The Wisconsin State Assembly passed bills with bipartisan support today, including one aimed at workforce development.
The workforce training bill would actually speed up a proposal in Governor Scott Walker’s budget to spend $15 million on workforce training grants, which can be awarded to either private or public institutions.
Chippewa Falls Republican Kathy Bernier says this could help a variety of workers: “We are proposing to educate – train – new unemployed and underemployed Wisconsinites.”
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Racine Democrat Cory Mason criticized the way the money was being spent, especially following budget cuts to technical colleges. Mason says they could do this training better: “We have a Wisconsin Technical College System that has decades of experience – now a century of experience – behind them in doing vocational training.”
Still, Mason supported the bill which passed on a 94-4 vote.
The Assembly also passed two bills by similar margins that were authored last session by Democrats. Both would spend state money to promote Wisconsin-based manufacturers with a focus on smaller operations.
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