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, so if there's anything my office can do to assist you, please feel free to contact us.
In Service,
Senator Lena Taylor
Wisconsin's 4th Senate District
Taylor Talks Lame Duck Session on MSNBC's AM Joy
Senator Taylor’s week kicked off with the opportunity to raise awareness nationally and address concerns about the recent Extraordinary Session held in the Wisconsin Legislature. Appearing on MSNBC’s Joy Reid’s AM Joy, Senator Taylor spoke with guest host Jonathan Capehart about the assault on democracy at the hands of Republican state legislators. Stressing the importance of the GOP’s efforts to not only limit the powers of the incoming Governor - Elect Tony Evers and the state’s Attorney General Josh Kaul, Sen. Taylor also decried the attack on early voting. While many Republicans have tried to downplay the harm of their 11th hour work to nullify the will of Wisconsin voters, we need look no further than the comments of then Rep. Robin Vos. Vos argued that “we are going to have a very liberal governor who is going to enact policies that are in direct contrast to what many of us believe in.”
Senator Taylor firmly believes that the deliberate work to dilute the intent of voters is a new strategy in the GOP playbook. Neighboring Michigan is going through something similar. We also learned that had Florida and Georgia elected Democratic governors the same tactics would have been employed. Voters expect us to honor their wishes and not hamstring incoming leaders. To that end, Senator Taylor’s office has received countless letters, phone calls, and emails from both Democratic and Republican residents expressing their outrage.
As Governor Scott Walker has already signed off on some of the lame duck session bills, he has used a chart to mislead residents that the powers will be the same. They will not. It’s like giving two people each a car, but one car has brakes, seats, and power steering. The other car does not. Walker and Republican legislators have tried to interfere with his successors power to stop Wisconsin’s participation in the lawsuit involving the Affordable Care Act. They have placed undue restrictions on Evers ability to seat his own cabinet. They have decided that they are going to steer the state’s direction, even though Ever’s was elected to do so. This debate is far from over, so stay tuned.
Rails-to-Trails Meeting
Senator Taylor’s staff sat down for a meeting with members of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a group that has helped to create rail-trails across the country. Rail trails are former railway line that have been converted to paths that can be used for a variety of outdoor activities. In Wisconsin, there are currently 96 of those trails, with 23 restoration projects currently taking place and over 1,888 miles of trails! Whether it’s biking, running, or just going for a leisurely stroll, there’s infinite potential for Wisconsinites to enjoy these paths and develop a new hobby in the process. One of their larger projects, called The Route of The Badger, aims to connect Southeast Wisconsin’s 340 miles of existing trails to over 160 additional trails to be constructed. Senator Taylor looks forward to working with members of the Rails-to-Trails team and hopes to see the project completed as soon as possible!
Queens Helping Queens Book Club
Senator Taylor attended Queen Healing Queens’ Book Club event last Sunday. She had the pleasure of participating in the conversation and discussing her views on Michelle Obama’s book, “Becoming.” She also talked about the intersection of race and politics, identifying her experiences as a black woman.
Queens Healing Queens is an organization whose mission is to empower, engage and equip women with the ability to heal past and present scars in an effort to nourish power and resiliency of their communities. Senator Taylor was honored to speak to the women at the book club. Inspired by their passion and commitment, attendees shared their own stories of “becoming”. It was a liberating experience for all the women present and Michelle Obama’s book could not have been more fitting for the first book club meeting of the season.
Beloit College Visit
Senator Lena Taylor spoke to students at Beloit College, this week on the importance of reintroducing the 2017 Bill 877. She had Skyped with the class earlier in the year about the proposal that would make it illegal for police officers to engage in sexual activity with individuals while they are in their custody. After her introduction of the bill, a class of students at the college reviewed the legislation as a part of the coursework. They were stunned that there was not already a law on the books that prohibited this type of activity. There are 35 states that allow “consent” as a defense when a police officer is charged with raping a person in their custody. There have been hundreds of cases in which law enforcement officers have been accused of sexual assault, sexual battery, or unlawful sexual contact with a person in custody. However most of those cases were acquitted or had charges dropped based on an officer claiming that the contact was consensual.
The bill was not scheduled for a hearing in the Judiciary and Public Safety committee last session. Senator Taylor plans to work with law enforcement agencies across the state to garner support for this important measure. The students also were interested in raising awareness and produced public service announcements (PSA’s) to educate the community on the issue. It was such a great experience for Sen. Taylor to see civic engagement in action and these students picking up the mantra to be an engaged electorate.
Special Committee on Tribal Relations
The Special Committee on Tribal Relations convened for the final time and voted on a series of bills relating to Wisconsin’s Native American Nations. Since the early stages of the Committee’s work the majority of the bills have focused on education. One piece of legislation, for example, delegates the amount of times students will receive instruction on Wisconsin’s Native American culture and history. Another pertains to the way that curriculum is circulated from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to local school districts. Although she was happy to see the bills move forward, Senator Taylor feels that there ought to be more of a way to enforce these academic standards. She looks forward to working with the leaders of Wisconsin’s Tribal Nations in the future to ensure equal representation in our schools is always a priority.
Black and Latino Caucus Meeting
On Friday, Senator Taylor met with her legislative colleagues to discuss caucuses, such as the Black and Latino Caucus and more. The purpose of the meeting was to select officers and discuss the work and direction of the caucus for the next legislative session. It was the first opportunity for many newly elected members to join in and weigh in on decisions for the group.
Community Action Alerts
'Art of the Red Kettle' Display
MILWAUKEE COUNTY - Ten local artists have been selected to transform 10 of The Salvation Army's iconic red kettles this season!
Each artist has painted their kettle with a unique design based on the theme: “Light of the World.” See the kettles here.
The kettles will be on display at the following locations throughout the county this season:
Milwaukee Public Market,
400 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
12/15:
Red Kettle on the Red Carpet Gala, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233
12/24:
Oak Creek Salvation Army, 8853 S Howell Ave,
Oak Creek, WI 53154
Funds raised in the kettles will support The Salvation Army's 2018 Red Kettle Campaign. Red Kettle Campaign donations help more than 80 programs and services in Milwaukee County, including the Feed the Kids summer meals program, Toy Shop, the Back to School program, Coats for Kids, Christmas Family Feast, multiple food pantries and the Emergency Lodge.
Milwaukee Public Schools Language Summit
MPS is proud to host a Language Summit on Saturday, December 15, 2018. The Language Summit will bring together students, families and community stakeholders to showcase language and culture.
Please join us as we highlight and share the benefits of bilingualism and bi-literacy as well as experience the rich diversity of culture in Milwaukee Public Schools. Families, students, teachers, education job seekers, and the community are invited to attend. At the Summit, MPS will share information about exciting programs in our schools. Enrollment specialists will be available to assist families.
WHERE Milwaukee School of Languages, 8400 W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee.
WHEN Saturday, December 15; 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Shuttle buses to the event will depart from South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd., Milwaukee and North Division High School, 1011 W Center St., Milwaukee at 10:30 a.m. on December 15.
