MADISON – During today’s Assembly floor session, State Representative Joan Fitzgerald (D-Fort Atkinson) spoke out against recently introduced Republican-authored legislation reforming unemployment insurance in Wisconsin. Rep. Fitzgerald sits on the Assembly Committee on Workforce Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment, which held a public hearing and an executive session this month to deliberate these bills.
Following the floor session, Rep. Fitzgerald released the following statement:
“The unemployment bills that were introduced today do absolutely nothing to support Wisconsin workers. By creating additional barriers to crucial assistance that workers require in an event as sensitive as being laid off, we are only making it harder for them to succeed. I am so frustrated that we spend countless hours rehashing bills from last session that are simply reintroduced with no improvements, no updates, and certainly no attempt at bipartisan support.
“There are so many things we could be doing to improve the lives of Wisconsinites. I am disgusted that the Workforce Development Committee isn’t working on bills that actually address workforce issues. If we were serious about addressing the workforce shortage in this state, we’d work to make education, housing, and childcare accessible and affordable for all working families.
“We have the opportunity this session to make tremendous strides in supporting and revitalizing our workforce. The so-called ‘reforms’ that these bills would make to unemployment insurance will only repress people’s ability to get back to work. I look forward to the introduction of legislation that will make real progress happen.”
