State Government and Political Roundup: Legislative leaders lukewarm to Walker's idea of giving grants to new businesses

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MADISON -- Governor Scott Walker’s idea to give millions-of-dollars in grants and state tax breaks to new-and-expanding businesses got a cautious reception from legislative leaders.

State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington) said the Republican majority would probably support more tax credits for programs that achieve their job creation goals. But in general, Vos said he’s more interested in simplifying state taxes rather than expanding programs. Walker said yesterday he would put a number of new business tax breaks in his proposed state budget. They include an extra $75-million to replenish a fund for business investment credits that would run dry in a couple months. There’s also an extra $11-million to help market Wisconsin to new businesses – plus matching funds for mentoring and business networking programs, and a half-million to help veterans start their own businesses. Walker also wants to provide venture capital to high-tech start-up firms – but he has not decided whether to make it part of the budget, or create separate legislation that would get more scrutiny from lawmakers and taxpayers. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) said he supports venture capital, but he said it should be a separate bill. And he said the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation should not control the venture capital fund, given its past failures to keep track of business loans that became overdue. Barca is a member of the WEDC Board, and he said that group is quote, “on probation.”

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Justice Pat Roggensack says any talk of incivility on the State Supreme Court is quote, “gossip at its worst.” And if were true that justices are constantly yelling at each other, she said she never would have sought another 10-year term. Roggensack gave her most impassioned defense of the state’s highest court at a candidate forum in Milwaukee yesterday, put on by the Milwaukee Bar Association. Her opponents in the February 19th primary – Ed Fallone and Vince Megna – questioned Roggensack’s presence on what they called a dysfunctional court in the wake of Justice David Prosser’s reported choke-hold on fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in 2011. Fallone, a Marquette law professor, said he’s seen the justices personally sniping in their legal opinions and quote, “This dysfunction has had an effect on the quality of their work.” Both challengers also criticized Roggensack for withdrawing from a possible ruling on an ethics violation against Prosser. But Roggensack said she had no choice, saying she was a direct witness to the incident. The court’s other conservative justices also withdrew, and not enough justices are left to rule. Fallone said there are other procedures in which the court could sit in judgment of Prosser. He also said justices should explain why they withdraw from cases – but both Roggensack and Megna disagreed. Megna, a liberal Milwaukee attorney, criticized the court’s conservative majority. He said it’s quote, “inappropriate and causing significant problems in the state.” Yesterday’s forum was the only one scheduled before the primary.

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