Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend, the town of Vernon and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
The governor’s ideas for stimulus money raise a question
By Mary Lazich
Friday, May 1 2009, 12:30 PM
On Thursday, Governor Doyle asked legislative leaders to approve legislation that would allow the state to “fully implement” the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The legislation would include:
- Dept of Commerce. Modify the Enterprize Zone Program to add job retention as an eligible certification criterion to establish a zone; require companies to make a significant capital investment; have either 0ver 500 employees or be an original equipment manufacturer with a significant Wisconsin supply chain; provide refundable tax credits for up to 7% of payroll; limit tax credit claiming to five years.
- Public Service Commission. Permit counties, municipalities, villages and towns to provide loans for energy efficient improvements to residences. Provide for repayment via special charges on property tax bills.
- Dept of Administration. Modify income eligibility levels for the Weatherization Assistance Program and the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to 60% of statewide median household income.
- Dept of Workforce Development. Authorize unemployment insurance modernization changes in order to receive additional federal incentive funding available to states that reform UI eligibility rules to increase benefit coverage.
- Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Provide federal ARRA health insurance subsidies for individuals who have lost jobs at companies with fewer than 20 employees.
- Dept of Natural Resources. Allow ARRA clean water and drinking water funds to be distributed as grants or loans at interest rates that may differ from the rates provided under current law; allow forgiveness of a portion of the principal amount of a loan.
- Dept of Children and Families. Increase eligibility for community services block grant funding from125% to 200% of federal poverty level.
- Office of Justice Assistance. Create a new federal appropriation for receipt of ARRA funding for Byrne and Justice Assistance Grant criminal justice programs.
- Dept of Revenue. Exclude expenditures made related to ARRA funding from the Expenditure Restraint Program.
- Dept of Public Instruction. Repeal the requirement DPI keep confidential any pupil records it receives from local school districts so that K-12 and post-secondary institutions can share data in support of education reform efforts.
That is an interesting list. The question I have is this:
How does any of this create sustaining jobs?
