Representative Jonathan Brostoff is Honored to be Sworn into Office for the 2017-19 Session, is Eager to Tackle Fresh Agenda

MILWAUKEE – Representative Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee) was sworn in as a member of the 103rd Wisconsin State Legislature for his second term.

“I am honored to have been trusted with the continued opportunity to fight for the values that are important to my neighbors and my community in Milwaukee through my work here in Madison,” said Brostoff.

Brostoff was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2014, taking office in January of 2015. He serves Assembly District 19 as a member of the Milwaukee Caucus. Much of his legislative focus this cycle will be in regard to mental health care access, Hmong rights, deaf and hard of hearing advocacy, disability advocacy, women’s health, and aging-related concerns.

Although the legislature has been out of session for many months, Brostoff has remained busy looking for ways to be a community ally in these, and other, areas. “Just because we’ve been out of session, doesn’t mean I’ve been out of work to do. I have many pieces of legislation already completed which I will be introducing many over the next several months and I am currently researching many other ideas for potentially drafting legislation,” said Brostoff.

This session there is another item on his agenda – sign language licensure. “The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) has been working towards dismantling several types of licensure and have specifically targeted the one that protects the integrity of the sign language interpreter field,” said Brostoff. “For months I have been meeting with stakeholders about this and will continue to fight on their behalf regarding this important issue. Safety and access are not only legally promised, but they are moral imperatives.”

Many people who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on sign language interpreters in hospitals, courts, classrooms, and other critical settings as well as in their personal lives. The current licensure qualification process helps ensure that the interpreter is truly able to accurately convey all messages and communications without any important information being lost.

“Just as the medical professional must be licensed, the interpreter communicating symptoms and medical options must be. We would not allow someone to drive a car without proper training, as verified by their license. A license is necessary where incompetence can be a public hazard,” Brostoff continued. “Ending the sign language licensure is recklessness and this is an issue I will be watching extremely closely heading into the 2017-19 Session.”

Brostoff will be the Ranking Member for the Assembly Democrats on the Committee for Regulatory and Licensing Reform. This will bring him into the initial stages of all legislation introduced pertaining to licenses. Other committees Brostoff will be serving on include Aging and Long-Term Care, Government Accountability/Oversight, Mental Health Reform, and Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage.

I look forward to serving my friends and neighbors throughout Bay View, Riverwest, and Milwaukee’s east side and downtown, as well as all Wisconsinites as I work across the aisle to find common sense solutions to some of today’s most pressing issues,” Brostoff concluded. “Thank you for the opportunity to serve.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.