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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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Improving Juvenile Justice
Our kids need help, plain
and simple. While I know our juvenile offenders might not be the first to
elicit sympathy in some minds, it’s important to remember that they aren’t
hardened c riminals, they are
vulnerable children. Period. They deserve our sympathies, no matter what
they’ve done, because odds are, the reasons they wound up committing crimes
are complex. Nobody’s born a criminal. With the horrific news constantly
pouring out of Lincoln Hills, it’s clearer than ever that we’ve failed our
juvenile offenders. We need clear solutions that help rehabilitate these
kids, and treat their pain. There’s a number of steps we could be taking to
help our kids. From transferring juveniles out of adult prisons, to ending
solitary, to looking into alternative programs we can help give our kids a
second chance. There must be a better way to help our troubled youth than
locking them away.
Graduation Gap among African Americans
Graduating high school is a
tremendous accomplishment. Kids who graduate are more likely to go onto
college, and even those who don’t go to college are
more likely to be more successful than their peers who did not graduate high
school. In Wisconsin, we have the 6th highest rate of graduating
our students in the nation. This would be cause for celebration if not for a
disparity that comes along with that statistic: we also hold the highest gap
in graduation between White students and African Americans. This is
unacceptable. In light of this news, we should consider reforms to help our
African American students graduate at the same rate as their peers. We need
to investigate the reason for this gap in the first place to pinpoint places
we could help. Everyone deserves the chance to receive a diploma.
CPR training now in Schools
Recently, the American
Heart Association granted $75,000 worth of supplies to help teach hands only CPR in
Wisconsin Schools. This comes after a bill passed last session that required
all Wisconsin schools to teach CPR training to their students between 7th
and 12th grade. This is a great step forward. Heart disease is one
of the largest killers in the United States. By teaching our young people how
to use CPR, not only do we raise the chance of saving lives, we also empower
them to be active responders in emergency situations. I am glad to hear our
students will have the proper supplies to learn how to do so.
Absentee ballots have new deadline
Voting is a constitutio nal right. It’s your right as an American
citizen to go out and make your voice heard. Voting is the best way to make
the change in your community that you want to see. With the coming election,
it’s important to make sure you know everything you need to vote. One piece
of information is the new absentee ballot law. Instead of ballots having to
be postmarked by election day, they must now be in by election day instead.
Ballots also need a witness and an address to be counted. If you plan on
voting absentee, make sure that your ballot is in the mail so it will get
there in time, and make sure to overview the regulations as well. Your vote
matters. Make sure it counts.
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