Please find the three-page document that provides selected highlights of the poll results. 

View poll here.

On October 30, 2024, Marquette Law School released its final statewide pre-November election poll, which was conducted between October 16-24. The following poll findings may be of interest.

Presidential Race
The following are the results for polling of registered Wisconsin voters:

• Kamala Harris (D): 50%
• Donald Trump (R): 49%

U.S. Senate Race
The following are the results for registered Wisconsin voters:

• Tammy Baldwin (D): 51%
• Eric Hovde (R): 49%

Governor Tony Evers’ Job Performance
This poll asked registered voters if they approve or disapprove of the way that Democrat Tony Evers is handling his job as Governor. This poll found the following:

• Approve: 51%
• Disapprove: 45%
• Don’t know: 4%

More detailed results are available in this memo

Nationwide anniversary of Women, Infants, and Children program celebrated in Wisconsin's 61 WIC agencies

Today, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and the Department of Health Services (DHS) recognized the 50th anniversary of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program by proclaiming the day Wisconsin WIC Day statewide.

"This anniversary marks an incredible milestone for the work DHS does to ensure families across the state have the opportunity to access the healthy, nutritious food they need and the resources they deserve," said State Health Officer and Division of Public Health Administrator Paula Tran. "Since the opening of the first WIC clinic in Wisconsin in 1974, WIC has been an unwavering beacon of support to families across the state. Today we celebrate these families, thank those who make our WIC programs operate in every corner of the state, and look toward a bright future for WIC and Wisconsin families."

The country's first WIC clinic opened its doors in Pineville, Kentucky, in January 1974. Later that year, Wisconsin's WIC program began a pilot with the Great Lakes Inter Tribal Council (GLITC) WIC program, Green Bay Area Free clinic, and Menominee Tribe. Within the first year, Wisconsin WIC had a total participation of 1,300. By 1980, WIC had expanded to over 55 locations, including Wisconsin's two major urban centers Milwaukee and Madison. By 1990, the majority of the current WIC program was in place.

View the entire news release.

On October 2, Marquette University Law School released the results from their most recent Wisconsin-focused election 2024 poll.  Please find attached a two-page document that provides selected highlights of the poll results, including data addressing the Presidential race, U.S. Senate race, Governor Tony Evers’ approval rating, as well as issue-specific data. 

Presidential Race
The following are the results for polling of registered Wisconsin voters:

• Kamala Harris (D): 52%
• Donald Trump (R): 48%

U.S. Senate Race
The following are the results for registered Wisconsin voters:

• Tammy Baldwin (D): 53%
• Eric Hovde (R): 46%

Governor Tony Evers’ Job Performance
This poll asked registered voters if they approve or disapprove of the way that Democrat Tony Evers is handling his job as Governor. This poll found the following:

• Approve: 48%
• Disapprove: 46%
• Don’t know: 5%

More detailed results are available in this memo

This week, the state of Wisconsin joins local, state, and national partners, as well as all key stakeholders, in affirming nutrition as a human right and working to increase awareness of, reduce, and prevent malnutrition in Wisconsin. Read the full percolation here.  https://evers.wi.gov/Documents/091624_Accessible%20Proclamation_Malnutrition%20Awareness%20Week.pdf

The future of nutrition care and the RDN profession in Wisconsin is greatly impacted by state lawmakers and other elected officials. WANDPAC is a unique political giving program that provides WAND members with a convenient way to make political contributions to help elect state candidates who support effective nutrition policies and understand the important role RDNs play in Wisconsin's health care system.

WANDPAC collects voluntary contributions from members into a single account and distributes those contributions- under the direction of a governing board - to candidates for elective state office. Outside of administrative costs, the PAC program is funded entirely through member contributions.

We look forward to building our assets to be able to contribute in the future to legislators who have and will continue to support our nutrition policies. See below for more details on what we've been able to accomplish with our WANDPAC dollars - and plan to donate today!

If you would like to see your WANDPAC Contributions and determine if it's time to donate, in your profiles you can:

• Log in
• Under "Invoicing, payment & History", click on "Donations"
• This will share your amount donated over time.

Thank you again for the consideration of donation to this important fund to advancing our profession!

State Senator Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan)

• Senator Ballweg introduced Senate Bill 1059 and served as the lead Senate co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 1153, both of which would ratify and enter Wisconsin into the national Dietitian Licensure Compact
• In addition, Senator Ballweg introduced Senate Bill 948 and served as the lead Senate co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 1013, both of which create a healthy food incentive program. Assembly Bill 1013 was signed into law on March 25.
• WAND presented this award to Sen. Ballweg during the WAND annual conference in Oshkosh on April 18

State Representative Alex Joers (D-Middleton)

• Representative Joers introduced Assembly Bill 1013 and serving as the lead Assembly co-sponsor of Senate Bill 948, both of which are focused on creating a healthy food incentive program. Governor Evers signed Assembly Bill 1013 into law on March 25.
• In addition, Representative Joers co-authored Assembly Bill 1153 and co-sponsored Senate Bill 1059, both of which would ratify and enter Wisconsin into the national Dietitian Licensure Compact
• WAND representatives presented this award to Rep. Joers at the State Capitol on May 15
  
  

State Representative Rob Brooks (R-Saukville)

• Representative Brooks introduced Assembly Bill 1153 and serving as the lead Assembly co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1059, both of which would ratify and enter Wisconsin into the national Dietitian Licensure Compact
• WAND representatives presented this award to Rep. Brooks at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton on June 10

• Eligible retailers include supermarkets, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, nonprofit cooperatives, and farmers who sell directly to consumers, among other types of food sellers.
• Retailers must be authorized retailers in the FoodShare program participating in the healthy food incentive program.

WAND supported this bill as part of its engagement efforts with The Speaker's Task Force on Childhood Obesity during the 2023-24 legislative session and is excited to see it become a reality! Read more about the bill becoming law here.

Even though the Assembly has adjourned for the session, individual bills may still be introduced in the Assembly.  With that in mind, WAND expects that the Assembly version of the Dietitian Licensure Compact will be introduced soon.  The Senate version of the Dietitian Licensure Compact bill – Senate Bill 1059 – was introduced in the state Senate earlier in February. 

The following are updates on bills/resolutions of interest to WAND: 

Wednesday, February 21 Assembly Session

• AB-1013 Food Incentive Program (Joers, Alex) Healthy food incentive program.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AB-1014 Childhood Obesity (Hurd, Karen) Childhood obesity prevention and management grants.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AB-1015 Childhood Obesity (Hurd, Karen) Childhood obesity prevention and management grants and making an appropriation.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AB-1016 Physical Activity (Penterman, William) Requiring public and private schools to offer a minimum amount of physical activity each week.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

Tuesday, February 20 Senate Session

• SB-539 NonProfit Assistance (Tomczyk, Cory) County assistance to certain nonprofit organizations.
• This bill passed the Senate and was sent to the Assembly for its consideration.  However, the Assembly did not take any action on this bill before it adjourned on February 22.  Therefore, it is very likely that this bill will move no further in the legislative process.

WAND Public Policy and Advocacy Committee members Cassie Vanderwall (Consumer Protection Coordinator) and Amy Stinson (Nutrition Payment Services Specialist) shared at the Taskforce's hearing in Milwaukee on October 27 how RDNs play a pivotal role in chronic disease prevention, treatment and reversal offering holistic care across the lifespan.

Bills introduced as a result of the Taskforce include:

Healthy Food Incentive Program: Introduced by Representatives Alex Joers, Karen Hurd, Robyn Vining, Elijah Behnke, William Penterman, Melissa Ratcliff, Donna Rozar, Peter Schmidt & Senator Joan Ballweg.

Under the bill (5718) and program, “FoodShare recipients who use FoodShare benefits for purchases at an eligible retailer would receive an amount up to the amount of benefits used at the eligible retailer for the purpose of purchasing fruits and vegetables from the eligible retailer. According to the Co-Sponsorship memo, “Nutrition Incentive Programs allow families to stretch their grocery budget and prioritize buying healthy, locally-grown produce. They are oftentimes referred to as Double Dollars, Double Up Food Bucks, or Market Match. They provide matching dollars so that families participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can purchase additional fruits and vegetables from participating farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs (CSA’s), grocery stores, and other healthy food retailers.”

Childhood Obesity Prevention Grants: Introduced by Representatives Karen Hurd, Robyn Vining, Elijah Behnke, William Penterman, Donna Rozar, Peter Schmidt, Alex Joers, Melissa Ratcliff & Senator Cory Tomczyk

LRB-5317 requires the Department of Health Services, in coordination with relevant state agencies, to award two-year grants (total $5 million) to organizations, cities, villages, towns, counties, school districts, or Indian tribes for childhood obesity prevention and management programs. Under the bill, “childhood obesity prevention and management program” means any of the following designed to assist a person who is 22 years of age or younger or an unborn child (collectively,“child”):

1. Early interventions and screenings to better identify and promote healthy growth and development and to prevent and manage childhood obesity.
2. Parental support for and education on childhood weight management, including support for guardians, caregivers, or others who have or will have responsibility for the child other than the parent.
3. Removal of barriers and promotion of better access to proper nutrition and spaces for play and other physical activities.
4. School-based efforts to impact circumstances contributing to childhood weight management.
5. Early childhood care and education, including both school-based and out-of-school care efforts to impact circumstances contributing to healthy growth and development and reduce childhood obesity.
6. Any other type of program, approach, or innovative practice that addresses the factors that prevent childhood obesity and mitigate its impact.

Hours of Physical Activity for Students: Introduced by Representatives Penterman, Rozar, Hurd, Behnke, Schmidt and Sen. Tomczyk

Under this bill, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, public schools, including independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program must offer at least 180 minutes of physical activity each week to pupils in kindergarten to eighth grade. Under the bill, physical activity is defined as participation in exercise, sports, recreation, wellness, or fitness activities. The bill specifies that physical activity may occur during recess, physical education class, school-sponsored athletics, or any other school-sponsored activity.

Other Notes:
In addition to the press conference, Rep. Robyn Vinning, Co-Chair of the Taskforce, released a press release of her "10 Takeaways" from her work on the Taskforce.

WAND Public Policy and Advocacy Committee members Cassie Vanderwall (Consumer Protection Coordinator) and Amy Stinson (Nutrition Payment Services Specialist) shared at the Speaker's Taskforce on Childhood Obesity hearing in Milwaukee on Friday, October 27 how RDNs play a pivotal role in chronic disease prevention, treatment and reversal offering holistic care across the lifespan. Obesity is a complicated disease influenced by biological and environmental factors. There is no one solution to obesity, but multi-faceted and collaborative interventions can make Wisconsin a healthier place for our children and future workforce.

Their testimony was the last of the 3 scheduled speakers for the hearing and lasted about 15 minutes. Legislators engaged in Q&A afterwards followed by more informal discussion. Thank you both for sharing important viewpoints and expertise!

View the entire hearing's archived recording on Wisconsin Eye by creating a free account if you don't already have one.

Download and share the 2-page infographic prepared for the Taskforce from RDNs who specialize in childhood/pediatric obesity and public policy. You are the content expert they need to hear from on this topic!

Learn more about Speaker Vos' Taskforces, including the Childhood Obesity Taskforce, formed in 2023 here.

The new Action Center is super easy & fast to use. Encourage all your fellow RDN's to Take Action!

The Joint Committee on Finance is voting on School Breakfast Program funding THIS WEEK on Thursday, May 23!! We need YOU to contact the committee members NOW and urge them to fully fund the program!

The time is NOW! WAND needs your help! In order to vote to fully fund the program, the committee needs to approve Alternative 1A on LFB Paper #578. Contact the committee now and urge them to approve Alternative 1A on LFB Paper #578! Once the committee votes, there is no second chance. Please contact the committee no later than Wednesday, May 22.

Joint Committee on Finance Contact Information:

If you plan on CALLING members, please click here for information and key points to guide you. 

If you plan on EMAILING members, please click here for information and key points to guide you. 

Important Congressional Issues Require Your Action!

As a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, please urge your policymakers to support legislation that protects and values nutrition services in areas of prevention and treatment by supporting the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act and preventing and treating malnutrition. It is important for members of Congress to hear from their constituency around this election time. The voice of every member is critical.

Take action today!

Oppose the House Farm Bill

The House of Representatives may vote once again on its farm bill, H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. The Academy opposes the bill for a number of reasons. The bill would make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that could result in more than 2 million people losing their benefits or having their benefits reduced. The Academy is also concerned that the bill would make substantial changes to nutrition education programs that empower people to make lasting, healthful choices.

Urge your member of Congress to oppose this bill and instead, work toward advancing a farm bill that strengthens these programs. Learn more about the Academy’s farm bill priorities here

Take Action now!

Support the Preventive Health Savings Act

As the chronic disease epidemic continues to worsen, the need is critical for legislation that will allow Congress to accurately assess the full savings of enacting prevention-focused measures. The conventional 10-year budget window that is used by the Congressional Budget Office fails to give Congress a complete picture of long-term savings from disease prevention efforts.

The Academy is asking members to ask Congress to co-sponsor the Preventive Health Savings Act (H.R. 2953/S. 2164). This bill would encourage a sensible economic review of proposed health policies and programs that Congress believes will improve public health.

Take Action now!

You can complete the Action Alert in less than 2 minutes. Either click on the Take Action now! links above or visit eatrightpro.org and sign in, click on "Advocacy" and then "Take Action" (under "Action Center"). Please note: The Academy's Action Center works best with Firefox, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome as your web browser; typically Safari is incompatible. After submitting the message, follow up with a phone call. Dial the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected with your representative. Use the action alert as talking points!

Urge your representative to oppose the House farm bill. Ask your member of Congress instead to advance a farm bill that strengthens the nation’s nutrition programs.

You can complete the Action Alert in less than 2 minutes. Visit eatrightpro.org and sign in, click on "Advocacy" and then "Take Action" (under "Action Center"). Please note: The Academy's Action Center works best with Firefox, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome as your web browser; typically Safari is incompatible. 

After submitting the message, follow up with a phone call. Dial the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected with your representative. Use the action alert as talking points!