Demanding Fairness

Working to Bring Back our Fair Share

"When I was first elected, the state of Wisconsin was consistently one of the worst (43rd) when it came to bringing back our fair share of federal dollars. I have worked hard to change that disparity, and am pleased that we improved and now rank 37th in the country. In particular, I have worked hard to fix the flawed formulas that unfairly penalize our state, significantly increasing our share of Medicare and transportation dollars. Still, Wisconsin does not get its fair share of federal dollars, and we must continue to fight to bring back federal dollars for essential health care, economic development, transportation, education, law enforcement, and environmental programs."

Read about Senator Feingold's record of delivering critical resources to our state or go directly to an interactive map of Wisconsin.

For more information, see the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation's annual state rankings: http://www.taxfoundation.org/sr124.pdf

Achievements

Fixing the Regional Inequities in Medicare Reimbursement: In many states, the current reimbursement that Medicare pays for a given procedure is much higher than it is in our state-simply because of an outdated formula that penalizes Wisconsin for having a more efficient health care delivery system.

Much of what Senator Feingold has been working on to fix this flawed Medicare reimbursement system was included in the Prescription Drug Benefits Bill that passed the Senate in June of 2003. It will mean more than $200 million in additional Medicare dollars for Wisconsin over the next ten years and encourages high-quality, cost-effective Medicare practices. There is still much work to be done, but this is a huge step toward correcting the massive regional disparities in Medicare reimbursement.

Getting Wisconsin's share of Transportation Dollars: When Senator Feingold was elected in 1993, the formula used to distribute federal transportation dollars penalized states like Wisconsin. At that time, Wisconsin was reimbursed about 92 cents for every tax dollars it sent to Washington. Along with Senator Kohl (D-WI) and Representative Petri (R-WI), Senator Feingold worked to correct this disparity. Wisconsin now receives essentially one dollar for each one it sends to Washington for transportation needs.

Senator Feingold joined other members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation in pressing for emergency funds to help repair the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee after it cracked in December of 2000. Wisconsin received $15 million in funds to repair the bridge.

Senator Feingold also pressed the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee to consider the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's request for bus funds. Wisconsin received $14 million for an upgrade of local bus projects throughout Wisconsin.

Providing the Dollars for Brownfield Cleanup and Economic Development: Senator Feingold supported the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001, a bipartisan bill providing national brownfields cleanup and redevelopment in urban areas. This legislation expands tax incentives for federal brownfields coverage and places brownfields revitalization in a special attention category separate from Superfund. The goal is to stimulate the economies of these communities by attracting new residents and businesses partially through brownfields improvements.

Senator Feingold announced in June of 1999 that West Allis and West Milwaukee received a grant of $200,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for brownfields cleanup.

Senator Feingold voted for an amendment to the 2003 Budget Bill that would increase funding for environmental protection and natural resource conservation, including adding funds for brownfields and Superfund clean-up programs.

Senator Feingold voted in support of an amendment to the Fiscal 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that would provide $100 million from the Superfund trust fund for cleanup of brownfield sites.

Committed to Redeveloping Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley: In May of 2002, Senator Feingold worked to secure an EPA grant of $1 million to help fund the cleanup of contaminated properties in Milwaukee. In June of 2003, Senator Feingold secured an additional $140,000 in federal money for a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers study of the Menomonee Valley industrial district.

Supporting our First Responders: Senator Feingold announced in May of 2003 that Wisconsin will be allocated nearly $28 million through the Office of Domestic Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security. In November 2003, Senator Feingold announced another $41 million that will be headed back to the state to provide first responders with additional resources to protect citizens and infrastructure. In the same month, Senators Feingold and Kohl announced an additional $10.2 million in project grants to be sent to Wisconsin for terrorism prevention and response. He is working to secure additional support for our first responders through the First Responders Support Act, a bill he introduced along with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) on the first day of the 108th Congress.

Senator Feingold announced over $1.2 million in new Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants for Wisconsin law enforcement in June of 2003. These grants help communities hire police officers by providing up to 75 percent of the total cost of salary and benefits for new officers.

Defending Wisconsin's Veterans: When the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) proposed closing the Madison VA hospital, Senator Feingold joined other members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation in fighting to keep it open. The VA subsequently decided to keep the Madison hospital open, ensuring that the 18,000 veterans the hospital serves can continue to receive care there.

Working for Wisconsin's Students: Senator Feingold, along with Senator Kohl (D-WI) announced in May of 2003 that Wisconsin had been awarded Upward Bound program grants totaling nearly $6 million. These grants, funded by the Department of Education's TRIO program, are used to serve high school students from low-income families who are preparing to enter postsecondary education, extending a helping hand to students who face a barrier to higher education.

Expanding Access to Dental Care and Defibrillators: Senator Feingold's Dental Health Improvement Act, signed into law on October 26, 2002, authorizes $50 million over five years to allow states like Wisconsin to improve access to dental care in areas that lack an adequate dental workforce.

Senator Feingold introduced the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act of 2000, which Congress passed and fully funded. Wisconsin, along with two other states, received funding through this act to place life-saving defibrillators in rural areas.

Funding the Fight Against Chronic Wasting Disease: Senator Feingold has pushed the USDA to provide funding and research to combat chronic wasting disease (CWD). He has also pressed the Administration to expand its chronic wasting disease testing efforts, and secured $15.9 million in additional funding for efforts to eradicate CWD.

Senator Feingold has joined with Representatives Mark Green (R-WI) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) to introduce legislation creating a total of $20.5 million in grants for states and tribal governments to combat the disease.

Securing Funds to Protect Wisconsin's Environment: Senator Feingold announced nearly $2 million in funds for repairs at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and an additional $200,000 for a suitability study to determine whether the area could be declared federally protected wilderness. In 1996, Senator Feingold moved legislation through Congress to transfer the La Farge Dam Project land area back to the state and provide $17 million in improvement projects. During consideration of the fiscal year 2003 budget, Senator Feingold worked with the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure the final $4.361 million owed to the state for this project.

Read More

Read a recent piece of literature from Senator Feingold's campaign.

Feingold says he'll try to fix Wisconsin's Medicare imbalance, (Janesville Gazette, January 10, 2003)

Feingold calls for Medicare equity, (Marshfield News Herald, December 14, 2002)