Happy Friday!
This past week in Madison was busy with committee activity. In the Assembly, my bill to help prevent exposure to surgical smoke was heard in the Health Committee. This bill would ensure that hospital staff are able to stay safe while performing surgery. Surgical smoke, also known as plume, is the aerosol produced when surgical energy devices—such as electrosurgical units (lasers, electrocautery, ultrasonic scalpels)—vaporize human tissue during procedures. It contains a complex mixture of water vapor, particulate matter, and potentially hazardous chemicals, posing documented health risks to operating room personnel.
The Assembly Ways and Means Committee heard a proposal I’m working on with Rep. Petersen that creates a property tax exemption for park model homes, larger recreational vehicles like RVs, and more. This will allow these structures to be taxed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal purposes, instead of being taxed as permanent residences. The current tax structure creates an undue burden, taxing a temporary, recreational asset like a permanent, site-built home.
In the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, two of my bills related to free speech on UW and technical colleges and creating a veterinary loan repayment grant program were heard. Free speech on our college campuses is vital to student learning and maintaining an environment that is open to all. The veterinary loan repayment grant program is important to increase the number of available veterinarians who know how to work with larger domesticated animals. This is especially important in more rural parts of the state, like most of our area, where access to these veterinary services is limited and emergency services are very hard to come by.
Closer to home, I was happy to thank and celebrate our veterans at several events around our area. It was great seeing so many in the community celebrating Veterans Day. We also met with music therapists who serve some of our veterans at the Veteran Home in King. These therapists help veterans overcome PTSD and other conditions, and it was a great dialogue about paths to licensure for these professionals!
Lastly, we also had a chance to visit Oshkosh West High School. We spent some time speaking with students and faculty before meeting with the principal, school staff, and district administrators about some of the challenges and opportunities ahead for them.
I hope you have a good week!
Food Assistance During the Holiday Season
As we march towards the holiday season, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, I wanted to share resources available if your family needs assistance with meals. Click on this link for more information.
Community Events
Here is a list of some events happening around our area in the next few weeks. If you have an event you would like included in future e-updates, email us here!
Friday, November 14th – January 3rd:Â Timber Rattlers Holiday Lights – A Walk-Through Event
Friday, November 14th:Â Battle of the Beef
Friday, November 14th – Saturday, November 15th:Â 2025 Weyauwega International Film Festival
Friday, November 14th – Sunday, November 16th:Â Pizza 4 Paws
Saturday, November 15th:Â Light the Night Market: Holiday Edition
Saturday, November 15th:Â Oshkosh Hmong New Year
Monday, November 17th: City of New London – Draft Zoning Ordinance & Map Public Open House
Thursday, November 20th:Â EAA Aviation Museum Speaker Series: Flying the F-35
Thursday, November 20th:Â Berlin’s Light the Park & Holiday Parade
Below are some great resources to learn more about our community and fun events!
Fox Cities Events Calendar
Future Neenah Events Calendar
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
New London Chamber of Commerce
Waushara Area Chamber of Commerce
Wisconsin Sensory-Friendly Children Museums
Visit Waupaca County
Travel Wisconsin
Traveling to the Capitol
My office is available five days a week for anyone looking to travel down to the Capitol!
If you are interested in a guided tour provided by my staff, or me, please email Sen.Cabral-Guevara@legis.
Committees
This session, I serve as the chair of the Senate Committee on Health. My number one priority has always been to increase affordability and accessibility in health care for the state of Wisconsin.
Health (Chair)
Universities and Technical Colleges (Vice Chair)
Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Children and Families
Agriculture and Revenue
Joint Legislative Council
Contacting My Office
My capitol office is here to help you with general inquiries as well as questions and concerns regarding legislative matters. Feel free to contact me or my staff. We are always ready to assist you in your needs. Please visit my website for press releases and other capitol updates.
