Wis. Rep. Robin Vos’ Reaction to Cancellation of Contract to Curb Child Care Fraud

Rep. Vos Calls for a Renewed Commitment

Madison…Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester) is calling for renewed efforts to combat daycare fraud in the publicly-funded Wisconsin Shares program. After learning the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families cancelled a contract to implement a new attendance tracking measure, Rep. Vos is pledging today to work closely with the Walker Administration to find a new vendor that can deliver results.

“The changes that have been implemented in the Shares program are the results of 2 years of hard work along side my colleague Rep. Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee),” said Rep. Vos. “Through the budget process, we will make sure this new vendor is found and we will take every necessary step to stop the fraud in the Wisconsin Shares program.”

According to Rep. Vos, electronic attendance tracking is crucial in finally ending child care fraud. He pointed to numerous cases that were well-documented last year by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an investigative report that showed rampant falsification of attendance records, leading to some childcare providers bilking the childcare subsidy program for millions.

While the administration indicates there have been implementation struggles with the former vendor, Rep. Vos says that is no reason to abandon the initiative. “It took years to uncover the degree of fraud that was occurring in this program,” said Vos. “So it should not be surprising that finding solutions may also take time. I urge the Walker Administration to continue working toward a solution.”

Wisconsin Judge Maryann Sumi & Her(SEIU, AFL-CIO) Political Operative Son

There’s nothing like a judge’s love for her son to cloud her otherwise-cloudy judgment.

This is a problem. Judge Maryann Sumi should have recused herself entirely from the Wisconsin battle due to her inability to be neutral in this case. You see, Maryann Sumi has a clear conflict of interest. Her son is a political operative who also happens to be a former lead field manager with the AFL-CIO and data manager for the SEIU State Council. Both the SEIU and the AFL-CIO have members who are public-sector employees in Wisconsin. In fact, as a federation, the AFL-CIO can boast of several member-unions that represent public-sector employees. Maryann Sumi is hardly an unbiased judge in the matter.