OUR PLATFORM
Juliana’s Top Priority is Lowering Property Taxes & Rent and Funding Our Schools by Passing the 17 Cent Millionaire Tax
The 17 Cent Millionaire Tax is the only real legislative solution to lower property taxes and fund our schools. This legislation was introduced this year by Rep. Francesca Hong and the Socialist Caucus (press release). Currently, we fund our schools through either property taxes or state aid. This bill fundamentally shifts the equation from property owners to higher income owners, offering working people relief and making sure millionaires pay their fair share.
Too many campaigns run on slogans without substance. We can (and MUST) do more than show up and vote ‘no’ on bad Republican bills. We can be the drivers of good legislation. But, we need guts and a plan that working people can actually get behind.
Read our platform below and share your thoughts. I want to listen to and apply your feedback.
HOUSING
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We all want good public schools. We should be able to do that without being priced out of Wisconsin. That’s why, Juliana is leading on the 17 Cent Millionaire Tax.
Currently, our schools are funded through property taxes and state aid. The 17 Cent Millionaire tax fundamentally changes the equation by taking 17 cents on your millionth and first dollar and putting it into our public schools. This will both fund our schools and lower property taxes by 44% statewide, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau in the bill introduced by Rep. Hong. -
Juliana is a renter. She knows what it’s like to get evicted, pay way too much for a crummy apartment, and move across town to find a place she can afford. She fought against this as a Madison alder, by passing some of the strongest rent abatement policies in the state. She’s ready to shift Wisconsin from a pro-landlord state to a pro-tenant state.
Juliana will stabilize rents by legalizing rent control and banning algorithmic collusion on rents. She will also enshrine the right to a fair lease (that doesn’t force you into resigning a year before the next term), a habitable home, and safeguards against retaliation and eviction by passing a Tenant Bill Rights. Additionally, she will pass the Right to Counsel, because we deserve to be represented in situations with long-term impacts to our rental history. -
Isn’t it ridiculous that it costs so much to buy a house in Madison?! $500,000 for a 1,000 sqft 2- bedroom home are you kidding?!
Madison home prices are out of control for two reasons: (1) there aren’t enough homes to buy and (2) billionaires are buying up all the homes we could buy to jack up the rent or turn them into luxury high rises.Juliana will tackle both of these problems. She will take the $2 billion we’re currently forking over to megacorporations like Microsoft to build data centers and reinvest it into building 200,000 *actually* affordable homes for working Wisconsinites. Juliana will also ban predatory private equity firms from owning single-family homes and place a vacancy tax on corporate-owned vacant property.
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Our district is home to one of the prominent mobile home parks (manufactured housing communities) in Dane County. We should be outraged that our neighbors are grappling with $750+ water bills following the hail storm, constant rent hikes, and lack of support from those elected to serve them. This is an unfortunate reality for many manufactured housing communities across the state.
Juliana has a plan to address the unique needs of Wisconsinites living in manufactured housing communities. She will pass a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), giving residents the first right-of-refusal. She will also provide state aid to incentivize Residentially-Owned Communities, which would support manufactured housing communities in becoming democratically run cooperatives. Most importantly, Juliana will show up. Juliana recognizes the power in simply showing up to listen. She will take extra care to listen to communities that need it the most. -
State and federal law makes building a condo or starting a co-op incredibly challenging.
Juliana will cut the red tape that disincentivizes building condos. She will also work with our congressional delegation to remove financial barriers to condo development.
Additionally, Juliana will provide low-interest loans to people interested in co-ops and co-housing opportunities. She will also pass a state law in response to the Madison Community Cooperative (MCC) lawsuit against the city, allowing housing cooperatives to receive tax exempt status.
HOMELESSNESS
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We should take it as a warning, not a nuisance, when unhoused people are setting up camps on East Washington, State Street, and our local parks. Forcing people to move or putting people behind bars for the crime of being unhoused is not a solution. It is a failure and it is abysmal. Juliana will repeal state laws that locks people up for being unhoused.
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Dane County spends more on homeless services than the State of Wisconsin spends for the entire state. That’s one of the reasons why the Men’s Homeless Shelter will be at full capacity on day 1. It’s also why police officers spend hours driving unhoused people from more rural areas of the state to cities like Madison. Our services are stretched thin, but in other areas, they are non-existent. We need to give homelessness the time and attention that it deserves.
Juliana will empower the people that work daily with the unhoused community by providing them with state aid. She will also provide resources to build and operate temporary housing facilities, including shelters, legalized encampments, and tiny home villages. She will ensure that resources to provide mental health, job training, and individual-specific support is central to these operations. -
People that are at risk of homelessness should be supported. We shouldn’t have to do things like take out a payday loan to pay rent on time.
Juliana will restart the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program. She will also create good-paying union jobs to caseworkers to work with those at risk of becoming unhoused.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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Our state is failing our kids. To parents, guardians, and teachers with kids at MMSD schools, particularly the schools where over half of the kids live in households below the poverty line (ie. Hawthorne, Gompers, Lindberg, Mendota, Black Hawk, East High, and LaFollette), we see you. Our kids should not be going to school hungry. Our classrooms should not be running out of paper. Our teachers should be supported.
Juliana will work tirelessly to fully fund our public schools. Period. -
Special education is personally important to Juliana. She is the aunt to three kids on the Autism spectrum. She’s seen her sister struggle with navigating the public school system as the parent, caregiver, and advocate to her kids.
Special education is more than just a cost. It is an essential need to care for all of our kids.There’s some things we can’t compromise on and funding special education at a 90% reimbursement rate is one of them.
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Spending public dollars on private schools does not make sense.
Juliana will fight for a responsible transition away from subsidizing private and charter schools to properly fund public education. -
Juliana was one of those kids that went to school hungry and came home with a pocket full of snacks from her teachers. She firmly believes that no kid should be hungry at school.
Juliana will pass Healthy School Meals for All to ensure every kid is fed and ready to learn.
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Wisconsin’s public schools has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation. Juliana has seen this firsthand as a Black kid from MMSD. We can start to close the gap by taking extra care to show up for our kids that need it the most.
Juliana will invest in early literacy and after school programs. She will also ensure every student has access to wrap-around services so that every kid is supported both inside and outside of the classroom.
CHILDCARE
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Childcare costs are insane. Childcare costing the same amount as rent is ridiculous. We shouldn’t have to make tough choices between giving up our jobs, losing our insurance, moving back with our parents, or not starting a family due to childcare costs.
Juliana will work with our next governor to pass universal childcare that includes funding for care facilities and paying providers a living wage.
WORKERS
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$7.25/hour is a flipping insult.
Juliana will raise our wages to $23/hour and tie it to inflation. Our campaign is advocating for a $23 minimum wage, because even $20/hour does not cover costs in Wisconsin, according to the MIT living wage calculator.
Additionally, Juliana will eliminate the tipped minimum wage, because $2.33/hour for service workers is disgusting. -
As the daughter of an ailing parent, Juliana knows what it’s like to forgo pay to care for a sick family member. No one should have to make that choice.
Juliana will guarantee paid leave for all Wisconsin workers, including those that are self-employed. -
Act 10 is an embarrassment. Juliana will repeal it.
This includes:Repeal right to work
Repeal the ban on project labor agreements
Restore prevailing wage
Restore the right to collectively bargain
Additionally, Juliana will stop union busting, by prohibiting captive audience meetings and mandating majority sign up.
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Once we have a Democratic trifecta, we will undo Act 10. That’s a day one priority. But undoing Act 10 won’t solve all labor issues, it will just bring us back to 2010 Wisconsin. Juliana is working with labor leaders to build our Day 2 priorities that reflect our needs of today. Some of these priorities include overtime protections, increasing unemployment, eliminating the LTE scam, and mandating just cause employment.
Overtime
Large employers like Epic regularly cheat workers out of their overtime pay. They do this by misclassifying workers and taking advantage of legal loopholes that exempt salaried workers making more than $36,000.
Juliana will raise the salary exemption to $50,000 and go after employers that try to cheat people out of their overtime.
Increase Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Wisconsin’s current maximum weekly benefit rate is $370. For many Wisconsin families that’s barely enough for gas and groceries.
Juliana will set the benefit rate to at least $500 per week and work with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to set a fair rate.
Stop the LTE Scam
Many state employees are misclassified as limited term employees (LTEs). This rips people off from receiving full-time benefits for full-time work. Juliana will crack down on the misuse of the LTE classification.
Mandate Just Cause Employment Statewide
Currently, all employment in Wisconsin is considered “at-will”. That means your employer can fire you at any time for any reason. “Just cause” employment creates job security, by requiring employers to have a valid, proven reason before terminating employment. Juliana will mandate just cause employment statewide. -
We should be able to retire at a reasonable age and with a decent pension. That reality is becoming increasingly out-of-reach for many Wisconsinites, as federal legislators continue talks on cutting Social Security and raising the retirement age.
Juliana will fight to give everyone a dignified retirement by opening the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) to all employers.
HEALTHCARE
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$7.25/hour is a flipping insult.
Juliana will raise our wages to $23/hour and tie it to inflation. Our campaign is advocating for a $23 minimum wage, because even $20/hour does not cover costs in Wisconsin, according to the MIT living wage calculator.
Additionally, Juliana will eliminate the tipped minimum wage, because $2.33/hour for service workers is disgusting. -
As the daughter of an ailing parent, Juliana knows what it’s like to forgo pay to care for a sick family member. No one should have to make that choice.
Juliana will guarantee paid leave for all Wisconsin workers, including those that are self-employed. -
Act 10 is an embarrassment. Juliana will repeal it.
This includes:Repeal right to work
Repeal the ban on project labor agreements
Restore prevailing wage
Restore the right to collectively bargain
Additionally, Juliana will stop union busting, by prohibiting captive audience meetings and mandating majority sign up.
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Once we have a Democratic trifecta, we will undo Act 10. That’s a day one priority. But undoing Act 10 won’t solve all labor issues, it will just bring us back to 2010 Wisconsin. Juliana is working with labor leaders to build our Day 2 priorities that reflect our needs of today. Some of these priorities include overtime protections, increasing unemployment, eliminating the LTE scam, and mandating just cause employment.
Overtime
Large employers like Epic regularly cheat workers out of their overtime pay. They do this by misclassifying workers and taking advantage of legal loopholes that exempt salaried workers making more than $36,000.
Juliana will raise the salary exemption to $50,000 and go after employers that try to cheat people out of their overtime.
Increase Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Wisconsin’s current maximum weekly benefit rate is $370. For many Wisconsin families that’s barely enough for gas and groceries.
Juliana will set the benefit rate to at least $500 per week and work with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to set a fair rate.
Stop the LTE Scam
Many state employees are misclassified as limited term employees (LTEs). This rips people off from receiving full-time benefits for full-time work. Juliana will crack down on the misuse of the LTE classification.
Mandate Just Cause Employment Statewide
Currently, all employment in Wisconsin is considered “at-will”. That means your employer can fire you at any time for any reason. “Just cause” employment creates job security, by requiring employers to have a valid, proven reason before terminating employment. Juliana will mandate just cause employment statewide. -
We should be able to retire at a reasonable age and with a decent pension. That reality is becoming increasingly out-of-reach for many Wisconsinites, as federal legislators continue talks on cutting Social Security and raising the retirement age.
Juliana will fight to give everyone a dignified retirement by opening the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) to all employers.