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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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Joint
Finance Committee Meetings Cancelled Over Education Dispute
As the
ranking Democratic member of the state's Joint Committee on Finance, I should
have been sitting in committee this week. However, my Republican
colleagues can't agree on the direction our education plan should take, how
much political self-interests should impact that direction, and what's best
for our state's most valuable resource, our children. With pressing
issues that include increased funding for special education, requiring
additional voucher school accountability, restoring funding to the AODA grant
program for schools, or increasing resources in the classroom, we need to get
to busy.
 Whether working to increase
funding to critical non-traditional programs intended to deal with issues
that impede far too many students' academic outcomes, like mental health,
trauma-informed service delivery, or bullying, the needs of Wisconsin's most
challenged students can't continue to wait. As the representative of a
senate district that houses some of the most challenged schools in the state,
I know postponing this work is not an option. That is why I am working
to introduce motions in the budget that will increase Poverty Aids to low
performing or failing schools. With an appreciation for the trauma that
many students can experience, to include parental divorce, drug use, domestic
violence, or incidents of ancillary community violence, I am committed to
working to wrap services around these students. Therefore, I am
offering motions to ensure our children don't receive Band-Aids but a get a
cure for the services they need. Of course, we won't all agree on every
proposal or budget idea, but I think we can all agree that the committee
needs to return to work.
Gun Safety
Equals Community Safety
"Constitutional Carry" has become a phrase that
garners a pretty emotional response, no matter who you talk with. The
axiom refers to Senate Bill 169 (SB 169), a proposed bill that would remove
requirements of both a permit and firearms training in order to carry a
concealed firearm. Taking things a step further, school districts would
be tasked with deciding if guns will be permitted on school grounds, because
the bill also creates a new permit that allows gun owners to carry concealed
guns on school property.
In a recent Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, I and my
colleagues listened to scores of people testify, both in favor and against
the proposal. It's difficult to have the discussion and not be reminded
of the Weston High School, Washington High School, and Wauwatosa West High
School shootings, right here in Wisconsin as well as the national incidents
of school shootings. Those for and against, argue the impact, either
positive or negative that introducing guns into a school environment can
make.
In
response to the many concerns raised around firearms and gun safety over the
years, I have put together a gun safety and accountability package aimed at
making Wisconsin a safer place for everyone. The
package includes proposed legislation that would improve standards for
concealed carry by specifying that applicants must participate in at least
eight hours of training; a "no fly, no buy" policy that prohibits
anyone under suspicion of terrorist activity from purchasing a gun;
micro-stamping laws so that we can link bullets found at crime scenes to the
weapon that fired them, and requiring that concealed carry applicants have
proof of general liability insurance of at least $800,000 to pay for any
injury, death, or property damage that may arise from the gun holder's
careless use of the weapon.
Supporting
the Mental Health of Our Students
 As a part
of our budget deliberations on education, it is refreshing to see a measure
that has been introduced by the Walker administration to address the mental
health needs of Wisconsin students. Specifically, there is $2,500,000
in Mental Health Collaboration Grants intended to allow for the establishment
of a program that would screen children for early signs of mental health
issues or concerns. According to research from the US Department of
Health and Human services, for adolescents, ages 13 to 18, the lifetime
prevalence of mental disorders severe enough to cause significant impairment
in daily functioning is approximately 20%. Poor mental or emotional health
can impact a student's school attendance, perceived competence,
concentration, academic achievement and graduation.
The grant
is based on similar legislation passed by the Minnesota legislature nearly
ten years ago. The irony is that even 10 years ago, Minnesota passed
their legislation with twice the amount of funding currently being proposed
in our current budget. Once again, Wisconsin is playing catch up. It is
time to lead and set examples of our own by improving our mental health care
initiatives and outcomes. Therefore, I am introducing budget motions to
adequately fund this grant. We must ensure that our children don't receive Band-Aids
but a get a cure.
Correcting
Corrections
 We need to do more in Governor
Walker's budget to improve our corrections system and improve the outcomes
for both youth and adults coming through out system. For years, whether
through Legislative committees, national organizations, or key community
stakeholders, recommendations have been made to reduce corrections costs,
reduce recidivism and put formerly incarcerated residents on a path to
becoming a productive citizen.
Therefore, in working on the
budget, I am advocating for the state to adopt a series of Juvenile Justice
Reinvestment recommendations put forth by the Pew Research Center, a
nonpartisan fact tank based out of our nation's Capital. Additionally, I am
drafting motions to make our corrections system adhere to federal laws
regarding the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) which will provide resources
and funding to protect incarcerated individuals from sexual assault.
Furthermore, I seek to prioritize residential space for youth who commit long
term and violent crimes, and implement proven strategies in reducing the
amount of young people from re-offending. My work includes advocating
expansion of pre-court alternatives for juveniles, a strategy used in Utah that's
expected to reduce the number of juveniles in state custody tremendously.
Wisconsin lags behind other states' efforts to improve the corrections
system and the current budget takes small steps to address big problems. It’s
time we implement these recommendations and correct corrections.
Show Me
the Money, or at Least a Job!
After six
years of control, it is clear that Governor Walker's job creation plan has
failed the state of Wisconsin. The numbers came out this week and they don't
look good. Wisconsin has been below the national pace in creation of
private sector jobs every year since Governor Walker's first budget was
passed (6 years ago!). In fact, prior to Governor Walker taking office,
Wisconsin had been ahead of the national pace for 5 straight
years. If we had maintained that direction, Wisconsin would have
gained nearly 148,000 jobs by now.
 Instead, Walker has chosen to
narrowly focus on giving tax breaks to just the manufacturing and farming
sectors. This strategy is not enough and has not generated the job
growth badly needed across the state, particularly in Milwaukee. That
is why this session, I am working with my colleagues on innovative ways to
strengthen Wisconsin's economy and create a diverse climate of employment
opportunities. In that spirit, I am introducing a budget motion at the behest
of Sen. Chris Larson to create a tax credit that will help businesses hire
apprentices from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. I am also
introducing a motion to create a forestry curriculum in high schools,
enabling students to learn a valuable trade that is not only interesting and
capable of helping our local environment, but that will also expose them to
good family supporting jobs. We should be working on helping all
sectors of our economy, not just the ones that benefit big business.
Quote of the Week:
"Democrats will continue to push bold and creative ideas to
revitalize our middle class, invest in local communities and public
education..."
-State Representative Peter Barca
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.
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Events & Opportunities
Cycle For Sickle Cell
Join as
Motorcyclists ride to raise awareness for sickle cell disease on
Saturday,
June 10th
9am-5pm
2215 N.
Palmer Street
More
info here.
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2017 Miss Juneteenth Pageant
Support
the first official event of Milwaukee's annual Juneteenth Celebration. Come
out and watch as one lucky student competes to win an amazing scholarship
package
Saturday,
June 10th
Find the
Facebook event here.
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PRIDEFEST
Let's
celebrate pride!
Friday,
June 9th through Sunday, June 11th
3pm
- Midnight
Get free
admission to the opening ceremony
Find
more info here.
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Urban League Black and White
Ball
Have a
great night out at this Urban League fundraiser!
Saturday,
June 10th
5:30pm
More
info here.
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Jazz in the Park
Enjoy
free live entertainment on Thursdays
Starting
July 15th
Cathedral
Square Park
Find
more info here.
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Under the Dome Updates
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updates on your legislative officials, committees, and
issues
that are important to you.
Find
more info here.
Stay in touch:
Email: Sen.Taylor@legis.wi.gov
Milwaukee: 414-342-7176
Madison:
608-266-5810
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