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 S. Walker's Act 10 decreases teacher salaries We must stand with our teachers to ensure that they are paid what they deserve. After Governor Walker signed Act 10, our teachers’ base pay is $2,000 less than it was before the signing. Our governor’s action undermines the work and time that our teachers commit to nurturing our children. Five years ago, Act 10 was enacted, which put a limit on the collective bargaining rights of public employees. If we do not adequately compensate our teachers, we will face major challenges with retention and recruitment. To make matters worse, Act 10's effects extend beyond our teachers into other lines of public work. This  is unacceptable and our state government must do better to support our community. We must stand with our teachers. Visit this link for more details. Milwaukee to no longer enforce residency requirement for public workers On Thursday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court made a disappointing decision that would remove a requirement stating that police and firefighters must live within 15 miles of the government unit for which they work. For over 75 years, Milwaukee has required public workers to live in the city they serve. However, since the repeal of the residency rule, the city of Milwaukee lost nearly 600 public-employee residents.  I believe that if you are going to patrol our streets, you should have to live on them too. Sexual assault investigations at Lincoln Hills ignored This weekend, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported more allegations of inexcusably poor leadership and a failure to hold inmates responsible for heinous actions. Prison officials admitted they did not have a protocol for investigating sexual assault claims. Security Director Rick Peterson was demoted in February after he could not correctly identify which staff members are trained to investigate sexual assault allegations. Over the course of 7 ½ months, he reportedly failed to review a single investigation of sexual abuse. These officials have been put in positions of authority with the trusting presumption that they will protect the youth while they are incarcerated. As we go further and further into this investigate, it is clear that the institution completely failed at keeping these kids safe. Nobody is doing anything about dozens of allegations of sexual abuse and rape, when they should be acting immediately. This conveys the message that assault is not important to the leaders of this facility. Senator Lena Taylor named Conservation Champion I am honored to be named a Conservation Champion of the 2015-16 legislative session by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. It is crucial that we work to protect the environment to improve the health and wellness of our people. To accomplish this goal, my role as a state legislator is to collaborate with stakeholders. Issues such as privatizing public water utilities water, lake pollution and lead service pipes continue to be important problems to address. Our Wisconsin families deserve to live in an environment where their children can grow up safely and admire the beauty of our state. We cannot take for granted the air we breathe and the water we drink. Just like I have for the last 13 years, I will continue to be an advocate for our environment.	Stay in touch: Email: Sen.Taylor@legis.wi.gov     Milwaukee:  414-342-7176     Madison:     608-266-5810 Community Events: Rising Sun Camp 2016      July 10 - 15 Solomon Community Temple United Methodist Church 3295 N Dr. Martin Luther King Dr, Milwaukee Wisconsin 53212     Camp for children ages 10-14 who have one or both parents incarcerated. Contact Afi Dobbins at adobbins@wisconsinumc.org for more information. National Night Out August 2nd: 4pm-8pm at Lincoln Park Pavilion Join me for free food, live music, giveaways, community resources and fun & games for the whole family! See more details here!
	Quote of the Week: “We are facing a looming teacher shortage and it is due in part to the way we portray the profession. That must change and it has to happen soon.” -State Superintendent Tony Evers discussing the decrease in teacher salaries. This is an official government communication from Sen. Lena C. Taylor. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click here to send me an email to unsubscribe.