A state lawmaker who represents much of the UW-Madison campus area has been named to the Joint Finance Committee, the committee tasked with writing and editing the state’s budget.
Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, previously served on the committee, the most powerful in the state Legislature, from 2015 to early 2017. Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, reappointed her to the post after he was elected and sworn in as Assembly minority leader.
Taylor replaces Hintz on the JFC — she and Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point, are the only Assembly Democrats on the committee. The JFC is made up of 16 total members from both chambers of the state Legislature, only four of whom are Democrats.
In a statement, Hintz praised Taylor as a “fierce and articulate advocate for Democratic values.”
“Serving with Rep. Taylor on the Joint Finance Committee during the 2015-'17 budget was one of the most rewarding experiences of my time in the Legislature,” Hintz said. “Her leadership on the Joint Finance Committee will be a great asset for our caucus and the state as a whole.”
Taylor, a lawyer and the former public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, was first elected to the state Assembly in 2011. She represents the 76th District in downtown Madison, immediately south and east of UW-Madison.
Appointing Taylor is one of Hintz’s first actions as minority leader. He took over Sunday after Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, resigned from the post.
