Pedro Colon

Issues

  • Crime and Safety in Our Community

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    A family, a single neighbor, works hard and pursues dreams, simply living lives in search of the happiness that our society exists to ensure.

    And suddenly their lives are assaulted by crime. Pedro has met crime victims and well knows the damage crime inflicts.

    To have a home burglarized, to become a victim of violent crime against our persons, to go to sleep one night and wake up to see your yard littered with glass and trash, these are assaults annihilating our sense of safety, building suspicion, bringing suffering, breaking down trust in our neighbors and staining the communities in which we live.

    Pedro stands for the proposition that the home is the castle!

    To address crime, this legislative session Pedro successfully worked for:

    • Full funding for Milwaukee County Clerks to speed up prosecutions against those assaulting our neighbors and their homes (2007-09 State Budget)
    • $500,000 in grants for the Milwaukee Police Department to put more cops on the street (2007-09 State Budget)
    • Directing the Department of Corrections (DOC) on May 1, 2008 to submit a report to the Joint Finance Committee on a plan to create alternatives to incarceration and jail diversion programs for the DOC’s 2009-11 biennial budget
    • Passing the Sexual Pred­ator Law to make the release of sexual preda­tors from prison more difficult and place new restrictions on their release into residential neighborhoods(Wisconsin Act 187)
    • $1 million to create a summer jobs program and give young people a positive alternative to crime (2007-09 State Budget)

    The words of RFK speak eloquently of the menace of violence against all of us, and what violence and disrespect breed in our lives.

    RFK on Violence, April 5, 1968

    Too often we honor swagger and bluster and the wielders of force; too often we excuse those who are willing to build their own lives on the shattered dreams of others. … We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear – only a common desire to retreat from each other – only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this there are no final answers.

    Yet we know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens. The question is now what programs we should seek to enact. The question is whether we can find in our own midst and in our own hearts that leadership of human purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence.

    We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all. We must admit in ourselves that our own children’s future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge.

    Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanish it with a program, nor with a resolution.

    But we can perhaps remember – even if only for a time – that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short movement of life, that they seek – as we do – nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

    Surely this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again.

  • Job Training

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! - 

    A vital element is job creation is job training—the product of education, vocational training, mentoring, and economic development.

    These components are all the more critical as the Bush administration approvingly oversees the outsourcing and downsizing of the American workforce.

    As Gov. Doyle and Pedro have said: There simply is no social program that beats a well-paying job.

    To meet this challenge, Pedro, who is a member of the powerful Joint Finance Committee, endorsed vital initiatives in the last budget, including:

    • Endorsement of the 2007 centralization of Milwaukee as the primary agency in Milwaukee County for workforce development
    • Allocated $1 million for the Summer Jobs Program, creating more than 450 jobs
    • Marking $1 million to Project New Hope, creating transitional jobs to more than 200 past offenders
    • Investment of $8 million in UW-Milwaukee’s Research Growth Initiative
    • Definition of a four-square mile portion of Milwaukee as a Premier Resort Area, supporting such tourism attractions as the Eight District’s Three Domes, and surrounding businesses
    • Supporting Milwaukee’s Entrepreneurial Network, providing resources to some 500 individuals in the Milwaukee area running their own businesses
    • Allocating $500,000 for the Marquette Dental Clinic (2007 JFC – 13.10 appropriation)
    • UW-Milwaukee School of Public Health - $500,000 planning money (building program and UW). UW-Milwaukee (UWM) is in the planning stages of establishing Wisconsin’s first accredited School of Public Health. The new school provides Milwaukee with the unique opportunity to establish itself as a major contributor to public health scholarship and research and to the education of public health professionals. The new School of Public Health will conduct rigorous and essential public health research that will help build the public health infrastructure in Milwaukee and beyond.
    • UW Financial Aid and Veterans Tuition Remission - $42 million total
    • The budget provides a $32 million increase in financial aid (Governor Doyle’s original proposal)
    • Waitlisted students will now receive their financial aid. Over 5,600 students have been waitlisted for financial aid awards, totaling over $12 million in unawarded aid for students. The Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) estimated that approximately 6,400 students would be waitlisted and not receive awards for this academic year under the Assembly budget.
    • At UW-Milwaukee, over 1,100 students were waitlisted for Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) awards
    • Additionally, $12 million was invested for Veterans tuition remission
    • Allocating $1.6 million and two positions to the Youth Apprenticeship program, a two-year program that combines academic and technical instruction with mentored on-the-job training for high school students

  • Property Tax Relief

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    We currently have a Republican-led state Assembly safeguarding an awful system saddling Wisconsin homeowners with huge tax burdens. A new report shows property tax levies in our area have risen 6.1 percent in 2008.

    From Pedro’s position on the powerful Joint Finance Committee, Pedro fights a current system that ensures that our property taxes grow as corporate taxes drop.

    Pedro and the Democratic Party’s answer to reverse this unfair burden are the Responsible Property Tax Freeze and the Home Owners Property Tax Exemption (HOPE), providing a sane tax policy favoring the homeowner, giving each homeowner a tax CUT of at least $500.

    And renters would gain as well, as high property taxes are typically passed on to the tenant’s rent.

    Unfortunately, the HOPE plan is now blocked by corporate-allied Republicans in the state Assembly.

    Pedro knows that while the GOP has introduced tax freezes and TABOR bills for the past decade, they have never actually put forward a plan that would cut property taxes.

    The Democrats Home Owners Property Tax Exemption plan (HOPE, described below) will provide every single home owner in the state with a property tax cut of nearly $600.

    It is paid for by closing existing corporate tax loopholes. Two-thirds of the biggest corporations doing business in this state pay virtually nothing in state taxes. Requiring them to pay their fair share will allow homeowners to get some well needed relief.

    Responsible Property Tax Freeze

    Now, in our fight for tax fairness, Pedro and the Democrats took our first step with the Governor’s Responsible Property Tax Freeze that was included in the last budget.

    The Responsible Freeze increased school funding by $800 million, fulfilled our commitment to shared revenue for our community, and held the line on property tax increases.

    Thanks to the Responsible Property Tax Freeze the average homeowner saw a minimal increase in their tax bill and tens-of-thousands actually saw their tax bill go down.

    Not good enough.

    But this election looks to bring in a Democratic-led Assembly for the first time in a generation.

    HOPE

    It’s now time to take the next step by passing the Home Owners Property Tax Exemption (HOPE). The HOPE plan helps level the playing field in favor of the homeowner and will give each homeowner a tax CUT of at least $500.

    Some highlights of the HOPE plan include the following:

    • Exemptions for the first $60,000 of a homes value from the school property tax bill
    • Direct application to their tax bill in a similar fashion as the lottery credit
    • Coverage for renters by increasing the rent credit from 12 percent to 16 percent


    The HOPE plan is a choice to side with homeowners. For too long every piece of tax relief has gone to giant corporations to the point where some pay no Wisconsin income taxes whatsoever.

    Passing HOPE puts a little more money each year in the pocket of families who are struggling to afford everything from health care to heating bills.

  • Protecting our Natural Resources

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    Pedro was recently recognized as a leader in conservation, earning the Conservation Honor Roll designation by the Wisconsin League of Conversation Voters.

    Pedro recognizes that the environment is the gift we safeguard for our children, bequeathing it to future generations whom we hope will experience the land, air, and water in the knowledge that we have been wise stewards of this bequest that was given to us.

    Pedro supports the decision by Governor Doyle to just say no to coal for state power plants, an important component in a program to fight global warming.

    Among the major initiatives Pedro supports are increased funds for the following problem areas:

    The Kinnickinnic (KK) River

    The Kinnickinnic River and its watershed are located in the most heavily populated areas of Milwaukee.  Pollutants in the river have limited fish and wildlife diversity, increased health risks from those who come in contact with the river, and increased safety hazards from flash flooding and other risks associated with an urbanized, highly-channeled river.

    Estabrook Park

    Located in Milwaukee and Glendale, the Estabrook Park area has become a large repository for PCBs, resulting in the impairment of waters downstream.

    With the help Governor Doyle, we will provide $17 million to leverage $31 million in federal funds to revitalize these areas – a total investment of $48 million in a healthier, cleaner environment for our current and future citizens.

    Major Environmental Programs Supported by Pedro

    As a member of the powerful Joint Committee on Finance, Pedro was able to push for passage for several other major environment initiatives.

    The state budget (Wisconsin Act 20) addresses several natural resource issues of concern to Wisconsin citizens, including items that:

    • Reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, that will allow the protection of environmentally sensitive land for future generations and preservation of land for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation
    • Increase the recycling tipping fee from $3 to $4 per ton to help deter out-of-state waste and provide additional resources to cities to help fund recycling programs
    • Provide funding to help reduce farm runoff into our rivers, lakes, and priority watersheds. Provide funds to help clean up contaminants found in the Great Lakes and Milwaukee-area rivers.

    Great Lakes Compact Legislation 

    The Great Lakes represent about 20 percent of all the Earth’s fresh surface water.  Due to increasing worldwide pressures on natural resources, it is vital that we move to protect this important resource for future generations.  

    On December 13, 2005, Governor Doyle, along with the Governors of Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York and the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec, signed the Great Lakes Water Resources Agreement. 

    However, it is necessary that each of these states and provinces of Canada ratify this agreement.  

    For a time it appeared that the compact would not pass our own legislature. But, this is an issue of such importance that it transcends partisanship.

    A special session of the legislature was convened in April 2008 and the Great Lakes Compact was approved with nearly a unanimous vote and was signed by Governor Doyle on May 27, 2008. 

    The Great Lakes Compact now must be ratified by the U.S. Congress where the outlook on passage looks very good.

  • Labor

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    Seventy-five years ago as Americans suffered in the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt moved decisively, helping Americans stand tall by demanding that our labor be legally recognized as among the most revered forces that we create.

    A vital piece of Roosevelt’s New Deal was the establishment of the National Labor Relations Act (The Wagner Act) on July 5, 1935.

    The Wagner Act—guaranteeing the rights of self-organization of employees and of collective bargaining—has been under attack since in its inception.

    Since first elected to the State Assembly with strong backing from the Milwaukee Labor Council, Pedro has been a defender of organized labor, believing (as all Americans should) that the right to organize and collectively bargain remains vital tools through which we have realized the American Dream.

    Pedro is proud to have the endorsements of the following unions.
    - Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
    - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 

    - Wisconsin Laborers' District Council
    - AFSCME Local 48

    And Pedro has championed the cause of labor throughout his tenure in the legislature.

    From helping kill a Republican attempt to ban the $268,000 annual state subsidy for child care services provided to state workers, to Pedro and AFSCME’s protecting UW workers singled out for having Latino-sounding names, Pedro remains a protector of Wisconsin workers.

  • Education

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    As Pedro battles against the federal government’s slashing of state vocational education grants, educational technology grants, and money for safe and drug-free schools, among other abdications of federal support for our schools, Wisconsin in its state and local governments is forced to take on more of the responsibility for educating our children.

    Pedro knows that the goal of bringing basic and higher education within the reach of all our citizens faces heavy obstacles from the Republican Party.

    But uniting together, we have made strides toward delivering a quality education to all Milwaukee families.

    From Pedro’s position on the powerful Joint Finance Committee, Pedro has fought for major initiatives and resources for Milwaukee. Among the highlights won in the last budget are:

    Milwaukee Public Schools

    • High-poverty aid (property tax relief), $17 million for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), at least 50 percent of the district's enrollment was eligible for free or reduced-price lunches
    • MPS Math initiative - $10 million to improve pupil achievement in mathematics
    • Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) (small class sizes) – over $6 million for MPS alone
    • Special education - of the $53.6 million increase for special education aid, MPS is anticipated to receive approximately $6.5 million over the biennium
    • School breakfast – $3.2 million to increase the reimbursement rate from $0.10 to $0.15 per breakfast served
    • $908,500 for multilingual, multicultural aid
    • Provide property tax relief to Milwaukee taxpayers by supporting 100 percent of the cost of new students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program


    Higher Education

    UW-Milwaukee will:

    • Expand its present Research Growth Initiative by $8 million to permit the campus to compete more successfully for extramural research funds
    • Hire faculty in key clusters, such as biomedical and health technologies, advanced manufacturing, and other strategic science and engineering areas, which will significantly impact the region's economic development
    • Enhance the level of graduate and undergraduate education, research support, and training
    • Allocate monies to UW-Milwaukee School of Public Health - $500,000 planning money (building program and UW)
    • Support UW Financial Aid and Veterans Tuition Remission - $42 million total. The budget provides a $32 million increase in financial aid (Governor Doyle’s original proposal)
    • Help waitlisted students receive their financial aid. Over 5,600 students have been waitlisted for financial aid awards, totaling over $12 million in unawarded aid for students. The Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) estimated that approximately 6,400 students would have been waitlisted and not eligible to receive awards for this academic year under the Assembly budget, had action not been taken
    • At UW-Milwaukee, over 1,100 students were waitlisted for Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) awards

    There will also be increased support for the Medical College of Wisconsin Translational Research Facility with $10 million being allocated to the building program.

    The Wisconsin Technical Colleges Training Grant Program will receive $3 million.

  • Fighting for Civil Rights

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    Pedro Colón was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and has worked his way to a position that he has long hoped for: An effective fighter for social justice.

    Few men or women can hope to individually change the course of history. That takes group action, but in the words of Robert Kennedy:

    “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

    Such ideals and aspirations have guided Pedro during his time in elected office.

    The following is a partial list describing acts by and in recognition of Pedro intended to improve the lot of others, striking out against injustice:

    • Pedro receives the endorsement of Voces de la Frontera Action (c4)
    • Pedro challenges McCain on immigration flip-flop (June 30, 2008)
    • Pedro co-authored bill (AB 491) creating an optional holiday on March 31 for state employees observing the birthday of Ceasar E. Chavez (2007-08 session)
    • Pedro recognized for work on behalf of Hispanic community on Notarios Publicos law; Pedro: “(T)he most important part is people who will seek legal advice will not be ripped off." The law makes it illegal for a notary to use the Spanish words ‘notario’ or ‘notarizaciones’ [Wisconsin Law Journal (Milwaukee, WI) March 24, 2008]
    • Pedro saw the notarios publicos bill signed into law by Gov. Doyle (March 18, 2008) 
    • Pedro testified before the Senate Committee on the deceptive notarios publicos bill passed by the Assembly (AB 468), providing legal protection to consumers, stopping practices of deception, fraudulent services, and false advertisement (March 6, 2008)
    • Pedro hit immigration status checks, says they have chilling effect because immigrants want to comply with the law, and the state could have difficulty administering such checks (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 26, 2007)
    • Pedro Colón rallied with thousands opposing the federal crackdown on workers without Social Security numbers, rallying for rights and immigration reforms (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 13, 2007)
    • Pedro, Mark Pocan, and other activists decried driver's license crackdown, and hit REAL ID (The Capital Times, May 15, 2007)
    • Pedro and other demonstrators opposed REAL ID, the push for Wisconsin to join other states in opposing implementation of REAL ID (Wisconsin State Journal, March 25, 2007)
    • Thanking Pedro Colón and allies, Gov. Doyle presented Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett $750,000 for law enforcement efforts (US States News, June 22, 2006)
    • Pedro hit Republicans on immigration: Stressing English-only policies and stumbling on the immigration and Voting Rights Act issues, congressional Republicans "either made the best case for switching the Congress from Republican to Democratic control, or they made the best case for their own incompetence" (Charles Babington, Washington Post, July 1, 2006)
    • Pedro blasted English-only amendment in U.S. Senate (May 24, 2006)
    • Pedro Colón hit the Bush immigration plan: "(Bush) didn't really articulate anything drastically different than we've been talking about for six years" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 17, 2006)
    • Rep. Pedro Colón hit amended housing Bill; Social Security number to be required for WHEDA Loan (The Capital Times, December 22, 2005)
    • Pedro Colón fought for in-state tuition rates for immigrants(Joy Cardin Show, Wednesday, May 25, 2005)
    • Pedro hit cuts in MATC bilingual programming (September 28, 2004)
    • Pedro called for MATC HIRE Center to stay in district (January 23, 2004)
    • Pedro authored strict rules (AB 468) cracking down on deceptive Notarios Publicos. "The critical function of Notaries must be clear in our state, and services should not be misrepresented to the public," Pedro said. "I have hardworking, low income people in my district who don’t need to be swindled when looking for legal advice" (September 15, 2003)
    • Pedro fought for Illegal immigrants in Wisconsin having a shot at a college education, authored Assembly Bill 95, granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants (Joy Cardin Show, May 30, 2003)
    • Pedro blasted El Rey raid as heavy handed and appalling, an inappropriate use of police resources and harassment (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 26, 2002)
    • Pedro and allies called a news conference in front of the Mercado El Rey grocery store at 1023 S. Chavez Drive to protest the raids (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 20, 2002)
    • Pedro and AFSCME protected UW workers singled out for having Latino-sounding names (Capital Times, Apr 18, 2001)
    • Pedro fought for state holiday to honor farm-labor advocate Cesar Chavez (Tom Clark Show, March 27, 2001)

     

  • Health Care for All

    - Vote for Pedro Colón on Nov. 4! -

    Since Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman fought to launch government-secured health care as the right of all people (not a commodity to purchased and sold) the Democratic Party has been thwarted by powerful monied interests blocking universal health care.

    Representative Colón has fought the monied interests and has won vital battles, though more needs to be done until we achieve universal access to health care.

    Some major new health investments won include:

    • UCC Latino Geriatric Center (2005-07 State Budget) – $500,000
    • Sixteenth Street Community Health Center in partnership with the Marquette University Dental Clinic – to serve the uninsured and under insured residents of the south side of Milwaukee (2007 JFC – 13.10 appropriation) - $500,000
    • Ensure all school children have access to a school nurse by investing over $1 million to help hire 24 additional school nurses
    • Provide $100,000 in a one-time grant to the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin to provide HIV infection outreach, education, and referral
    • Provide $1.2 million increasing funding for grants to AIDS service organizations under the Mike Johnson life care and early intervention services grant program, reflecting the net fiscal effect of revised cost estimates for the HIV/AIDS drug assistance program and the insurance premium subsidy program (2007-09 State Budget)
    • Provide $2 million over the biennium to fund a 5 percent increase in the uniform foster care rates, effective January 2008 and an additional 5 percent increase in the uniform foster care rates effective January 2009
    • Governor Doyle directed DHFS to conduct a three-year pilot program, which began January 1, 2008 and which is open to a minimum of 100 participants, under which DHFS would pay premiums for coverage under HIRSP and pay copayments under HIRSP for drugs approved for reimbursement under ADAP, for individuals who satisfy certain eligibility requirements

    Expansion of BadgerCare to BagerCare Plus

    • Through BadgerCare Plus, every Wisconsin resident whose family income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level will have access to health care
    • Ensure all eligible children are enrolled in BadgerCare Plus through a partnership between the Department of Health and Family Services, MPS, and Covering Kids and Families – Wisconsin
    • Provide all BadgerCare Plus families with educational tools to make informed choices and stay healthy

    Read about BadgerCare Plus.



Authorized and paid for by Colón for Milwaukee, Rosario Sanchez, Treasurer