Penny Bernard Schaber is a Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

, representing the 57th Assembly District since her election in 2008.

Early life and education

Schaber was raised in Mundelein, Illinois and remained in Illinois to complete her Associate and Bachelor’s of Science degree from Southern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...

. After graduation she volunteered for the Peace Corps

Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...

 working at a hospital in Campino Grande, Brazil. When she returned to the United States, she attended Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 where she received a degree in physical therapy. Penny Bernard Schaber's career in healthcare brought her to Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 where she started working in hospitals in Milwaukee and moved to the Fox Valley in 1984.

Before entering politics, Bernard Schaber worked as a physical therapist in local hospitals, community nursing homes, in private practice, and in schools. With a passion for the environment she was active in the Fox River Cleanup Plan. In order to obtain a better understanding of environmental issues, Bernard Schaber returned to school in 1985 to complete an Associate Degree in Natural Resources at Fox Valley Technical College

Fox Valley Technical College

Fox Valley Technical College is the technical college for the Appleton, Wisconsin area. It is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System....

. As a member of the Fox Valley Sierra Group and as Chairperson for Wisconsin’s John Muir Chapter for the Sierra Club

Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...

, she has been very active in local and statewide natural resources.

Legislation

Some of the legislation that Rep. Bernard Schaber has worked on and co-authored this past session that were passed and signed into law as Wisconsin Acts include:

• AB 266: If a Business is closing or having mass layoff, the employer is required to provide contact information to the local workforce development board and support services information to affected employees.
• SB 107: The E-Waste law requires manufacturers to collect and recycle certain electronic devices, including computers, TV’s and printers, and establishes recycling targets for manufacturers based on their sales.
• AB 111 This Bill allows people who are denied by one insurer to enroll in a HISRP, whereas before they needed denials from two insurers before enrolling.
• AB 112: This Bill ends the statutory lifetime limit on benefits under HIRSPs.
• AB 275: This Bill creates a separate Physical Therapy Examining Board, which is separate from the Medical Examining Board.
• AB 308: It allows police officers to safely escort vehicles through red lights and stop signs.
• SB 379: The school board of school's closing or reopening schools must notify the Department of Public Instruction.
• AB 261: The Check Scam Protection Act prohibits this practice of sending out seemingly normal checks that commit people or businesses to a contract they did not intend to sign up for.

Committees

In the 2011-2012 Legislative Session, Rep. Bernard Schaber will serve on the Jobs, Economy and Small Business Committee, the Transportation Committee, and will be the minority ranking member on the Public Health and Public Safety Committee.

In the 2009-2010 Legislative Session, Bernard Schaber was a member of the Health and Health Care Reform Committee, the Public Health Committee, the Transportation Committee and was Vice-Chair of the Jobs, the Economy, and Small Business Committee.

Elections

In 2008 Bernard Schaber was elected into the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 57th District after defeating Jo Egelhoff 15,383 - 11,560 in the November general election.
Bernard Schaber won re-election November 2, 2010 defeating Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 challenger Chris Hanson 10,415 - 9,419.

External links

• Wisconsin Assembly - Representative Penny Bernard Schaber official government website

• Follow the Money - Penny Bernard Schaber
  • 2008 2006 campaign contributions
• Penny Bernard Schaber campaign contributions at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign