Department of Workforce Development
Welcome back to another edition of the Sortwell Scoop, where we’ll be talking about a couple new budget highlights from the 6/29 session.
Continuing to strengthen our workforce was an important priority for Republicans in this budget. While our unemployment rate remains at historic lows, unfortunately, the participation rate is also persistently slowing down. With that in mind, our budget took initiative by making investments to support our current and future workforce.
Although the Governor recently vetoed a workforce package that focused on addressing Wisconsin’s labor shortage, Republicans pushed back by voting in favor of investing in programs that are aimed at getting people into key fields with high demand, such as youth apprenticeship and the career and technical education program.
Recently, Yellow Corp., a freight company that was once one of the U.S.’s largest transporters of goods and employed 30,000 workers, declared bankruptcy after 99 years. Our budget recognizes the strain that has been put on our economy lately due to restricted production and movement of goods, such as lower access to goods and increased costs, which is why we’ve created a program to support CDL training to encourage more individuals to join the field. As a CDL truck driver myself, I personally understand the need for this program and appreciate the opportunities it will create for our workforce.
With combined investments from other agencies, our workforce development budget will strengthen our workforce to help grow our economy, increase family-supporting jobs, and fuel the prosperity of our business community.
Shared Revenue
I have spoken in previous e-updates about the shared revenue bill; however, I feel as if it is an important enough topic to address again in relation to the budget.
The plan, now known as 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, provides a minimum increase of 20% for communities, along with tying state aid to the sales tax, meaning it will grow over time. And while there is a floor of 20%, some municipalities will see a much larger percentage, as we worked diligently to close the gap between the municipalities that have done well under the shared revenue formula and those that have not.
Our budget fulfills our promises and obligations under the Act, to ensure communities receive this funding that is critical to their ability to continue providing key services to their residents.
To listen to what I have to say about this issue, click here or on the photo above.
In-District Events
August 11th and 12th will be the Annual Rogers Street Days in Two Rivers (2102 Jackson St.). This event will start on the 11th at 5 p.m. and finish up on the 12th at 11 p.m. Enjoy this community celebration with food, music, and raffles!
Sunday, August 13th, will be the Pancake and Porkie Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Larrabee Sportsman’s Club (16306 Harpt Lake Rd., Mishicot).
The Brown County Fair will be August 16th through the 20th at the Brown County Fair Grounds. For more information, visit Brown County FairBrown County Fair Wisconsin.
August 19th will be Rock the Dock at Voyageur Park (100 William St., De Pere) from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a car and motorcycle show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Manitowoc County Fair will be August 23 through the 27th at the Manitowoc County Fair Grounds. For more information, visit Manitowoc County – Manitowoc County Fair – Manitowoc County (manitowoccountywi.gov).
