Chris Larson

In November 2019, Larson announced he would run for Milwaukee County Executive after incumbent Chris Abele announced he would not seek re-election.[1] Larson came in first in the non-partisan primary and was defeated in the April 13 general election.[16][17]

For the 2021-2022 legislative session, Senator Larson's priorities include COVID-19, public education, cannabis legalization, fair legislative maps, voting rights, environmental protection, healthcare expansion, and criminal justice reform.

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, funding for local public schools was cut by $1.6 billion,[18] and during the 2013-2014 session 50% of Wisconsin school districts received less state money than they did under the previous session.[19] Larson supported initiatives to fully restore funding for local public schools.[20][21]

In February 2013, Democrats introduced a package of six jobs bills, which included funding for technical colleges and required state agencies, as well as state and local governments, to buy from Wisconsin businesses.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

Larson fought to accept federal health care money through the Affordable Care Act to strengthen Wisconsin's BadgerCare program[29][30] since, according to Wisconsin's nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, strengthening BadgerCare would expand health care coverage to 85,000 more Wisconsinites, save the state $119 million over the biennium, and create over 10,000 Wisconsin jobs.[31][32]

Larson and his Democratic colleagues all signed on to a proposed constitutional amendment (2013 SJR 74) to reverse Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage.[33] Larson co-sponsored legislation to reinstate laws to prevent workplace discrimination against women, which had been removed from Wisconsin statutes during the 2011-12 legislative session.[34]

Larson introduced legislative proposals during the 2013-2014 Legislative Session to reform Wisconsin's jobs agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which has seen numerous scandals since it was created in 2011, including losing track of $56 million in loans, misuse of taxpayer funds, exaggerated jobs claims, and lack of basic oversight, according to a national report by Good Jobs First.[35][36][37][38][39]

During the 2015-16 legislative session, Larson introduced numerous proposals aimed at improving public schools. For instance, Larson co-authored a proposal to implement and invest in the community schools model, which provides wraparound services for students, such as providing access to health care and a healthy diet. He introduced legislation to give schools support to provide services for students with disabilities.[40]

In early 2016, Larson and a group of environmental advocates and organizations led a fight against a bill that would have made it easier for Wisconsin water utility systems to be taken over by non-Wisconsin, for-profit companies and corporations.[41] After intense public outrage, the bill was not scheduled for a vote in the Senate and failed to become law. The lead poisoning of families in Flint Michigan galvanized opposition to water privatization in Wisconsin.[42]

For 2020, some of Larson's main legislative issues include public education in Milwaukee, addressing climate change issues, tackling lawmaker corruption,[43] improving access to senior care, and improving infrastructure in areas such as childcare[44] and public transportation.[45] In 2019, Larson has also called for increased regulation of trampoline parks and other amusement parks, which have seen an increase in the number of children injured.[46]

During the protests in Wisconsin, Larson, along with the 13 other Democratic state senators, left the state to deny the state senate a quorum on Governor Scott Walker's controversial "Budget Repair" legislation. All 14 state senators returned on March 12.[47]

Senator Larson's committee assignments for the 2021-2022 session are as follows:[48]

• Committee on Administrative Rules
• Committee on Agriculture, Revenue and Financial Institutions
• Committee on Education
• Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families
• Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules
• Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions

During the 2011-2012 legislative session, Larson served as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Review of Administrative Rules, and as a member of the Joint Committees on Finance, Audit, and Information Policy and Technology; on the Senate Committees on Education; Education and Corrections; Natural Resources and Environment; Housing and Insurance; and Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism. He also served on the Governor's Commission on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse; and the Special Task Force on University of Wisconsin Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities.[49]

During the 2013-2014 legislative session, Larson served on the Committee on Senate Organization, the Joint Legislative Council, and the Joint Committees on Employment Relations, and on Legislative Organization.[50]