In an extraordinary session last week the Senate passed Senate Bill 227, a bill that will allow contractors to directly purchase construction materials on behalf of their tax-exempt clients without paying the sales tax. The proposal was originally included in the tax reform package of the budget by the Joint Finance Committee. However, the governor […]
TIF Bills Pass Committees
Date Thu, Oct. 29, 2015 - 3:14pm By Hamilton
The Assembly Ways and Means committee has passed legislation for numerous bills that are part of the tax increment financing (TIF) bill package. The package comes from recommendations from 2014 Legislative Council Study Committee on the Review of TIF. During the committee, Assembly Bill 136 had a delayed committee vote due to amendments that were […]
Mark Hogan Named New CEO of WEDC
Date Thu, Sep. 17, 2015 - 5:35pm By Hamilton
Governor Scott Walker has announced the appointment of Mark Hogan as CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Hogan has worked for nearly 40 years at M&I Bank and BMO Harris Bank. After retiring as M&I’s Executive President/Chief Credit Officer, he joined BMO Harris in 2011 to serve as a Senior Advisor. Hogan has […]
Audit Committee Holds Hearing on 2015 WEDC Audit
Date Thu, Sep. 17, 2015 - 5:33pm By Hamilton
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met on Wednesday, September 9, to discuss the findings of the Legislative Audit Bureau’s (LAB) audit of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), released in May of this year. WEDA members presented extensive testimony that hit on nearly all of the points committee members raised while questioning the LAB, WEDC, […]
WEDA Recognizes Legislators with Economic Development Policy Awards
Date Thu, Sep. 17, 2015 - 5:27pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) has recognized four legislators for their legislative policies and support that promote and foster economic development. Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) received the WEDA Legislative Champion Award, which is given to legislators who provide legislative leadership with regards to advancing Wisconsin’s economic development programs and policies. Sen. Gudex’s […]
Bills of Note: Heroin Prevention, TIF, and a Constitutional Amendment
Date Thu, Sep. 17, 2015 - 3:00pm By Hamilton
Nygren Announces HOPE Agenda Legislation Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) announced a bill package that if passed would provide additional heroin, opiate prevention and education to combat the heroin and opiate epidemic in Wisconsin. The bills are a continuation of Rep. Nygren’s plan to combat the heroin epidemic. The four new bills, which have yet to […]
Speaker Vos Creates Three New Task Forces
Date Thu, Aug. 13, 2015 - 4:30pm By Hamilton
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has announced the creation of three bipartisan task forces on Youth Workforce Readiness, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and Urban Education. The Task Force on Youth Workforce Readiness will examine ways to encourage youth and students to pursue careers in trade, manufacturing and other technical fields. Vos claims that many manufacturing positions remain […]
Financing Plan for Bucks Arena Signed into Law
Date Thu, Aug. 13, 2015 - 4:27pm By Hamilton
Legislation for a new Bucks Arena was signed into law by Governor Walker this week, after being passed by the legislature at the end of July. On July 28, the Assembly passed Senate Bill 209 in a mixed-party vote of 52-34, with eight votes paired. 35 Republicans and 17 Democrats voted to approve the bill, […]
Michigan v. EPA – SCOTUS Rules EPA Must Consider Costs in Initial Decision to Regulate
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:16pm By Hamilton
Scalia, writing for the Court, stated that “[EPA] gave cost no thought at all, because it considered cost irrelevant to its initial decision to regulate,” he continued, writing, “It is unreasonable to read an instruction to an administrative agency to determine whether ‘regulation is appropriate and necessary’ as an invitation to ignore cost.” With that […]
Wisconsin Receives Mixed Grades on Manufacturing Climate
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:13pm By Hamilton
Recently, Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research and Conexus Indiana, a private sector led initiative to capitalize on opportunities in advanced manufacturing, released their 2015 Manufacturing & Logistics Report Card. This report ranks states on several different sectors of the economy that contribute to the success of manufacturing. The rankings are assessed […]