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Official Government
Communication
Dear Friend,
Welcome to my
email newsletter. There is a lot happening at the State Capitol and it is
my hope that this email will help you stay in touch with your government.
As your Senator, I truly believe in public service. If there is anything
my office can do to assist you, please feel free to contact us.
Here to serve,
Sen. Lena
Taylor
4th District
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Raising
tuition lowers opportunities
Everyone deserves an education. With rising college costs,
affording higher edu cation has become difficult for Wisconsin families. The
tuition freeze in UW system has helped keep college affordable but that may
change with the Regents recent request to raise tuition. If we raise tuition,
less kids will be able to access a good education and the opportunities it
provides. This isn’t an acceptable solution. I understand why the Board of
Regents wants the raise; with recent cuts to the UW system, funds for the
university are limited. But raising tuition isn’t the solution. That will
only hurt students in the long run. We can’t limit opportunities for our
young people. We need to reinvest in higher education. If we want an
accessible education for all, we need to put our money where our mouths are
and invest in our universities. The doors to UW-Milwaukee system were open
for me and I want to make sure they are open for the next generation of
Panthers.
Voter ID
and the DMV
When Wisconsin passed Voter
ID was passed here in Wisconsin, Republicans told us it was meant to prevent
voter fraud. According to them, Voter ID was supposed to uphold the integrity
of the political process and nothing more. I wasn’t fooled. Voter
impersonation isn’t as big as a problem as Republicans would like you to b elieve and Voter ID isn’t efficient at solving
the few cases there are. Voter ID laws have always been about one thing only
and it doesn’t have anything to do with integrity; it’s to shut out voters
who predominantly vote democratic, often African Americans. It’s a way of
rigging the system. As a federal judge looks to Wisconsin to see if we’re
following an order to make obtaining an ID accessible, I ask: why do we need
ID in the first place? It doesn’t stop in-person voter impersonation. It puts
an unnecessary burden on marginalized communities. It does nothing to uphold
the integrity of the ballot box. We don’t need Voter ID and more importantly,
we don’t need to be lied to by the GOP on why they put it in place. Everyone
knows the truth; this law was made to win elections. Telling us otherwise is
fooling no one.
Diversity
in policing is crucial
Problems in policing have
gained national attention. A truth we’ve known  for years is becoming
clear. The criminal justice system disproportionately targets African
Americans. Trust between police and their communities needs to be rebuilt for
any significant change to happen. The Milwaukee police department is
attempting to recruit more Latino and African Americans for the police and
fire department. However, one step forward won’t get us far unless we keep
walking. To rebuild trust, the police needs to actively work at becoming more
accountable. People need to trust the police for the police to do their job
efficiently. For that to happen, the police need to prove themselves worthy
of that trust.
Slavery
Ban
There is absolutely no
compelling reason for the State of Wisconsin to allow slavery. Period. But
did you know slavery is still allowed under Wisconsin law as long as it’s a
punishment for a crime? Not if I have anything to say about it. Next
legislative session, I am reintroducing my slavery ban. My ban would
eliminate the last 15 words of Article I, Section 2 of Wisconsin’s
Constitution, “There shall be neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude in
this state, otherwise than for the punishment of crime, whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted.” I don’t care what you do or who you are,
nobody deserves a life of enslavement. In practice, this amendment allows our
prisons to exploit incarcerated individuals and force them to work without
pay. My constitutional amendment would have to pass the two consecutive
legislative sessions and then it could appear on the 2020 ballot where the
people of Wisconsin would get to have their say and vote ‘no’ on slavery.
Wisconsin doesn’t currently enslave its prisoners, but we do pay them often
just pennies per hour of work. Somebody is getting rich off this and it sure
isn’t us. Let’s be real - passing a constitutional amendment won’t solve the
racism and bigotry of the system; there are still more black men in prison
today than there were slaves in 1850. But it’s a start.
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Community Events:
13th Premiere
October 7th, Netflix
A new Netflix
documentary by Ava DuVernay investigates modern day
slavery
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