1/25/2012 Statement on State of the State MADISON, WI – Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), the Senate Majority Leader, released the following statement today on Governor Walker’s State of the State address:
“Wisconsin has two different directions in front of us: progress or politics.
“Under the Democrats, Wisconsin was headed toward a cliff with bad budgets, bigger government and more debt. In just one year, Republicans fixed a $3 billion deficit, cut new debt in half, held the line on taxes and improved our business climate in nearly every ranking.
“On the other hand, the Democrats spent the last year protesting, recalling and playing politics with our business climate. They know that recalls are bad for Wisconsin, but they’re pushing them anyway. For the Democrats, the state of our state won’t ever be good enough unless they’re in the driver’s seat.
“But Wisconsin needs jobs, not politics.”
1/24/2012 Senate Passes Job Training Bill Bipartisan SB 335 establishes new Technical Education High School Diploma to support WI workforce: lack of skilled workers cited by employers as barrier to job creation.
Madison, WI… High schools in Wisconsin will have a new tool to prepare students for careers after graduation, thanks to a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate this afternoon. According to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), Senate Bill 335 passed on a bipartisan voice vote this afternoon, allowing schools to offer Technical Education High School Diplomas.
“The state can’t just snap its fingers and create jobs,” Fitzgerald said. “The reforms we’re passing today are going to mean good-paying jobs – and a stronger workforce – tomorrow. Real reforms like this are an important counterpoint to the culture of politics, recalls and uncertainty the Democrats are pushing on Wisconsin.”
Senate Bill 335 allows high schools to offer vocational classes and job training in the pursuit of a Technical Education High School Diploma, with more intense training and focus in a specific field instead of a one-size-fits-all education. Students must fulfill a vocational education program on top of the traditional course requirements to earn this diploma.
The lack of skilled workers has been cited as a top concern for employers, along with ongoing economic uncertainty and unnecessary political turmoil. A survey last year by ManpowerGroup found that a record 52 percent of U.S. employers have difficulty filling critical positions within their organizations -- up from 14 percent in 2010. Wisconsin is a traditionally manufacturing-heavy state, with 443,000 people currently working in the manufacturing sector. There are currently more than 30,000 job openings on JobCenterofWisconsin.com.
SB 335 passed the Senate on a bipartisan voice vote, and was authored by a Republican in the Senate (Van Wanggaard, R-Racine) and a Democrat in the Assembly.
“This bill wouldn’t have been possible without leadership from Sen. Wanggaard: he did an excellent job working with schools and job creators in his district to make this important reform happen.”
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1/23/2012 Progress or Press Conferences? Madison, WI… This morning, Senate Democrats staged a press conference to push recall-election politics instead of fighting to improve our state’s economy. Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), the Senate Majority Leader, responded with the following statement:
“This is a sad case of ‘do as I say, not as I do.’
“Let’s compare records on jobs. Let’s compare the Democrats’ complaint about 39,000 jobs and six months of job declines, to the 94,000 jobs that Wisconsin lost under their control in 2009, and the 14 straight months of job losses after they took over in 2008.
“Let’s compare our budget, which put our state in the best shape it’s been in more than a decade, to their runaway government spending and billion-dollar deficits.
“Let’s compare the best property tax picture in 15 years with the Democrats’ $15 billion in taxes on businesses and workers to pay for government-run healthcare.
“Let’s compare the Republicans’ two special sessions on jobs last year, including regulatory reform, tort reform, the WEDC and tax breaks for job creators, to the Democrats’ record of more government jobs than manufacturing jobs, and their $15 million agenda tacked onto the end of last session to save face.
“Republicans are in the middle of a fight to fix our economy, but the Democrats are pushing election-year recall politics instead. Wisconsin just gained 20,000 jobs this past year and our unemployment rate is finally back to the lowest it’s been since the month before they took full control in Madison and Washington.
“Unfortunately for the Democrats, actions speak a lot louder than press conferences.”
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