ISSUES
Lee cares about ensuring all Wisconsinites have equal opportunity to thrive so matter their zip code, age, background, or gender. She works hard to make sure Wisconsin is a place for everyone and where everyone can succeed.
Top legislative priorities
Education
Article X, Section 3 of the Wisconsin State Constitution reads,
"The legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to all children between the ages of 4 and 20 years;"
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I support strong investments in our public schools
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I support increasing special education funding
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I am against publicly collected tax dollars going to private, unaccountable voucher schools.
Our public schools are community centers building our next generation of workers, leaders, caretakers and legislators. I will fight to ensure our public schools, teachers and professionals have to resources they need to make sure all students succeed, feel safe, and learn and are prepared for their unique challenges ahead.
Child Care
Affordable, accessible child care is a workforce issue. Everyone is impacted when families wither cannot find or cannot afford quality childcare in their communities. I believe we need to do a better job in making the early childhood education and child care profession a viable career path with a sustaining, living wage. We entrust our most valuable resources--our children to the care of others for 8+ hours a day-- let's pay them for the important work they do. Fixing the childcare crisis has no linear path. We need investments at the state, private industry and families to make it happen. Read my Op-Ed on child care here.
Environment
We've only got one planet and we have been careless. In order to ensure that our children and our children's children can live without extreme weather and other impacts of global climate change, we have to do our part. I was proud to be co-sponsor and author of several bills in the Democratic-led "Forward on Climate" package of bills which created green jobs, invested in sustainable practices, clean and protect our water from forever chemicals, and took steps to reduce carbon emissions. Personally, I bicycle or walk whenever I can. We can all do our part to make sure we are caring for the planet we live on,
Abortion Rights
On this issue, I will not waiver. Every individual has the right to determine whether to become pregnant and whether to stay pregnant. Legislators do not belong in your physician's office. Each individual and their situation are unique and the decision on whether or not to have an abortion should be soley up to that individual in cosultation with their doctor. Period.
Housing
Access to affordable housing is one of the most pressing issues facing the Fox Valley. This past session I co-sponsored a bill package which took first steps in addressing the crisis threw grants assisting municipalities and developers in rehabbing or building workforce housing. Helping municipalities make investments in multi-unit, middle and lower income housing is key. While single family homes are out of reach for many in the Fox Cities, we can take a look at creative solutions to ensure everyone has a roof over their head that they can afford.
Democracy
It's no exaggeration to say that this election, our very democracy is at stake. As the ranking democrat on campaigns and elections, I have pushed for expansion of voting rights for all, including young voters, those with disabilities, naturalized citizens, and those living in assisted living communities. I have fought against restrive bills with no evidentiary basis which would limit voting hours, make absentee voting more difficult and would hinder our municipal and county clerks from the important work they do in ensuring all WI elections are secure and accurate. You can see more here.
