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Congress passes 2018 Farm Bill, sends it to President Trump for signature

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Congress has passed the 2018 Farm Bill.

Senator Tammy Baldwin voted yes on the bill, saying it will ease the pressure on dairy farms.

“I met with farmers across Wisconsin, and I brought their concerns and ideas to Washington to make sure that the farm bill works for our Wisconsin Farmers.”

She adds that current conditions are rough for farmers and their families. “Right now our farmers are facing a perfect storm of challenges, and these challenges have threatened their businesses and our communities.”

Congressman Ron Kind was one of three House Democrats to vote against the bill. He says the bill gives too much funding to corporate interests.

“It fails to reign in Wasteful subsidies and crop insurance programs that lead to overproduction by big agribusiness. It cuts $800 million from vital conservation programs, and does nothing to address the damage caused by the President’s trade war.”

Senator Ron Johnson also voted against the bill. He says it includes too much funding for food assistance programs. The bill now heads to President Trump for a signature.

Evers and Vos at odds over WEDC bill (AUDIO)

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One of the “lame duck” bills passed by the Wisconsin legislature this week deals with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Governor-elect Tony Evers said during his campaign that he’ll seek to abolish WEDC, and return jobs creation to the old Commerce Department.

Speaker Robin Vos said on Wednesday morning that Republicans had to act, because Evers wasn’t talking to them. “It was a lot through the media. I never got a call. We never talked about it. It was an awful lot of negotiation through the Journal Sentinel, kind of the arm of the Democratic Party,” Vos said. “We really couldn’t get a fair hearing, that’s the problem.”

“I’m not sure what in the world that means,” Evers said later that day, when asked about Vos’ comment that he was negotiating through the media. “He never asked . . . to talk to me a about this legislation to begin with. It would have been great to find out exactly what his plans were to begin with.”

Vos and Evers :35

The bill allows WEDC rather than the governor, to appoint the agency’s CEO until next September. The Legislature would also get more say over the agency’s enterprise zone program that hands out tax breaks to businesses.

Governor Scott Walker is expected to sign the entire package of legislation passed by the extraordinary session of the Republican controlled legislature.

No deal to save jobs at Neenah Kimberly Clark plant

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A deal to save jobs at Kimberly Clark’s Neenah Cold Spring plant did not get done in the “lame duck” legislative session. It’s a big disappointment to the bill’s author, Representative Jim Steinke. “I’m afraid politics played a role. I was hoping once we got past the politics of the election, there would be more support for it. Obviously, we couldn’t garner any support from the Democrats,” the Kaukauna Republican said.

The $70 million tax incentives package passed the Assembly last spring — but there was no vote in the Senate. “I was really disappointed that Governor-elect Evers didn’t step forward, and at least give his opinion one way or the other, as to whether he thought it was a good idea.”

Ironically, Senate passage of the deal was Governor Scott Walker’s only stated reason for an extraordinary session. Walker said without it, the nearly 400 jobs at the plant will be gone by year’s end

GOP lawmakers ask Evers to retain Klett as tourism secretary

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Republicans members of the Wisconsin state Assembly are making an unusual push for Governor-elect Tony Evers to retain the state tourism secretary.

Ten GOP members of the Assembly tourism committee sent Evers a letter urging him to keep Stephanie Klett in charge of the Department of Tourism.

The letter says Klett helped grow tourism from a $14.8 billion industry in 2011 to more than $20.6 billion today. Committee chairman Travis Tranel has started an online petition asking for Klett to keep her job. Nearly 2,000 people had signed it as of last Wednesday.

Republican Governor Scott Walker, who lost his reelection bid to Evers, appointed Klett as tourism secretary at the start of his first term in 2011.

Consider getting Something Special From Wisconsin this holiday season

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If you’re looking for some great holiday gifts, consider getting Something Special From Wisconsin.

Alice in Dairyland Kaitlyn Riley says the program helps identify producers and companies keeping their process and production local. 

“It was made with at least half of the ingredients, production or processing going right back to our state. But it’s also going to be a gift that keeps on giving, because it’s returning dollars back to our local farmers, processors, communities or economies.” 

Riley says you should think about spicing up your holiday cooking with some Wisconsin made products, like honey.

“I made a cranberry sauce using Dancing Bear Apiary honey instead of sugar to sweeten my blends. There’s so many way where we can take our typical holiday traditions and take them from ordinary to extraordinary.”

Another item that could be a stocking stuffer is candies from Cream City Caramels in Milwaukee.

“They use real cream in their products, and they take small batches of caramels to mix them together and create fun flavors like India Pale Ale, they also have a Vanilla Porter, and the classic Caramel flavor.”

You can find your special item online at http://somethingspecialwi.com. 

 

Bloomberg report: Foxconn to cut costs and workforce

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A new report says Foxconn Technology Group is looking to cut back on costs and labor as profits fall for the tech giant. A report from Bloomberg says the company is planning to cut $2.9 billion in expenses and 10 percent of its non-technical workforce as international demand for the iPhone starts to slip.

The company is the largest assembler of the smartphone, and it’s uncertain how this might affect plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Wisconsin.

Senate passage problematic for Kimberly Clark package

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A Joint Finance Committee hearing at the Capitol could determine the future of hundreds of paper workers in the Fox Valley. A $70 million tax incentive package aims to keep Kimberly Clark’s Cold Spring plant open. “I’m asking that you folks send a message, don’t turn you backs on these jobs.” said Neenah Mayor and former Finance Committee co-chair Dean Kaufert.

The plant makes adult incontinence products and employs more than 400 people. Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Mark Hogan said those jobs can go elsewhere. “There are other states that are willing to provide incentives, and that’s the free market that we live,” Hogan said.

John Deitrich, vice president of global manufacturing for Kimberly-Clark, said a decision on closing the plant hinges on Senate passage of the package. “AB 963 came to us from the state, and it caused us to pause the public announcement we made, about closing the Neenah Cold Spring facility. And with the opportunity to arrive at a new collective bargaining agreement, that with AB 963 will keep Cold Spring open.”

Republicans will need some Democrats’ support for that to happen. “I am not convinced that this is the right thing for the state to do,” GOP state Senator Luther Olsen, a finance committee member, said during Wednesday’s hearing. There are also three Senate Republicans – Senators Stave Nass of Whitewater, Chris Kapenga of Delafield and David Craig of the Town of Vernon – who are on record as opposing the deal, which passed the Assembly earlier this year.

Public hearing scheduled on Kimberly-Clark tax break bill

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A public hearing has been scheduled at the Capitol this week, on a tax break bill for paper maker Kimberly-Clark. The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee will hold the hearing on Wednesday, although state Senate Democrats don’t appear to have the votes needed to pass the $100 million package. That would require some Democrats to vote for it, which appears unlikely. The state Assembly passed the measure earlier this year.

Kimberly-Clark has said without the tax breaks, the Cold Spring plant in Fox Crossing will close. About 500 people work there. State Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Dane County Democrat, said last week that he didn’t think Senate Democrats would vote for the bill.

 

Foxconn refutes ‘Wall Street Journal’ report it’s recruiting Chinese workers for Wisconsin plant

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The “Wall Street Journal” reports that Foxconn Technology Group is considering bringing workers from China, to staff its Wisconsin factory. The firm is refuting the claim.

The Journal ran the story Tuesday morning, and reported that Foxconn stated that its “commitment to Wisconsin is unchanged,” and that the Racine County complex will “ultimately” employ 13,000 people.


In response to the article, Foxconn released a further statement, categorically denying that it is recruiting Chinese personnel to staff the project.

Senate will attempt Kimberly-Clark plan passage in November

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Senator Fitzgerald

The Wisconsin Senate will make an attempt next month to pass a $100 million tax incentive package for Kimberly-Clark. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) has called an extraordinary session of the Senate, scheduled for November 12th, to discuss and vote on a package of deals for the paper making company.

It’s not clear at this time if Senate Republicans have enough votes to pass the package. Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) called the move a ploy, and said that if Fitzgerald were serious, the Senate would be holding the vote now, rather than after the election.

Governor Scott Walker is supportive “My message to Kimberly-Clark employees is simple: we are fighting for you,” Walker said in a tweet.

Kimberly-Clark announced in January that it intended to close two Fox Valley area plants, the Cold Spring manufacturing plant in Fox Crossing, with around 500 jobs, and the Neenah Nonwovens facility, with about 110 workers.

In February, the state Assembly passed an incentive package that would offer the company benefits similar to those used to attract Foxconn to the state in 2017. Proponents said that would help protect those 600 jobs and the others that depend on Kimberly-Clark’s presence in the region.

The plan passed the Assembly with a bipartisan vote of 56-37, but backers in the Senate have thus far been unable to muster needed support among majority Republicans.