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State Rep. Joan Fitzgerald updates council on PFAS funding, health and education bills
Summary
Representative Joan Fitzgerald briefed the council on the end of the legislative session: postpartum Medicaid expansion and a bill improving breast-cancer screening coverage passed and were signed; a $125 million PFAS remediation appropriation is now being distributed, and she flagged unresolved items including Knowles Nelson stewardship and data center regulation.
State Representative Joan Fitzgerald addressed the Fort Atkinson City Council on May 5 with an end-of-session update and an offer to take constituent questions.
Fitzgerald highlighted several legislative results: she said postpartum Medicaid expansion and a bill improving insurance coverage for breast-cancer screening (referred to as “Gail’s Law”) passed this session and were signed by the governor. On environmental funding, she said the state budget included $125 million for PFAS remediation for municipalities and individuals; staff later implemented a distribution plan and Fitzgerald said the appropriation and earned interest now leave the available fund at about $132,000,000 (her figures described the original appropriation and the updated total after interest and allocations).
Fitzgerald also described work to align state administration of federal programs (SNAP and certain Medicare payments) with federal requirements and noted passage of bills to increase penalties and resources for internet crimes against children. She listed several bills that did not pass this session and named the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program and data center regulations as areas she hopes the Legislature will revisit.
Fitzgerald noted the state budget surplus (she cited roughly $2.6 billion, with about $2.0 billion in the rainy-day fund) and said discussions about property-tax relief and other options are ongoing at the state level. She invited council members and residents to email her or follow up with the city manager for specific questions.
Council members thanked Fitzgerald and offered brief comments; no formal city action followed the update.
