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 #BeBoldForChange As many of you know, Wednesday was International Women’s Day.  Across the world women stood up and made their voices heard to keep the issues of equality and sexism at the forefront of the conversation. Many women went on strike from their workplaces and home responsibilities to show the essential economic role women play in our society. Here in Wisconsin, many marched on the Capitol, and even more wore red in support of this cause.  International Women’s Day isn’t a one day event, it’s something that needs to be sustained year round! Only by continuing to stand up and use your voice will we one day reach complete equality! Mandatory reporting bill doesn't stop the abuse On Wednesday, the Senate passed 2017 Senate bill 35 which would make juvenile correctional officers mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. Let’s be clear about one thing – this bill doesn’t do anything to stop the abuse at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake School! All this bill does is say that abuse needs to be reported after it has happened. We haven’t even begun to address the problems that caused the FBI to raid our juvenile facility a year and a half ago, or any of the abuse mentioned in Judge Richard Kreul’s letter to Governor Walker in 2012. We need to stop the over-incarceration of our juveniles, end the use of solitary confinement, and keep our children close to home with a Milwaukee-based Grow Academy! When it comes to protecting these children, it’s time we stopped saying “no we can’t,” and started saying, “yes we can!” Leading on lead This past week, I testified in front of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy on Senate Bill 48 which would allow municipalities to authorize water utility services to fund the replacement of both private and public sections of lead service lines. The problem is that you can’t just replace some of the lead lines, because lead can leach into the water at the joints between leaded and non-leaded pipes. If we want to truly get the lead out, we need to replace ALL of the lead pipes. This bill would allow the city to replace private lines too, not just the ones the city owns. This is legislation is just one step in my plan to get the lead out! Trump's election inspires hundreds of women to run for office Two months ago, millions of Americans marched around the country in solidarity with women, minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, Muslims, sexual assault survivors, and others whose humanity had been questioned by newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump. Many women, myself included, marched because we felt insulted and hurt watching a woman get so close to the office of the President, only to lose to the most unqualified man to ever run. But what I’ve seen lately has renewed my faith in our future. More women than ever have decided to run for office! Programs like Emerge, which finds women leaders and trains them to run for office, have seen record numbers of applications since Trump’s election! I had the honor this past week of having two women from the Emerge program shadow me, and I felt humbled by their drive to create a better future. We women make up half the country, and it’s about time we made up half of the elected offices! Creating sustainable jobs As a community, we are hurting, and as a community, we will heal. Last Saturday, Representative Jason Fields and I sat on a panel, the People’s Forum, to discuss combining resources, ideas, and finding common ground to solve rampant joblessness in Milwaukee. It was a step towards uplifting our community. We have to do better, and that means we have to rethink and recondition our mindsets to accountability. If businesses are willing to help and train employees and employees are willing to work hard, everybody benefits. I’m positive that the energy, attention, and focus from this panel will drive us to provide more opportunities to meet the needs of our community.	Events & Opportunities State Capitol 100 Year Celebration - Did you know that the Wisconsin State Capitol is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year? Check out the Capitol Commission's Facebook page to stay up to date with the latest events. Rep. Sensenbrenner Town Hall - If you live in the 5th congressional district which includes parts of West Allis, New Berlin, Brookfield, and Greenfield, your Congressman, Rep. Sensenbrenner, is holding town halls over the coming week. Check out his website for dates and times. Have your voices heard! Page for a Day Program – do you know a young person interested in a unique opportunity to learn more about the state government process? Check out the Page for a Day Program! More information can be found here. Stay in touch:      Email: Sen.Taylor@legis.wi.gov     Milwaukee:  414-342-7176     Madison:     608-266-5810
	Quote of the Week: “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” -Maya Angelou 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.