Mailbag: Rep. Brett Davis Writes:

Action Taken in Assembly this Week
It has been a busy week in the State Legislature. Governor Doyle gave his annual State of the State Address, and the State Assembly approved legislation that focused on jobs and unemployment benefits. As a state, we need to continue doing all we can to get our economy back on track while ensuring appropriate oversight and accountability of taxpayer dollars.

Governor Doyle hit the right tone in his speech on Wednesday night. The economy is weak, and families and businesses all over the state are facing much tighter budgets. Like many states across the country, Wisconsin is facing an extremely large deficit in our state budget this session. If we work together we can enact responsible policies that will speed up our state’s economic recovery and not shift huge amounts of debt on to our kids and grandkids. When families and businesses are facing smaller budgets government must prioritize its spending and not look to the taxpayers’ wallets for additional help.

The Legislature must act aggressively in approving legislation that will help create jobs in the private sector. Just this past week the Assembly approved three job related measures:

Assembly Bill 1 – The Wisconsin First Act
This bill tracks state spending and recommends the state purchase at least 20% of all goods and services from Wisconsin businesses.

Assembly Bill 2 – The American Jobs Act
This bill requires state contracts to be awarded only to those companies who do business in the United States. Purchasing from businesses located within the United States will put more money in our economy and create jobs at home rather than overseas.

Assembly Bill 5 – Extending Unemployment Benefits
This emergency legislation allows the state to access federal money to help pay for extended unemployment benefits. This is similar to actions taken in past economic recessions to help our unemployed workforce in tough times. The bill allows the state to access nearly $40 million in federal funds, set aside for just this purpose, to help pay for the extended unemployment benefits instead of increasing taxes on Wisconsin businesses.
In addition, I supported Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 3 authored by Representative Mark Gottlieb (R-Port Washington) that would ensure the money Wisconsin receives from the federal government in the economic stimulus package is spent in a way that is appropriate, affordable, transparent, and aimed at creating and attracting jobs to our state. AJR 3 was sent to an Assembly Committee for review, but I am hopeful it will be taken up and approved quickly by both the Assembly and Senate.

Estimates are that Wisconsin will receive around $3.2 billion from the federal government. My concern is that this one time money will be used to pay for projects with major ongoing expenses. The problem is that the government doesn’t have the money to continue paying for the ongoing project costs, and will be forced to go back to taxpayers to foot the bill. This is the wrong approach. We all need to keep in mind that money from the federal government is not “free” money, it comes out of the taxpayer’s pocket. I believe strongly that the federal stimulus money should be directed towards growing the economy and creating jobs, not simply the size of our government.

If you or your family are being impacted by the economy in a negative way and you think I can help, please contact me. I have already assisted many people throughout the 80th District and will continue working hard to do all I can serve you.