Please provide a brief description of your professional background and your legislative district.
After I completed law school in 1993, I returned to Milwaukee and worked as a public defender for three years. In 1996 I opened Taylor and Associates Law Office, a general practice law firm on the north side of Milwaukee.
In April 2003, I won a special election in the 18th Assembly District and served in the state Assembly from May 2003 until I was sworn-in as state senator on January 3, 2005. While in the Assembly I served on the Assembly Criminal Justice, Economic Development, Tourism, Urban and Local Affairs, and Financial Institutions Committees.
In 2004, I ran for the 4th Senate District seat being vacated by Gwen Moore – where I won a three-way Democratic primary, and was unchallenged in the general election. I was sworn in on January 3, 2005. The district encompasses Milwaukee, parts of Glendale and Wauwatosa.
How has your legal career/legal studies shaped your experience in the state legislature?
I doubt that I could be an effective legislator without my legal background. My law degree afforded me a degree of respect and credibility which was evident not only while campaigning for office but once I reached the Legislature. It has enabled me to address complicated constitutional matters without the need for massive “catch-up” on many issues.
But mostly, my law degree and practice have helped to affirm in me the incredible need for vigilance and meticulous attention to the words of our law. In those words, we shape the application or denial of the fundamental rights of every human being in our state. I am reminded of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan at the Watergate Hearings when she said, “My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.”
A legal career is the ultimate dedication to the utmost service to the Constitution and “We, the people!”
What current pieces of legislation are you working on that might be of interest to the State Bar of Wisconsin?
I have an aggressive legislative agenda for this session which is primarily concentrated on the justice system in Wisconsin. In crafting that agenda the State Bar and its members have been invaluable. Working with the Family Law Section of the State Bar, I will be introducing a package of family law bills that address policy and practice changes to encourage cooperation and communication between parties in actions that affect families.
In response to the foreclosure crisis I am proposing the Mortgage Mediation Act. This act would require lenders and borrowers to meet with third party mediators to resolve foreclosure issues before a foreclosure could be finalized. Another “ripped from the headlines” priority is a bill responding to the Neumann case in Wausau. Legislation I am drafting will repeal the “spiritual healing” defense in the law and create an affirmative defense for defendants that will restore statutory judicial discretion over the use of this defense.
What would you identify as the major issues/challenges facing the justice system?
Certainly the cost of corrections is the most pressing issue facing the justice system. With the state facing a projected $5.7 billion budget shortfall and a need to build new prisons, spending on corrections threatens to bankrupt our state. We are currently spending $40,000 per adult and $100,000 per incarcerated juvenile. These are exorbitant amounts and will soon rival education spending.
In addition to the cost of our corrections system, we must be aware of the disparity and underfunding that exists between prosecutors and public defenders. It is widely reported that we are short on prosecutors in Wisconsin. We are also under-staffed with public defenders in Wisconsin. We do not provide incentives for those that wish to create a career with that office nor do we provide adequate funding for private attorneys doing public defender work. As we go about providing funding for DAs and public defenders we cannot simply allocate more to one without further burdening the other.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The valuable experience and “front-line” realities of the members of the State Bar are needed in the Legislature. I know that many times the Legislature is derided by those practicing for decisions we have made. It is unfortunate that of 132 legislators, only 19 practice law. We need your voice and input on every matter in this body. Connect with each of us, if that’s what it takes, but make sure that the Legislature hears the voices of those who put the law before them everyday.
