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Keeping
Guns Out of the Wrong Hands The shooting in Alexandria at a congressional baseball
practice on Wednesday is another tragic example of deadly firearms falling
into the wrong hands. The shooting injured Republican House Majority Whip
Steve Scalise, and four others, to include a legislative staffer, two secret
service officers and a capital police officer assigned to Scalise’s security
detail. As a result, our state capital, went on heightened alert. We
were reminded of the gratitude and debt owed to the men and women who provide
us a safe work environment. These types of unacceptable shootings
happen too frequently and continue to put Americans in harm’s way. We need to
do more to protect people, and that means we need to stop guns from falling
into the wrong hands. I understand that these types of incidents always
cause us to reflect on our state’s gun laws and question if we are doing
everything we can to keep residents and vis That is why my Gun Safety and Accountability Package is so
important. I want to improve the standards of conceal and carry so guns don’t
end up in the wrong hands. My package would require a minimum of eight hours
of training so gun owners know how to use and store a firearm responsibly,
implement a “no fly, no buy” policy to prohibit those under suspicion of
terrorist activity from purchasing firearms, and create microstamping laws so
we can link bullets with the firearms that shot them. Even with these safety
measures, the careless use of firearms happens all the time and those who use
guns irresponsibly must be held accountable. With my package, conceal and
carry applicants must provide proof of liability insurance to cover the
injury, death or damage their gun use may cause. Shootings like the one in
Virginia won’t stop until we start holding gun owners responsible for their
actions. My heart goes out to our Republican colleagues and their
families, in Virginia, impacted by this tragedy. Overworked Corrections Officers
Means Reduced Safety It’s fair to say that any of us
that have had to pull a double work shift know exactly how impaired our
judgment, response time and attention to detail can be when we get
tired. Many of us solider through it and pray we stay awake on the
drive home. But some jobs, like those of the men and women who stand
guard to ensure our correctional institutions are safe, literally become
unsafe when fatigue or mental alertness are reduced. This week as
the Joint Committee on Finance made critical decisions regarding Wisconsin’s
Department of Corrections (DOC), my Democratic colleagues and I offered a
motion to incorporate provisions of 2015 Senate Bill 610. This motion would
prohibit a corrections employee from working more than two consecutive
eight-hour shifts, for a total of 16 consecutive hours. Although staffing shortages are a
concern and there has to be room to account for unexpected absences, we are
putting the health of our officers and the safety of our incarcerated
population at risk when the staff are not their best prepared to work in the
stressful conditions that accompany working in a penal institution. We
have seen increased DOC employee retirements and resignations over the years
and yet Governor Walker and budget committee Republicans refuse to act to
make these work environments safer. DOC should be properly staffed. The
frequent use of overtime is neither good for worker moral nor cost
effective. You would think my Republican colleagues entrusted with
leading our state’s budget decisions would understand that. Give Us
Back Our Kids I’m proud to say that this
Thursday, the Joint Finance Committee passed my motion to make sure only
medical professionals can distribute medications to incarcerated juveniles at
Lincoln Hills, which is a corrections institution and school. Until now,
anyone at the facility could give out medication, including guards and other
staff that are not trained to do so. This led to dangerous situations, such
as children given incorrect prescriptions. Thanks to my motion, only licensed
nurses may distribute While this is step in the right
direction, the race is not over. Lincoln Hills, as it currently is, is not
acceptable. Lincoln Hills is designated as a “Type 1” dentition facility –
which means it is heavily secured by fences and security systems reserved for
incarcerated adults. Despite this, 60 percent of youth incarcerated at
Lincoln Hills do not require, nor were they sentenced to, dentition at the
“Type 1” level. This is senseless desensitization to incarceration. The
mission of corrections is to rehabilitate. The mission of a school is to
education. Lincoln Hills does neither and hurts our children’s’ ability to
reintegrate back into society. Happy Juneteenth Day! On
Thursday, I was proud to introduce a resolution to resolution to recognize
June 19, 2017, as Juneteenth Day in Wisconsin. Juneteenth commemorates
the day that the last enslaved people of African descent, received word on
June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, that slavery had officially ended in the
United States. Those held in bondage in Galveston actually learned of
their freedom some two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation
Proclamation, by President Abraham Lincoln This
Monday, I will be participating in Milwaukee’s annual parade and celebration,
which starts at 10am. And I hope you can join me for the food, fun,
vendors and festivities! If you are in Madison on June 19th,
I encourage you to attend a free movie screening of the documentary
“Milwaukee 53206” at 12:00pm in room 411 S. in the Capitol. The
documentary explores the role of mass incarceration in aiding to create one
of the most economically challenged zip codes in America. Giving hope through
a look at several successful stories or resilience and determination, you
will see a community fighting for change and literally, fighting for their
lives. Walker’s
Way: Governor Tries Again to Take Away Public Employee’s Insurance On Thursday, members of the
Joint Committee on Finance Committee, in a b The state of Wisconsin
currently only has about one-third of the absolute minimum cash on hand it
would need to cover all of its employee’s health care costs. States like
North Carolina have seen the budget deficit go up an additional $200 million
dollars by moving the state to self-insurance. Walker would undoubtedly pass
that bill on to taxpayers. The Governor was looking money to move into
education, a worthwhile goal, which would be more meaningful if he hasn’t
been responsible for some of the biggest cuts to education in Wisconsin
history. However, this tactic, akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul, has
been indicative of the way Gov. Walker does business. Whether
it’s “bait and switch” or “smoke and mirrors”, Walker is attempting to play
shell games with our budget. I am proud of the work of the committee to
stop this game. Quote of the Week:: "Bring our kids back to our community; let us treat them.
Give us back our kids." -Senator Lena C. Taylor on rehabilitating juveniles in the
correctional system 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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