MADISON, Wis. – Two Republican-led committees of the Wisconsin state legislature today advanced reckless bills that would cause real harm to local Wisconsin families, including constitutional amendments that hinder Wisconsinites’ ability to have their voices heard in elections and a scheme that leaves average working families behind in favor of a tax cut skewed to the wealthiest.
The constitutional amendments advanced by the GOP controlled Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections would enshrine into our state constitution discriminatory anti-voter laws that unjustly target voters of color, rural voters, voters with disabilities, and other marginalized voters across Wisconsin.
The tax scheme passed by the GOP-led Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) – introduced by Senate Republicans as a lackluster replacement for Governor Tony Evers’ workforce package that would have made child care more affordable and expanded family and medical leave for workers, along with investments in higher education and reducing workforce shortages – is similar to previous tax proposals that experts have said would skew a majority of the benefits to the wealthy while working families are left behind.
In response to Republican lawmakers’ jam-packed day of voting against the interests of Wisconsinites, the following are statements from A Better Wisconsin Together Communications Director Lucy Ripp:
“State Republicans have had several chances now to take action on real solutions to Wisconsin’s workforce challenges and ensure every Wisconsin voter has equal access to have their voices heard in our elections. Yet, they continue to obstruct these efforts at every turn.
“When our workforce thrives, the whole economy thrives. Jobs are created, wages go up, and families have more financial stability to invest back into their local communities.
“When casting a ballot is made accessible to all voters – regardless of what we look like or where we’re from – and we all get a say in decisions that impact our lives, everyone benefits.
“Republicans in the legislature had a chance to do what’s right for Wisconsin’s workforce, for voters, and for our economy, but instead turned their back on average hardworking families in favor of advancing their own partisan interests.”
Call your legislator today at 1-800-362-9472 and demand they stand up for Wisconsin voters and Wisconsin’s workforce by opposing these bills.
