Legislatively Speaking
By Senator, Lena C. Taylor
Lena C. Taylor
Milwaukee, to which I can testify, is one of the hardest working cities in America and we deserve better than the heavy-handed, misguided governing of President Donald Trump and Governor Scott Walker. Ignoring public needs such as education and job creation has been a recurring theme of Republican’s administrative style, visible in the President’s latest visit to Wisconsin. As in the past, this visit was a lot of big promises with little substance or action.
The irony in the President and Governor Walker’s visit to Waukesha County Technical college is astounding. Here we see a man with a fake college and a man who has made historic cuts to education in Wisconsin touting the importance of strong schools for job creation. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
In fact, Governor Walker seems to know very little about job creation, failing to hit his goal of creating 250,000 jobs for six consecutive years. And if President Trumps’ commitment to job creation is similar to his attention to infrastructure, we are in big trouble. With the President and Governor Walker busy taking photo ops and hosting high dollar fundraisers, the rest of us are left to do the real work.
This week my work focused on bills meant to spur entrepreneurship and create jobs, making education more cost effective for individuals working in the cosmetology industry and help small business owners. I defended these bills on Wednesday in the Senate because I believe everyone has the right to accessible education.
We resumed the work of the budget committee this week. I have advanced motions this week in budget session regarding prison reform, addressing the proper treatment for females in the juvenile system and reinstating the risk reduction program. In light of the actions of the House of Corrections staff in dealing with a pregnant inmate, I will be introducing legislation to enact an anti-shackling law, prohibiting the dangerous act of handcuffing pregnant women. This is what work looks like.
While I’m taking these steps to push us forward, we have a day of remembrance and celebration to remind us the work still to be done around justice and opportunity.
On Juneteenth Day we will celebrate the freedom of an enslaved people. Historically, the day has come to represent an opportunity for Americans to remember the importance of racial healing, reconciliation and justice. Although we celebrate our resilience and perseverance on this day, with far too many cases we are reminded that justice remains elusive at times. In Milwaukee, we see great inequality in incarceration, education and job opportunity. I will continue to fight for justice for the hard working people of our great city and those willing to work to make it better.