WisconsinWatch.org (https://www.wisconsinwatch.org/category/economy/page/2/)
The FTC has recommended that states boost requirements for what documentation is needed at the beginning of a lawsuit. Wisconsin’s new law does not meet most of these recommendations.
A new Wisconsin law standardized debt collection; advocates fear it could hurt consumers.
Gun violence costs Wisconsinites billions of dollars a year. Taxpayers pay for most of it in medical bills and incarceration costs. Victims suffer lost wages and trauma that can have long-lasting effects. Communities pay through lowered property values and higher police costs.
Snapshots of some of the 24 companies that got a piece of the $126 million in state taxpayer subsidies without full financial review from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
In its first 15 months of existence, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. awarded $126 million in incentives to 24 companies without a full financial review. Some deals turned out well, others have failed. The largest — up to $62.5 million in tax credits to Kohl’s Corp. — so far has not generated the number of jobs or amount of capital spending promised.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, and Sen. Rick Gudex, R-Fond du Lac, address criticism of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Both lawmakers are WEDC board members.
Good Jobs First, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for accountability in economic development, generally recommends against taxpayer subsidies for retail companies such as Kohl’s Corp.
The group’s research director, Philip Mattera, said retail positions tend to be low-paid, part-time jobs.
Despite signs of trouble with the companies, Gov. Scott Walker’s jobs agency awarded about $1.4 million in taxpayer money to two northern Wisconsin firms that have now failed to repay the loans.
While cities like Madison, Waukesha and Green Bay thrive economically, northern Wisconsin counties have been left behind in the state’s economic development efforts. Local economic development leaders share stories of being ineligible for economic development programs brought by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, a quasi-governmental agency created in 2011 by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Northern counties are also receiving proportionally less help from the WEDC, with many local leaders saying they are ineligible or unable to meet basic requirements for certain programs or incentives.
The Center is known for its comprehensive coverage of frac sand mining. But let’s face it … our stories are long. So in the meantime here’s a quick introduction to the issues, from local control to dusty air.
So far the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. isn’t saying whether citations involving 1,037 workplace injuries could endanger $6.7 million in tax credits for the Wisconsin-based furniture giant.
As Americans break out the cranberries for Thanksgiving dinners, the federal government is taking steps to put more of the tart fruit in food pantries and school lunches.