad” to have Rodriguez as a new member of the chamber and would look forward to her “fresh ideas,” specifically on school choice and statewide education.
Rodriguez said in her own statement she plans to focus specifically on education but also work toward creating a better business climate in the state.
“A good education is the key to success for individuals, communities, and businesses,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “I want to give families the ability to find something that works for them. Expanding the school choice program statewide was a good first step but there’s still so much we can do.”
After her swearing in Wednesday, Rodriguez is officially the successor to former state Rep. Mark Honadel, R-South Milwaukee, who had a large role in the contentious mining bill that played out in the state Legislature over the past year.
In her first session as a member of the Assembly, Rodriguez joined her Republican colleagues in voting to refrain from changing state Medicaid coverage until April 1, allowing those currently enrolled in the program more time to transfer to the Affordable Care Act health plans.
