Wisconsin’s workers are the backbone of our economy — and it’s because of folks like them that Wisconsin is stronger than ever before. I’ve always believed that workers deserve to have a seat at the table, and when they do, everyone is better off because of it.
I visited a training center recently that has eight classrooms and four training bays for hands-on learning — and it trains nearly 2,000 men and women annually on skills like concrete, demolition, welding, and much more. That’s an incredible opportunity and we need to make sure every kid knows about programs like this when they’re growing up.
College is not always the best option for every kid. Programs like this – and others across Wisconsin – can prepare students for the jobs we need to fill today. That’s why we’ve signed legislation to raise awareness, especially among parents, about apprenticeship and job training programs. Because every student should have the information they need to make the best decision about their future.
Wisconsin is at its best when we connect the dots. Whether it’s a training facility like this, strong public education systems, quality healthcare, good infrastructure, broadband, new energy projects– we need all of these pieces to move our state in the right direction.
And I’m proud of what we’ve already accomplished. During my first term, I worked with both parties to fund our K-12, technical college and university systems at historic levels. This prepares our future workforce.
We’ve worked to fix our roads – with more than 1,700 miles of highway and nearly 1,300 bridges already repaired. This creates good paying jobs.
We’re on the way to connecting 300,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet access, creating good paying jobs.
Our Clean Energy Plan highlights how renewable energy helps us protect our infrastructure, and it creates good paying jobs – 250-350 Wisconsin jobs at the Grant County solar project.
Our last budget not only invested in our roads and bridges, it also invested in making our state and university buildings more resilient and efficient. This creates good paying jobs.
We’ve also invested in our main streets, helping over 4,200 small businesses open their doors or expand. Main streets are booming and creating new economic opportunities in communities all across our state.
And we’re also helping working families get ahead. With rising prices, we’re making sure folks get to keep more of their paycheck. We’ve passed a bipartisan income tax cut, giving 86% of Wisconsinites a 15% income tax cut or more.
But our work isn’t finished — and that’s why I’m running for re-election: to continue doing the right thing for Wisconsin. Whether it’s filling job openings, addressing rising costs, or continuing to improve education quality, I know that we can make even more progress together.
Folks, these are common sense solutions that help our state and prepare for the future.
Rather than focusing on what divides us, I’m focused on doing the right thing for our state by creating more opportunities for folks to succeed which includes supporting workers. It’s an honor to be fighting with you for a strong future for Wisconsin.