Democratic Radio "Legislative Session Comes To an End - Winners and Losers" Print
Commentary
Written by Wisconsin Senate, Bridget Esser   
Thursday, 22 March 2018 09:37

walker-terry-gou-foxconnMADISON, WI – Senator Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) offered the weekly Democratic radio address Thursday.

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

A written transcript of the address is below:

janet-bewley“Hi, this is State Senator Janet Bewley. After weeks of public sparring, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Leader of the Senate agreed on a series of bills that will be taken up by both houses of the legislature in what is almost certainly the end of the 2017-18 legislative session.

“And who are the winners? Landlords, who got a bill that many believe tilts the playing field against tenants. Steel and iron manufacturers and processors, who got a bill they wanted that could end up increasing exposure to hazardous wastes. And advertising agencies who will expand an ad campaign marketing our state to millennials, an ad campaign that millennials in Chicago tell us is a waste of taxpayer money.

“And who lost? Hardworking taxpayers who were left behind when Republicans refused to take up the dark store bill to prevent what could be a 900 million dollar property tax shift onto the backs of homeowners. Rural Tavern League members who were promised some sort of protection from unlicensed competition, they lost. And local control, which used be one of the tenants of the Republican Party, took yet another hit. Republicans in charge of the legislature continued their assault on local control by preempting local ordinances regulating employment discrimination, wage claims and collections, hours and overtime, scheduling of work hours and employment benefits.”