LRB-5936/1
LVF:skw
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
February 26, 2024 - Introduced by Senators Wanggaard and L. Johnson,
cosponsored by Representatives Haywood and Drake. Referred to Committee
on Senate Organization.
SJR131,1,1 1Relating to: honoring the service of former Wisconsin State Senator Lena C. Taylor.
SJR131,1,52 Whereas, Lena C. Taylor, a distinguished public servant, was elected to the
3Wisconsin Assembly in a special election in 2003 and the state senate in 2004, where
4she served until 2024 before being appointed as a Wisconsin circuit court judge for
5Milwaukee County; and
SJR131,1,86 Whereas, Lena C. Taylor is a graduate of Rufus King High School and the
7University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where she became a member of the Alpha
8Kappa Alpha sorority; and
SJR131,1,109 Whereas, Senator Taylor earned her juris doctor from Southern Illinois
10University School of Law in 1993; and
SJR131,1,1411 Whereas, Lena C. Taylor, after graduating from law school, worked as a public
12defender representing low-income and underrepresented citizens in Milwaukee and
13ultimately opened a general practice firm on the north side of Milwaukee, Taylor and
14Associates Law Office, in 1996; and
SJR131,2,2
1Whereas, in 2004, Lena C. Taylor succeeded Congresswoman Gwen Moore in
2Wisconsin's 4th Senate District; and
SJR131,2,53 Whereas, Senator Taylor served several terms on the Joint Committee on
4Finance, including one term as cochair, becoming the first Black woman to hold the
5position; and
SJR131,2,86 Whereas, Senator Taylor also served as the chair of the Senate Committee on
7Judiciary and Corrections in the 2007-08 legislative session, where she worked
8tirelessly for state criminal justice reform; and
SJR131,2,139 Whereas, Senator Taylor also served on other senate standing committees
10during her time in the legislature, including Agriculture, Small Business, and
11Tourism; Judiciary and Public Safety; Utilities and Housing; Insurance, Financial
12Services, Government Oversight, and Courts; and Insurance, Licensing, and
13Forestry; and
SJR131,2,1714 Whereas, Senator Taylor served on multiple joint legislative committees, such
15as Joint Legislative Council, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties, the
16Law Revision Committee, the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions, and the
17Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations; and
SJR131,2,2118 Whereas, Senator Taylor was also a part of several study committees, serving
19as the vice-chair of the Study Committee on Child Placement and Support and the
20Study Committee on the Investment and Use of School Trust Funds and as a member
21of the Study Committee on Increasing Offender Employment Opportunities; and
SJR131,2,2422 Whereas, Lena C. Taylor is known by her colleagues for working with both
23Democrats and Republicans to pass important legislation to improve the lives of
24members of her community and constituency; and
SJR131,3,5
1Whereas, Senator Taylor has worked tirelessly to give a voice to the Black
2community and is a member of many groups seeking to improve the lives of Black
3Americans, such as the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women,
4the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, and the National Association for the
5Advancement of Colored People; now, therefore, be it
SJR131,3,10 6Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the
7Wisconsin State Legislature extend their gratitude to Judge Lena C. Taylor for her
8work promoting the values of inclusivity, social justice, and civil rights that she
9championed throughout her remarkable career and wish her continued success in
10her new role as Wisconsin circuit court judge.
SJR131,3,1111 (End)
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