By State Representative, Leon D. Young It’s official: The legislative gauntlet has been thrown down in Madison. Governor Walker has proposed in his 2013-15 Biennial Budget document (Assembly Bill 40), a provision that would end residency rules for municipal and school district employees statewide. If residency requirements were repealed, police officers, firefighters and teachers would [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor Here in Wisconsin we believe it is our moral obligation to craft budgets that improve education for our children, maintain our beautiful lakes and waterways, keep our communities safe, and meet the needs of families struggling to find and keep jobs. Programs like BadgerCare, the AIDS Resource Center and the [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act commonly called Obamacare or the ACA was signed into law in March of 2010 and aimed to reduce the health costs for both patients and providers, introduced new rules in order to protect citizens from unfair rate hikes, and increased coverage for all [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor This year, across America we celebrate Black History Month under the theme of: At the Crossroads of Freedom & Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation & the March on Washington. 150 years President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in America with the Emancipation Proclamation; 100 years later, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor This week I introduced the Independent Pardon Council Act in the Senate. After Gov. Walker’s rather public rejection of all pardons last year, I began to research the issue of pardons and what the Legislature can do to in this case. The Constitution of Wisconsin grants exclusive power to pardon [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor Senate Bill 1/ Assembly Bill 1, the mining bill, that has the honor to be numbered first in both the Senate and Assembly, had its first and likely only hearing last Wednesday, January 23. Senate Bill 1/ Assembly Bill 1 has been hailed as job creating, environmental friendly, and good [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor This week’s State of the State address by Governor Walker drew much theatrical attention and showmanship to his priority of to pass a mining bill quickly. What it lacked was details about how the mining jobs he is promising will be made real. Without specifics, we are simply creating nothing [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor In March of 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, law! This marked a momentous change to our healthcare system. The law will improve the quality of health care, lower the cost for both consumers and providers, and increase access to care. Reforming our broken health care [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor Before we consider what lies ahead in the New Year, I think it is important to reflect on the triumphs and trials of the last year. It has been 47 years since the historic Voting Rights Act. Last year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the most restrictive Voter ID Law [...]

By Senator, Lena C. Taylor The day after Christmas, we will celebrate the first day of joyous Kwanzaa! There are 7 days of Kwanzaa and a principle to go along with each day. On the twenty-sixth, the first principle will be ‘Umoja’, the Swahili term for Unity. Not just on that day but every day, [...]