Representative Tara Johnson

It was another great day in the 96th! Couleecap celebrated 60 years of fighting poverty and improving lives! Congratulations and thank you to all current and former donors, board members and staff - you have made the Couleecap difference in our community and in the lives of thousands of individuals and families! Thank you!

I’m back!!!
Had a short but sweet Spring Break with our youngest in the Southwest - hiking, gallery visits, lots of delicious food and some retail therapy. Grateful to have been able to spend some QT with her!  And, I’m happy to be back home and back at work.

A great day in Viroqua and La Crosse to speak up and speak out in defense of democracy! So grateful to our community for showing up in such tremendous numbers to protest against the current administration to declare No Kings in the United States of America!!!

FUN FRIDAY ALERT!!🚨 Celebrated Read Across America today with 4th graders at Viroqua Elementary School. Thank you Mrs. Tunks for organizing the guest readers program and to the students for being excellent listeners as I read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss- one of my all time favorites!
*BONUS* My friend, Aiden, recognized me in the lunch line and I got to visit with him, his friends and Miss Faith in their Montessori Children’s House classroom!

So excited to have been at UW-La Crosse this past week for Chancellor James Beeby’s Community Council, learning about their recently completed strategic planning process and a recap of the legislative session from PoliSci professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky.

Today I had the privilege of introducing as the lead author BadgerCare Public Option. I'm so proud of the folks that made this possible, including my fellow Democrats in the legislature who, like me, believe that health care is a right, and who understand that too many Wisconsinites are currently unable to access or afford health care.

BadgerCare Public Option will provide genuine relief to our neighbors by creating an affordable health care plan available to all Wisconsinites, regardless of income, and expanding BadgerCare enrollment to small businesses with less than 50 employees to offer insurance to their employees without damaging their bottom line.

Thank you to the speakers who shared this important message today, especially to Chef Evan Dannells, owner of Cadre Restaurant and Madison’s 2025 Chef of the Year, who shared the need for a public option to provide lower cost options for folks in the hospitality industry. And Indiana Hauser, a La Crosse area resident who shared her story of losing coverage through the ACA after her premium skyrocketed, forcing her to forgo medical treatment. This bill would get Indiana on BadgerCare and back to the treatment she needs to live a happy and healthy life.

I had a wonderful morning visiting La Farge and passing along some last minute well wishes before their AP Gov test.

Congratulations to Director, Trina Erickson and the staff and board of McIntosh Viroqua Library for their latest innovation! Senator Brad Pfaff and I stopped by to check out the JobPod, now officially open and ready for jobseekers to connect with prospective employers. The project, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, is now open for business.

Happy Public Schools Week from the heart of the 96th Assembly District! Kudos to Mr. Wyatt Cameron, Band Director for Viroqua Area Schools and all of the talented student musicians from the 7th, 8th, Jazz and High School Bands who put on a terrific Pop Band concert lastnight!