Rep. Francesca Hong 홍윤정

Yesterday, Assembly Bill 232, the Asian American & Hmong Education Bill, passed unanimously in the Assembly. Since this bill’s introduction, my office has worked with community members, legislative colleagues, & organizations including Freedom, Inc. & the AAPI Coalition of WI…

Thank you to my colleagues @RepPhelpsWI & @repcruzwi for your work on this bill, & for reinforcing that public schools need a reliable funding structure. Now more than ever, it’s clear that when the legislature withholds state funding, the burden falls unfairly on taxpayers.

Assembly Democrats have a responsible plan to buy down your property taxes & pick up the tab for your public schools. Recently, we introduced a proposal that uses Wisconsin’s existing school funding formula to shift more responsibility from local property taxpayers to the state.

But as this legislative session comes to a close, Legislative Republicans have refused to give this bill a public hearing. Healthy food helps kids focus, learn, and thrive. Ensuring every student can eat at school shouldn’t be controversial, it should be common sense.

For many Wisconsin students, the most reliable meals they get each day are at school. That’s why I’m proud to have authored Healthy School Meals for All, legislation that would make sure every student can eat breakfast and lunch at school without cost or stigma.

March is National Nutrition Month—a reminder that every child deserves access to healthy, nourishing food.

Yet Legislative Republicans have still refused to give this bill a public hearing. My Democratic colleagues and I will keep pushing for policies that support caregivers and working families until they do. #womenshistorymonth♀️

Care work has always been part of women’s history. Session after session, I’ve introduced legislation to establish paid family and medical leave in Wisconsin so people can take time to care for themselves or their loved ones without losing their income.

Affordable, comprehensive coverage should be within reach for every Wisconsinite.

..establish a Basic Health Plan for individuals earning under 200% of the federal poverty line and small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, and direct the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to operate a state-based exchange with access to BadgerCare.

In 2026, health insurance premiums purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace are projected to rise an average of 16% in Wisconsin, with some plans increasing as much as 34.5%. Nearly 20,000 Wisconsinites have lost coverage.

It also creates a separate, longer wage escalator for small businesses w/ fewer than 50 employees, reaching $20 by 2035. We are not talking about luxury. We are talking about dignity. We are talking about whether full-time work is enough to live on.

Everything about the cost of living has changed, except the wage we tell working ppl they’re supposed to survive on. That is why last week, I introduced a bill that raises the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $15/hour upon enactment & increases yearly until reaching $20 in 2030.

Seventeen years. That’s how long Wisconsin has kept the minimum wage frozen at the federal floor of $7.25 an hour. In those same seventeen years, groceries have gone up. Rent has gone up. Healthcare costs have gone up.

This #PublicSchoolsWeek share your story and join the movement to advocate for our kids at FundWIPublicSchools.org.

…and that treat our constitutional duty like a line item to negotiate rather than a promise to keep. For my son George and all the other children in Wisconsin, I hope we change course and give public education the resources and recognition it deserves.

The Wisconsin Constitution guarantees every child the fundamental right of access to a sound basic education, without tuition. But the state legislature has failed to adequately fund public schools and fulfill its obligation to them.

…the teacher staying late to prep lessons, the kid who needs a little extra support, the family just trying to make it all work. Our public schools are the hearts of our communities, and they deserve serious, thoughtful leadership, not political games.

Meanwhile, the real work — making sure our public schools are adequately funded and supported — keeps getting pushed to the margins by Legislative Republicans. In this role, my colleagues and I have learned that we must always try to bring it back to people:

During Public Schools Week, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to serve as Ranking Democrat on the Assembly Education Committee. This session, we’ve seen too many bills that feel disconnected from what educators, parents, and students are actually asking for.