MADISON – Today Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) offered the Democratic Weekly Radio Address. The topic this week is what could be the Assembly’s final session week of the year, with legislative Republicans continuing to ignore Democratic proposals to grow the middle class and strengthen Wisconsin communities.

"Republican legislators are going out the way they came in – by selling out Wisconsin’s public interests to right-wing special interests," Rep. Barca said. "This latest legislative session will be remembered for how legislative Republicans went to great lengths to consolidate their own power and enrich their special-interest friends but couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing for our great state of Wisconsin."

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here.

A written transcript of the address is below:

As we convene for what could be the Assembly’s final session week of the year, Republican legislators are going out the way they came in – by selling out Wisconsin’s public interests to right-wing special interests.

Among these last-minute bills are Republican proposals that would further dry up drinking water, restrict access to precious forest lands, gut $7 million from our state’s energy efficiency program, provide huge special-interest tax breaks and take even more money away from our already-struggling public schools. They are even ramming through a vindictive political attack on a Democratic candidate for state Senate.

This legislative session can be characterized not only by the Republicans’ harmful agenda but also by their inaction on the issues that matter to the people of Wisconsin.

There has been no meaningful relief for the million Wisconsinites burdened by student loan debt. No help for our public schools. No efforts to grow middle-class wages. No action on job creation and economic development. And no long-term solution to our crumbling roads and bridges.

Democrats continue to demand action for the middle class and Wisconsin communities. We believe we need better roads, stronger schools, more economic opportunity and real relief for all student loan borrowers – but our proposals have fallen on deaf ears.

Instead this latest legislative session in Wisconsin will be remembered for how legislative Republicans went to great lengths to consolidate their own power and enrich their special-interest friends but couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing for our great state of Wisconsin.