Under the guise of job creation, the State Senate is poised to pass Venture Capital Legislation (SB 169) on Tuesday. The companion bill (AB 181) has already passed the Assembly.
Despite public statements by supporters of the bill that the investment areas were chosen based on job creation potential, open records requests by Citizen Action of Wisconsin to the primary legislative authors have produced no documents indicating the economic basis for these decisions. Citizen Action is calling for a delay in Senate consideration until a solid economic basis for this substantial investment of public dollars is made available.
“We are reasonably proposing that the Senate should not make large investments of public job creation dollars without a solid economic basis that has been shared with all Legislators and the public, ” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “Legislators and the public have a right to know whether there is a documented economic basis for investing $25 million dollars of taxpayer money with a private fund manager, ” continued Kraig.
“This venture capital legislation has received great fanfare from elected officials of both parties, corporate lobbyists, and various self-described...
For our 100th episode of the Battleground Wisconsin Podcast we welcome back original panelist Tanya Atkinson, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of WI. We discuss the GOP's bill (SB 206) to mandate medically unnecessary vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions. We also cover the latest on the Walker BadgerCare scandal, more turnover at Walker's failed jobs agency, the GOP tax cut for the wealthy and tax increase for disabled Vets, a new campaign finance bill that increases legal bribery, and the undemocratic limits to the fair use of WisconsinEye videos of state legislative proceedings.
Low-wage workers across the country are taking dramatic action to improve their wages and working conditions. In New York and Chicago, fast-food and other service-sector workers went on strike demanding a minimum of $15 an hour and the right to form a union free from the threat of employer retaliation. Emboldened by such militant steps, Milwaukee workers have voted to create a new union of their own.
Governor Walker wants to reject billions of dollars in federal health care reform funds to fill the holes in BadgerCare. This decision, which can be overturned by the Legislature, endangers lives and denies needed funds to Wisconsin communities. Access to affordable health care is a necessity in modern society, and families without it do not have a fair shot at the American dream! Tell your State Legislators not to let Gov. Walker take affordable health care coverage away from Wisconsin families - Sign Petition
