Wisconsin Jobs First

Wisconsin has a problem; too many hard working residents looking for work. I have a solution that I want to take to Madison to bring jobs back to our area. Below is my plan to bring jobs back to Wisconsin.

We need a new direction in Madison. Jobless rates in Janesville, Beloit, and around the Rock County/Whitewater are nearing great depression levels. The focus for any public servant should be employment. Our representatives in Madison aren’t getting the job done.

This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. I am running for Senate to work everyone to bring jobs back. I look forward to working with Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. We need to have a primary focus of retaining and attracting jobs in the Rock County and Whitewater area. We must find common ground in adding and retaining jobs in Wisconsin.

I also want to hear from you on what our state government can do to bring jobs back. I can be contacted at rick@voterickrichard.com or 608-322-9975 or just show up to one of my listening sessions that I hold regularly.

I own a small business. I have created private sector jobs, and I have a plan to bring private sector jobs back to our area. As a small business owner, I have a different attitude towards job providers than our current area politicians. Here are some of my areas of focus for growing employment in our district.

#1 Jobs Retention

The non-profit, non-partisan Tax Foundation ranks Wisconsin 42nd in its 2010 State Business Tax Climate Index. ¹
Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance released figures showing the state’s income tax claimed 3.3% of workers’ wages in 2007, ranking WI 10th highest in the nation. ²

Higher taxes here mean fewer jobs, and more incentive for our family and friends to move from Wisconsin to a more tax friendly state. More people are leaving the state to save money and find jobs. What can we do to stop this?

Freeze tax rates, including income tax, property tax, sales tax, and taxes on job providers.
I pledge to vote NO on further tax increases.
Madison politicians added taxes and discouraged job growth in the last state budget. I want to sunset the new multi-state tax, and the new tax on investment and savings after the 2009-11 budget, in my first year in office. Only 15 states mandate the multi-state state tax, aka, combined reporting. The last state to mandate it was Florida, 17 years ago. Since then Florida repealed it, because of its' negative impact on the jobs climate. Wisconsin just added it! What were they thinking in Madison? We need jobs, not taxes.

1 http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22658.html
2 http://www.wistax.org/news_releases/2009/0906_07Income.html

#2 Jobs Climate

Wisconsin ranks 49th in the Forbes 2009 Best States for Business. ³
Wisconsin ranks 43rd in the 2009 Chief Executive Magazine’s survey of “best and worst states for business. ⁴

We must eliminate government regulations that put our businesses at a competitive disadvantage and we must stop punishing successful companies that create good jobs. We need to move our state from the bottom half and take Wisconsin to the top half of jobs friendly states again.

Keep Wisconsin in line with federal regulations. Stop unnecessary state regulations. When Madison creates new regulations above and beyond regulations already in place by federal government, it makes Wisconsin an island, a place employers looking to locate don't want to consider. Instead we need to make Wisconsin the first place employers look to bring jobs.
Freeze on new regulations. While our state is losing jobs at this rate, Madison should not be looking for new regulations to place on businesses, resulting in substantial financial impact.
Make the state government smarter. We should expedite the permitting process so business can open quickly in our state. This means, we need to create timeliness standards for state agencies in processing new business permits. We can streamline the process with the use of internet and other technologies.

3 http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/best-states-for-business-beltway-best-states_table.html
4 http://www.chiefexecutive.net/media/usbestandworststates/2009/

#3 Jobs Test for Proposed Laws

Wisconsin cannot keep passing laws that unintentionally hurt jobs. As a co-owner, with my wife, of a small employee staffing company, jobs are my business. And, my guiding principle for ensuring job growth in Wisconsin is a new law jobs test.

Jobs Test: All New laws that are introduced should be reviewed to determine the effect the new proposal will have on job creation. Will a proposed bill add or retain jobs AND protect taxpayers?

In others words, Madison should look at proposed legislation through the filter of creating, attracting, or retaining jobs for Wisconsin without raising tax rates or creating new taxes and fees on our citizens.

#4 Jobs Recruiting Tools

Heavy state regulation has reduced the power of local municipalities to attract job providers.

Cities and towns are left with very few employer recruiting tools, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plans are one. We need to release some of the regulatory obstacles to allow local economic teams to attract small and large employers.

Make TIF plans more flexible to suit local government needs, recruiting more jobs.

Allow tax credits to be portable in Wisconsin, as they are in our neighboring states.

Encourage public private partnerships in local economic teams to actively recruit employers looking to locate.

#5 Governor’s Employer Recruiting Fund

Our next governor needs the tools to bring employers to the state. A tool a governor that is focused on job creation needs; a job provider recruiting fund.

I will support a "deal closing" fund for the governor to use in final negotiations for new employers considering locating to Wisconsin.

#6 Infrastructure: I39/90 Expansion to six or eight lanes

The 60 mile stretch of I39/90 between Beloit and Madison is a bottleneck to our economic growth. South of Beloit, Illinois is finishing their interstate expansion. That leaves the 60 mile stretch of I39/90, a 60 year old highway and traffic bottleneck in our area. We need to remove this bottleneck to jobs in the Rock County and Whitewater areas.

I will take an active role in moving the beginning of construction and expansion to 2011 from its’ current date of 2017.
I will not support the raiding of our state transportation fund while in office. The state gas tax should be used to improve our transportation infrastructure, not as a means to fund Madison politicians’ pet projects. The state gas tax should cover this type of construction in our district, which will create and retain hundreds of jobs, both directly and indirectly.