Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader and 9th District Senator Devin LeMahieu says he agrees with Governor Tony Evers that something needs to be done to fix the state’s workforce issues, but he doesn’t want to use money from the state’s budget surplus.
The Oostburg Republican says when Evers called a special meeting last week, the Assembly and Senate gaveled in and adjourned but does want to do something with the idea the governor presented them, but he wants to make several changes.
“Incentivize people to get off of unemployment insurance,” he explained. “Require them to go apply for jobs when they’re on unemployment. And try to provide, for people with lower incomes, some sort of tax help for child care and things like that.”
LeMahieu says Wisconsinites answered a referendum question during the last election asking if single adults on unemployment should go through job training with 80% saying yes.
Last week, Gov. Evers toured the Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA and said he’s ready to see what the Senate Leader has to offer.
Evers wants to use $365 million of the state’s 4 billion budget surplus and invest it in childcare and to keep the Child Care Counts and Partner Up! Programs around that started during the pandemic.
