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Official Government
Communication
Week of Feb. 12th - 16th
Dear
Friend,
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
Juvenile
Corrections Can't Wait
 This week, a group of bipartisan
legislators and I introduced a comprehensive bill to address the serious
allegations of abuse and mistreatment in Wisconsin's juvenile corrections
system. For a number of years, Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile
facilities have been fraught concerns that have been identified by
subsequent federal investigations and findings from the courts.
Additionally, after hearing from countless officials, parents and
community members, in April 2016 and February 2017, I wrote to the
Governor Walker to request a special session on the Juvenile Justice
System. Those letters and my phone calls went unanswered.
Last year, I circulated bills seeking to transfer Juvenile
Corrections within agencies, provide for regional juvenile facilities in
Milwaukee County, and ultimately to close Lincoln Hills Juvenile
Correction Facility. Far too many Milwaukee youth are placed at
Lincoln Hills and there is a continued concern for their safety and
rehabilitation.
I wasn’t alone, as other legislators brought forward bills.
Ultimately, we have all joined forces to combine the best from all of our
bills and create a singular piece of legislation. Last week the
Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety and the Senate
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety heard SB 807 regarding juvenile
correctional facilities, youth aids, and the need to change the way we
operate these facilities. This bill is a step towards creating a Juvenile
Justice system that better addresses the needs of the majority of
stakeholders, juveniles and community members that engage the
system. I am hopeful that it will pass the full legislature and
make its way to Governor Scott Walker’s desk. Our youth and staff
have waited for relief for years, and they cannot afford to wait any
longer.
#MeToo
 This week I sat down for an
interview with a reporter from USA Today to discuss the impact of the #MeToo movement. As I discussed personal
incidents of either sexual assault, harassment or inappropriate workplace
incidents, it became painfully clear how embedded these moments have
become in the day-to-day experience of so many people. I
appreciated the opportunity to share these experiences in the hopes that
it will continue to raise awareness, help other women find their voice,
and change behaviors of the perpetrators. For far too many women,
they have felt alone or isolated. Through opportunities such as
this, we are able to get information regarding employment rights and
resources to those impacted. Organizationally, it forces companies,
and yes even the legislature to review our policies and training
regarding this issue.
State
of Black and Brown Wisconsin Caucus Meeting
 On Monday, I joined other members of
the legislature’s Black and Latino Caucus for the 1st Annual
State of Black and Brown Wisconsin address. We were joined by
keynote presenters, Dr. Eve Hall, President and CEO of the Milwaukee
Urban League and Reverend Dr. Alexander Gee of Madison’s Justified Anger.
The event centered on the current challenges and opportunities facing
communities of color. Legislators provided an overview of areas to
include education, corrections, economic development and more.
Following the address, my office received a few calls from members of the
press asking about information of a portion of my remarks that indicated
Wisconsin has been identified as the worst place in the nation to raise a
black child, as if the statement was shocking to hear. It was calls
like that that amplify the need for such events.
A growing body of research has shown that, along many different
metrics—such as reading scores, incarceration and unemployment rates,
graduation rates, and children living in poverty ratios—black children
have some of the most comparatively stunted outcomes in the country. Many
people are aware of Milwaukee’s infamy for hosting the zip code with the
highest black incarceration rate in the country, but studies show that
horrible statistic is the product of many other problems—problems first
faced by our children. There are any number of factors that
contribute to outcomes for Wisconsin’s black and brown residents.
The work of the caucus to address systemic, institutional and policy
barriers to inclusion and equity.
Early
Childcare Helps Students Succeed
 On Monday, the Joint Committee on
Finance held a public hearing to discuss five bills, one of which I
co-sponsored (SB 793) that increases the funding for child care
subsidies. A recent survey conducted by Childcare Aware of America
showed that there are over 300,000 children in need of childcare
services; but, there is only adequate funding for 160,000 kids in
Wisconsin. This is due to there being less funding available through the
state’s child care subsidy program, Wisconsin Shares, as well as the way
in which monies are provided to childcare programs.
Evidence-based studies have shown the profound effects early
childcare has on a person’s opportunity to be successful later in life,
and I believe all of our children deserve nothing but the best possible
chance to reach their full potential. This bill is a bipartisan step
toward getting our children the head start they deserve and I look
forward to continued work on this issue.
It's
Raining Bills
On Wednesday, four bills were voted
out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety during our
executive session: AB 117, SB 704 and SB 694. I am signed on as a
cosponsor for SB 694, which relates to the battery of an officer of the
court. Under this bill, it will be a class H felony to intentionally
cause bodily harm, or threaten bodily harm to an attorney, guardian ad
litem, or corporation counsel who is working in his or her official
capacity. This offers them the same protection that is already in place
for judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers. I also supported
SB 704, which increases victim advocacy by keeping victims of sexual
assault and domestic abuse personal information more confidential.
Lastly, I supported AB 117 which will allow the district attorney, deputy
district attorney, or assistant district attorney, to provide legal
services to someone of limited means, or to a charitable, religious,
civic, community, governmental, or educational organization as long as they
provide the service without a fee. This bill will help provide legal
assistance for those who may fact barriers to access it.
AB 351 was also voted on during the executive session, and I opposed
it. The bill deals with body cameras on law enforcement, and puts in new
regulations that reduce transparency. Specifically, my concern centered
on the idea that data from the cameras is presumed to be
confidential. The ability and time to get the authority to release
any footage from every identifiable person in the video is extremely
cumbersome. The bill could needlessly reduce transparency by
limiting those outside of law enforcement from accessing body cam
footage. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for our police
officers and first-responders; they have an amazingly important job and
an overwhelming majority of the time they do it incredibly well. Still,
as the community entrusting a police force with our protection and as
taxpayers, people have a right to know what has happened in situations
that may have included excessive force or prejudiced misconduct
Common
Sense Apparently Isn't Common
 Legislators get ideas of bills from
a variety of places, stories and events. The need for the latest
bill I have requested a draft for is something that has me stumped.
While watching the morning news this week, a story was reported about two
on-duty New York detectives that were accused of rape by an 18 year-old
woman. While in police custody, after being removed from a parked car she
was in with her friends, the woman alleges that the officers handcuffed
her and took turns sexually assaulting her in the back of an unmarked
police van. After the encounter was over, they released her from the
van. The officers made no arrest and filed no paperwork about the
incident. The 18-year old informed her mother, who took her to the
emergency room, where it was later confirmed via a rape Kit that there
had been sexual contact between with the woman and both police
officers. The officers claimed that the sexual contact was
consensual.
Common sense would dictate that the officers should be punished to
the full extent of the law. However, in 35 states, including Wisconsin,
there is currently no law prohibiting on-duty police officers from having
sex with someone in their custody. This is an outrageous loophole
that allowed the officers in New York to avoid sexual assault charges or
any meaningful punishment in court.
According to an article in BuxxFeed News,
26 of the at least 158 law
enforcement officers charged since 2006 with sexual assault, sexual
battery, or unlawful sexual contact with somebody under their control,
have been acquitted or had charges dropped based on the consent defense
in looking at a database of more than 700 law enforcement officers
accused of sexual misconduct.
Sexual assault is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated under any
circumstances, in any profession. With that in mind, I will be
introducing legislation that will close this loophole by explicitly
prohibiting sexual contact with someone in their custody. Common
sense isn’t as common as I thought.
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