Jobs and Workforce Development

Two committees I have the privilege of serving on met on June 2. 

The Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy held an informational hearing about Beyond Vision, an organization that provides skills training and employment for the blind.

Following the informational hearing, the Assembly Committee on Workforce Development held an executive session on two bills, both of which I cosponsored.  Assembly Bill 336 will restore unemployment benefits to pre-COVID levels by ending our state's participation in the federal supplementary programs, as about half the states have done so far.  Both as a state representative and as the Barron County economic development director, I have heard from many employers saying they have hundreds of openings, but no one is willing to apply.  The jobs are out there, but it's at least in part a matter of making sure that unemployment benefits don't provide a disincentive to work.

The second bill, Assembly Bill 220, is a bipartisan proposal that will require schools to include the Department of Workforce Development's Youth Apprenticeship Program on the list of education options that schools provide with the school report card.  The YA program is a great way to introduce students to good-paying trades, and AB 220 will hopefully put the program on more students' and parents' radars.

The Assembly will meet June 9 to take up several bills, including AB 366 - and also Assembly Bill 293, which would make Wisconsin a Second Amendment "sanctuary state".

Budget Update

Speaking of the Department of Workforce Development, DWD was one of several agencies the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee took up as it continued its work on the 2021-2023 state budget on June 2.

The DWD omnibus motion increased Wisconsin's investment in the Youth Apprenticeship and Vocational Rehabilitation programs and expanded eligibility for the Hire Heroes veterans program.  The motion also requires DWD to study potential reforms to the unemployment insurance program that would create incentives to work, including a sliding scale under which the number of weeks a claimant could receive benefits would depend on the unemployment rate.  DWD would also be required to implement the UI drug testing program that is currently on the books but which has been unenforced in recent years.

The Finance Committee also approved motions for the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection; the Department of Natural Resources (including the Environmental Improvement Fund); and the Department of Safety and Professional Services.  The committee will take up additional portions of the DATCP and DNR budgets at a later date.  You may view all the approved motions so far here.

The Finance Committee will next meet on June 8, when it will take up the Department of Transportation and the state building program.  The budget papers for the upcoming meeting (as well as past meetings) are available on the Legislative Fiscal Bureau's website.  Budget papers and motions often refer to the LFB's summary of the Governor's budget recommendations.
Legislative Website

If you are interested in learning more about bills that I have authored, co-sponsored, or voted on, please click here.  This link will take you directly to my Wisconsin State Legislative page.  Also, if you are interested in viewing my office website, click here.
 If you have any comments regarding the subject of this E-Update, please feel free to contact me.   


Rep. Dave Armstrong
State Capitol, Room 409 North
PO Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708
Toll-Free (888) 534-0075 or (608) 266-2519
Rep.Armstrong@legis.wi.gov | |