It’s summer time and it’s the downtime for the state Assembly. Representative Ed Brooks, a Republican from Reedsburg, came to WRJC Tuesday morning to give an update on the last session of the Assembly, especially the topics of the Rural Schools Task Force and the HOPE agenda. HOPE stands for Heroin Opiates Prevention Education. Brooks said with heroin and opiates being more accessible, there needed to be laws in place to help first responders as well as those who are using those drugs. “One bill is to set up new TAP programs, Treatment and Prevention programs, and this would give more funding locally to set these programs up,” said Brooks. “Another one is to permit first responders that are trained to administer a drug, like Narcan, that counteracts heroin and one is allows people immunity if they call 911 or bring someone to an emergency room if they are suffering an overdose.”
Brooks also talked about the Rural Schools Task Force and the recommendations that came out of it. He said that some of the recommendations could be written into bills that could be passed as early as next year. The recommendations include increasing funding for transportation aids; provide loan forgiveness and grants to address teacher retention in rural school districts; and extend high-speed internet access service throughout Wisconsin to address limited access in rural areas so that distance learning opportunities can be maximized.