BIOGRAPHY

Senator Lena C. Taylor was elected on November 2, 2004 to the 4th Wisconsin State Senate District, becoming only the 2nd African American Woman to serve in the Senate.  She currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Corrections, and is in her second term on the powerful budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance. In only her fourth year as a legislator, Taylor has truly proven to be a woman of distinction and a rising star in Wisconsin politics.

Background

A life-long resident of Milwaukee, Senator Taylor is a 1984 graduate of Rufus King High School.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 1990, and a law degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1993.  During this time, she pledged and served as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, an organization dedicated to community service.

After Law School, Taylor worked as a Public Defender for more than two years representing indigent citizens in need of legal services.  In 1996, she opened Taylor and Associates Law Office, a general practice firm on the north side of Milwaukee.

In April 2003, Taylor won a special election in the 18th Assembly District and served in the State Assembly from May 2003 until she was sworn-in as State Senator on January 3, 2005.   While in the Assembly she served on the Assembly Criminal Justice, Economic Development, Tourism, Urban and Local Affairs, and Financial Institution Committees.

State Senator

In 2004, Taylor ran for the 4th Senate District seat being vacated by Gwen Moore.  She won a three way democratic primary, and would be unchallenged in the general election, receiving over 62,000 votes.  She was sworn in on January 3, 2005.
 
During her first two years in the Senate, she focused much of her attention on fighting for women’s rights, and addressing disparities in the justice system.  She introduced legislation addressing employment discrimination, W-2 reform, and a bill that would give the Justice Department more authority to address civil rights abuses.

On the Joint Finance Committee, Taylor introduced a motion that would require all teachers in Milwaukee to have a bachelor’s degree, with a similar requirement for school administrators.  In addition, she proposed additional housing options for homeless veterans, new funding for re-entry programs, and provisions that strengthen Wisconsin’s fair housing laws.

Taylor also devoted much of her time to the ongoing fight for women’s rights.  She proposed legislation that would guarantee the availability of emergency contraception to rape victims.  She also introduced a budget motion to increase health benefits to pregnant women in at-risk pregnancies.  Taylor traveled around the state encouraging women to get involved in the political process, and eventually run for office.  Her efforts would earn her the WiLL/Wand Pacesetter award in 2006. 

Senator Taylor’s advocacy efforts resulted in her selection as the Wisconsin State Chair for Women in Government, an organization that promotes and provides resources for female policy-makers.  Late in 2005 she was also selected to be First Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and member of the Democratic National Committee.

In the Majority

In January of 2006, the Democrats took control of the State Senate after winning 4 seats in the previous November’s elections.  With this majority came a new leadership role for Taylor.  She was chosen to be the Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Corrections, and would again serve on the Joint Committee on Finance.

In her role as Chair of Judiciary and Corrections she took the committee on the road for a “State of the Justice System Tour.”  The committee visited corrections facilities around the state, in each area held a public hearing with judges, DA’s, law enforcement officials, and advocates.  These hearings focused on the issues facing those on the front lines of the justice system, and what the state can do to give them the necessary resources.

Taylor was also a major player in the 2007-09 biennial budget deliberations. In the Joint Committee on Finance, Taylor helped to push through over 97% of the Governor’s Milwaukee package.  She was also able to generate new funding for community organizations, and convinced her colleagues to increase Mass Transit funding for Milwaukee by nearly 4 Million Dollars.

In 2006-07 Senator Taylor became a major player in the nationwide fight to eliminate cervical cancer.  In 2007 Taylor introduced the Cervical Cancer Prevention Act, which called for a state-wide education campaign about the benefits of the new HPV vaccine.  The bi-partisan legislation is the first of its kind in Wisconsin, and has received nationwide attention and praise.

In addition to her two Senate Committee assignments, Taylor has taken an active role in several other special legislative committees.  She serves on the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority’s advisory board, as well as the Joint Committee on Retirement Systems.

She has also become a vocal member of the Joint Legislative Council Committee on Affirmative Action, helping to defeat several motions intended to lessen opportunities for disadvantaged students around Wisconsin.  Taylor also accepted a seat on the special committee on strengthening Wisconsin families, where she is currently working to improve child placement procedures and promote parental responsibility.

In The Community

Senator Taylor has also used her opportunity to outreach to children and young adults who are struggling with the same choices that she herself faced as a youth in Milwaukee.  She frequently visits schools, youth development programs, and churches spreading her message of making good decisions, staying in school, and pursuing dreams. 

She is an active member of the Boy Scouts board of directors and the UWM Alumni Association.  She is a regular participant in the Community Brainstorming program, and holds regular free legal clinics at Greater New Birth Church.  In addition, she is involved in the Milwaukee Unity Caucus, and in initiatives to reduce teen pregnancy & enhance the safety of Milwaukee Public Schools.

Taylor writes a weekly column for the Milwaukee Courier, and a quarterly column for Citi-gal magazine.  She frequently appears on community radio stations and public radio, and has taken part in political commentary on TMJ4 and Wisconsin Public Television.

Taylor is also the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including:

National

• In 2006, Senator Taylor was accepted selected to take part in a month long Executive Leadership in State and Local Government Course at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

• In 2006 Senator Taylor was given the prestigious “Pacesetter Award” by the Women’s Legislative Lobby/Women’s Action for New Directions (WiLL/WAND).

• In 2005 Senator Taylor was given the Pacesetter Award by the Women’s Legislative Lobby, a national organization of women legislators.

• In 2005, Senator Taylor was selected to serve as the State Chair for Women in Government.

• In the summer of 2005 Senator Taylor was chosen to take part in Project Interchange, an exchange program that sends public officials from the United States to Israel for 3 weeks to experience first hand the challenges faced by that region

• In 2003-04 Senator Taylor was recognized by the national political network EMILY’s List and the leading Washington D.C. political newsletter The Hotline as a “Rising Star” in Wisconsin politics.

• Taylor was chosen above hundreds of legislators nationwide as a delegate to the American Council of Young Political Leaders political exchange program in China.  Upon her return, she briefed the Governor and provided him with important information he was able to use while negotiating export agreements with Chinese government officials during his trade mission to China.

• Senator Taylor was selected as a Flemming Leadership Institute Fellow, part of an elite, diverse group of 30 legislators from across the country who have demonstrated superior leadership ability, dedication to public service, and a commitment to use government to implement practical policy solutions.

Midwest

• Taylor was one of 36 lawmakers chosen to participate in the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD), a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest.  The BILLD is recognized as one of the premier leadership training programs in the nation.

Wisconsin

• Senator Taylor served on the task force that organized Wisconsin’s outreach efforts to the victims of Hurricane Katrina

• In 2005 Senator Taylor was selected to serve as the first vice chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party

• Senator Taylor has twice been selected as a “Friend of Agriculture” by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation

• Senator Taylor is the recipient of the Alpha Kappa Alpha “Trailblazer” award, given to one of their member who has excelled in community service and advocacy.

• In her first term in the State Assembly, Taylor chaired an Economic Development task force, which produced the Wisconsin Prosperity Project, the Democratic platform on economic development issues for the 2003-2004 legislative session.

• Taylor was appointed the Chairperson of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Labor Development Committee for the Marquette Interchange Project (MIP), and is a member of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goal Setting Committee for the MIP. 

• In 2003, while serving on the Assembly Financial Institutions Committee, Taylor successfully negotiated a compromise to the Predatory Lending bill signed into law by Governor Doyle.  The compromise provides greater protections for consumers when seeking a home mortgage loan, or refinancing of an existing loan, and will clamp down on predatory lending practices by unscrupulous lenders.