frustrating, but they are also a wake up call for Wisconsin.
>> 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 and now,
reporter Aditi Debnath met with two new state reps. Now a month
in to the legislative session. >> I full disclosure and
completely overwhelmed. >> We sat down and I said, let's
do this. And we went 100 miles an hour from there.
>> Representatives Lindee Brill and Angelina Cruz are newbies in
the Wisconsin Assembly. >> It's a new job. It's a new
environment. It's a big buildin. So even getting my directions
down has been a challenge. But I'm excited for the challenge.
>> They spent the first few days after inauguration getting their
bearings in the Capitol ahead of the first session.
>> 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.
>> 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. >> The easiest way to describe
it would be if you take Sheboygan. So Ana 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 to Cheatle would be the edge of my district, all the way
down to like Cascade and then over to I-43.
>> On the other side of the aisle. Representative Angelina
Cruz is one of 23 New Democrats in the Assembly representing
district 62. >> The vast bulk of it is the
city of Racine. It stretches. >> To the north is 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.
>> While both Brill and Cruz are first time lawmakers, they
represent opposite ends of the partizan 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. >> 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.
>> 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. >> He 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.
>> Cruz is the president of her local teacher's union and first
got involved in politics when the state legislature passed act
10 in 2011, which made it harder for teachers to unionize.
>> I'll open it up for debate. >> I feel like everybody wants
to talk about money, right? It's budget season.
>> Her top priority going into this budget session is funding
for public schools. >> People just want a hand up.
And in terms of meeting basic needs, that's mostly what 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 me. >> 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.
>> 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.
>> In Sheboygan, Representative Brill got started in politics.
Jung. >> 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. >> Brill took over her mother's
hobby farm after her passing. >> This time of year, production
is down a little bit. >> She says she ran with the
goal of protecting life beginning at conception, an
>> 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.
priority is addressing the fentanyl crisis in her district.
>> 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. >> 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. >> 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.
>> 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.
>> 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. >> She says that in a way, there
are 31 new kids under the dome. >> Maybe that's a 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. >> 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 >> Reporting from Sheboygan and