Legislatively Speaking
By Senator, Lena C. Taylor
Lena C. Taylor
We’ve got a lot of politicians who talk big when it comes to standing up against Governor Scott Walker, but many of them back right down when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is.
Not me.
I could see how Governor Walker was going to do us back in 2007, and that’s why I ran against him for county executive. When he became governor in 2011, I again stood right up to him during Act 10 and time and time again since then.
Supporting our students
• Much has been said about the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. I didn’t create it and I wouldn’t have chosen it if I had the say back then. In fact, I’ve voted against every single voucher school expansion that Governor Walker has proposed.
But, school vouchers are here now and you can’t put the baby back. Like it or not, your tax dollars go towards this program. That’s why I helped pass the most comprehensive voucher school accountability to date in Wisconsin.
All schools should be held accountable to ensure our students are learning and succeeding. Furthermore, in the five sessions I’ve served on the state budget committee, I’ve brought more than $139 million in funding back to Milwaukee County to help educate our children.
Justice system reforms
• As the only African American in state history to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have made justice system reforms a cornerstone of my legislative agenda.
I have fought for everything from adequate funding of public defenders to victims rights to data collection for traffic stops to improved law enforcement training to creating the first law in the nation to require an independent review of officer-involved deaths.
Much of the change we need I learned about when I took our committee on a statewide tour called the “State of the Justice System Tour.” We held listening sessions throughout Wisconsin, including inside prisons.
Maintaining infrastructure
• Building buildings and filling potholes may not seem like top priorities, but construction projects create jobs, help our economy and most important, keep us safe.
Governor Walker learned the hard way when a piece of the O’Donnell Park garage collapsed, killing a 15- year-old boy in 2010 while he Walker was County Executive.
You’d think he’d learned his lesson, but as Governor, he’s continued his pattern of putting tax breaks for the wealthy over fixing our infrastructure.
Now, our transportation budget is facing a nearly $1 billion deficit and Governor Walker has stubbornly refused to find a funding solution to make the repairs. I just hope this time, nobody else dies on his watch.
Supporting workers
• Governor Walker’s first move right out of the gate was to bust up the employee unions in 2011 Act 10 and he did it again this session with so-called “Right to Work.” For me, this fight was a no-brainer. I come from a union family and I know the value of democracy in the workplace. Being a member of the “Wisconsin 14” who left for Illinois to slow down Walker’s legislation was the least I could do for the hundreds of thousand of workers who lost their voice because of the Governor.
I cannot possibly list everything here. That’s why I encourage you to visit www.LenaTaylor.org and read the 101 bills I’ve helped pass into law. While you’re there, check out the issues section, where I have created a comprehensive list of my work on justice reform, education, workers rights, the environment, women’s rights, economic justice and so much more.
If you have an idea you’d like to see become law, write Senator Taylor at Sen.Taylor@legis.wi.gov, or connect with her on social media at Facebook.com/SenLenaTaylor, Twitter.com/SenTaylor or follow her at Instagram.com/Lena.Taylor.