New Lawmakers Find Their Bearings in Wisconsin's Legislature

Frederica Freyberg:
Newly elected legislators are finding their way at the state Capitol. More than a quarter of the members in the Assembly and Senate are freshmen after legislative districts were redrawn last year. There are 23 new Democratic lawmakers in the Assembly and eight new Republicans. “Here & Now” reporter Aditi Debnath met with two new state reps now a month into the legislative session.

Angelina Cruz:
I, full disclosure, am completely overwhelmed.

Lindee Brill:
We sat down and I said, “Let’s do this” and we went 100 miles an hour from there.

Aditi Debnath:
Representatives Lindee Brill and Angelina Cruz are newbies in the Wisconsin Assembly.

Lindee Brill:
It’s a new job. It’s a new environment. It’s a big building. So even getting my directions down has been a challenge. But I’m excited for the challenge.

Aditi Debnath:
They spent the first few days after inauguration getting their bearings in the Capitol ahead of the first session.

Angelina Cruz:
I keep describing it as, like, speed dating with different governmental departments. Like, you get, like, the quick overview and then they’re like, “Here’s our card. You can reach out at any time,” and then you move on to the next one.

Aditi Debnath:
As they begin budget season, Brill and Cruz represent the changing face of Wisconsin politics, bringing fresh perspectives to the state legislature. Representative Brill is one of eight Republican rookies in the Assembly, representing the 27th district.

Lindee Brill:
The easiest way to describe it would be if you take Sheboygan, so town of Wilson, city of Sheboygan, then Town of Sheboygan. I’m pretty much everything around it, all the way west to Fond du Lac and down. So Taycheedah would be the edge of my district, all the way down to, like, Cascade and then over to I-43.

Aditi Debnath:
On the other side of the aisle, Representative Angelina Cruz is one of 23 new Democrats in the Assembly representing district 62.

Angelina Cruz:
The vast bulk of it is the city of Racine. It stretches to the north, it’s Racine and North Bay, and it stretches up to Wind Point. And then it covers a sliver of Caledonia and a sliver of Mount Pleasant.

Aditi Debnath:
While both Brill and Cruz are first time lawmakers, they represent opposite ends of the partisan spectrum, each seeking to make their mark on Wisconsin politics. Representative Brill made headlines in her first week after sitting out the vote where Assembly Speaker Robin Vos won a record seventh term in that office.

Lindee Brill:
I just felt we needed to head in a more conservative direction. I think there’s sometimes some things that went a little more moderate than I would have voted for, but I respect the way the vote went and I look forward to working with leadership and knowing that — trusting that they’ll lead us where we need to go.

Aditi Debnath:
In contrast to Brill, Cruz brings a progressive perspective to Madison as the first Latina to represent Racine and a member of the LGBTQ community. She ran unopposed in the newly drawn district 62.

Angelina Cruz:
We had been the most gerrymandered state in the country, and that these more fair maps presented an opportunity to actually be in the State House and be an advocate in a way that potentially could be more effective.

Aditi Debnath:
Cruz is the president of her local teachers union and first got involved in politics when the state legislature passed Act 10 in 2011, which made it harder for teachers to unionize.

Man:
I’ll open it up for debate.

Angelina Cruz:
I feel like everybody wants to talk about money, right? It’s budget season.

Aditi Debnath:
Her top priority going into this budget session is funding for public schools.

Angelina Cruz:
People just want a hand up and in terms of meeting basic needs. That’s mostly what I heard on the doors, the opportunity to purchase a home. The opportunity to send their kids to school. Just to have, like, just their basic needs meet.

Aditi Debnath:
On Monday, she met with union teachers at Schulte Elementary in her district. They shared concerns about an April referendum and how they’ll support their students if it doesn’t pass. Representative Cruz says the answer is in the state budget.

Angelina Cruz:
I encourage you strongly to use your teacher voices. Call your legislators. Let them know, like, this is — you need to fully fund public schools. You need to fully fund special education. That’s something the state superintendent, Jill Underly, put into her recommended budget to the governor.

Aditi Debnath:
In Sheboygan, Representative Brill got started in politics young.

Lindee Brill:
My mom had kind of always been the political one in our house. We spent many times talking about the pro-life movement, how we wanted to be a part of protecting the unborn. Campaign manager was good friends with my mom, and he came to her funeral, and I promised him I would carry on the torch.

Aditi Debnath:
Brill took over her mother’s hobby farm after her passing.

Lindee Brill:
This time of year, production is down a little bit.

Aditi Debnath:
She says she ran with the goal of protecting life beginning at conception, an issue she won’t compromise on.

Lindee Brill:
I know that’s probably not one that I’m going to reach across the aisle and probably have a lot of conversations about, but I do think there are others.

Aditi Debnath:
Heading into the budget, her priority is addressing the fentanyl crisis in her district.

Lindee Brill:
Being able to see how people struggle in our community was one of my main pushes to want to go to Madison to see change for them.

Aditi Debnath:
Brill works at Samaritan’s Hand, a faith-based drug and alcohol treatment center, and was named vice chair of the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention.

Lindee Brill:
These are people I’ve cared about. These are people I’ve called family I’ve lost, and people are still here. My dad has been sober for 12 years, and his journey was a part of me wanting to get involved in here.

Aditi Debnath:
Back in Madison, Representatives Brill and Cruz continue navigating their first term in the legislature. Cruz says she has never felt more like a grade schooler.

Angelina Cruz:
One of the things I always liked about teaching is working with kids. They bring such new and fresh perspectives and are excited about everything.

Aditi Debnath:
She says that in a way, there are 31 new kids under the dome.

Angelina Cruz:
Maybe that’s — you can assign that to our naivete about what we’re about to experience, but I like to think it brings an energy that maybe, maybe is needed at this moment in time.

Lindee Brill:
Throughout our state we have constituents who have elected Republicans and Democrats to represent us. So at the end of the day, we’re called to work together to best represent our people.

Aditi Debnath:
Reporting from Sheboygan and Racine, I’m Aditi Debnath for “Here & Now.”