Contact: Olivia Hwang, 608.266.5504
Madison – Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D – Kenosha) issued the following statement today following a move by Republicans in the Assembly to refuse all of the amendments to the proposed Foxconn deal offered by Democrats in the Committee on Jobs and the Economy:
“Today, my Democratic colleagues took a stand for Wisconsin and introduced a series of responsible changes that would have put in place stronger guarantees that taxpayers would get a good return on their investment and that typical environmental protections are followed. If we’re spending $3 billion to create new jobs, we should be able to make sure there is a preference for jobs to go to Wisconsin workers, not people crossing the border from Illinois when Wisconsin taxpayers are footing the bill. We should be able to give preference to Wisconsin contractors who hire veterans if we’re using the hard-earned money of Wisconsin families to pay for this new facility to be built.
“It is remarkable that the Assembly Republicans on the committee would not vote for a single amendment presented by Democrats, whether it was ensuring Wisconsin suppliers are prioritized, or even a simple amendment like having the Department of Transportation study transporting workers to jobs. We should have a better deal for Wisconsin.”
