State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, held the first of a three-part series of district office hours on State Street Friday to hear constituents’ concerns regarding the state budget.
Taylor, a minority member of the state’s budget-writing committee, has attacked Republican lawmakers for drafting and passing a budget that includes more money for voucher school programs and other conservative agenda items. She reiterated her concerns at the talk at Fair Trade Coffee House.
Republican lawmakers have said their budget restores funding for education systems in Wisconsin while increasing access to schools by adding funding for school choice programs.
Taylor is a member of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, a group made up of business leaders and lawmakers that meets to discuss issues and legislation. She joined the group to expose what she believes are inappropriate relationships between legislators and business leaders.
Taylor, who regularly attends ALEC conferences despite sometimes being asked to leave, mentioned that a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget was proposed at her last ALEC meeting.
The lawmaker said she enjoyed holding in-district office hours, which she said usually draw between five and 25 people per event.
“There are few things I enjoy more than meeting with my constituents and talking about the issues that matter most to them and their ideas for making our government work better for the people,” Taylor said. “In fact, I’ve introduced several pieces of legislation that actually started with an idea discussed at one of these office hours.”
Taylor represents portions of the isthmus, including much of the campus area. She will appear on the ballot in her district in November 2016.