Official Government Communication

Dear friend,

Welcome to my updated 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

Legislature passes Juneteenth Resolution

This week, the Legislature passed my resolution, which proclaims June 19, 2015 as “Juneteenth Day.” Juneteenth Day commemorates the day freedom was declared for all slaves in the south on June 19, 1865 in Galveston Texas, more than two and one-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. The resolution honors the millions of African decedents who were forced immigrants. Sadly, they were enslaved, denied basic human rights, sold as property, separated from their families, beaten and denigrated. Yet, they bravely rose up and fought for equality. To honor their struggle, we still fight for equality today. I hope this resolution serves as a tool that educators and parents throughout Wisconsin use to teach young people about the importance of this triumph over slavery.

Senate passes 20-week abortion bill

This week, the State Senate also passed a bill banning abortion after 20-weeks. Sadly, my colleagues failed to recognize that not every pregnancy ends the way a family anticipates. Abortion is a very personal and complex medical decision that should be left up to a woman and her family with the counsel of their physician. We should provide women and their doctors every possible medical option available. This bill is an insult for every woman who has had to make the gut-wrenching decision to terminate a pregnancy. Politicians should get out of the doctor’s office and stop distracting people from their failures to pass a responsible budget. That is why I voted against the bill.

Stolen cars could soon be donated to charity without notifying the owner

This week, the Senate killed my amendment to a bill that would have improved the process of returning stolen cars to their rightful owner. Car theft in Milwaukee is a very real problem. Currently, a stolen car can be re-titled by the thief if the local police department does not respond to the Department of Transportation in a timely manner to verify if a car is on the list of stolen cars. As part of a bill that would sell abandoned vehicles to charity, I authored an amendment that would have helped owners whose cars are stolen from losing their personal property forever. While my amendment did not pass, I plan to continue to work towards a legislative fix to this issue.