% >> ALL RIGHT.
% THANK YOU.
% ENJOY YOUR DAY.
% >> AS REPUBLICANS PASS THE
% UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILLS ONE
% BY ONE, DEMOCRATS ASSAILED THEIR
% PASSAGE.%AMONG THEM, REPRESEN
TATIVE
% KATRINA SHANKLAND OF STEVENS
% POINT.%THANK YOU FOR BEING WI
TH US
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME
% >> SO WHAT ABOUT THE RESULTS OF
% THE STATEWIDE REFERENDUM THAT
% SHOWED THAT VOTERS
% OVERWHELMINGLY AGREED THAT
% ABLE-BODIED ADULTS SHOULD HAVE
% TO LOOK FOR WORK TO RECEIVE
% TAXPAYER FUNDED WELFARE BENEFITS
% AND HOW REPUBLICANS SAY THAT
% THIS SLATE OF BILLS COMPORTS
% WITH THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
% >> SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, EVERY
% SINGLE BILL THAT WE TOOK UP
% RELATED TO UNEMPLOYMENT
% INSURANCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
% WELFARE BENEFITS.
% UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS AN
% INSURANCE PROGRAM, JUST LIKE
% SOCIAL SECURITY.
% IN FACT, WISCONSIN WAS THE FIRST
% STATE IN THE NATION TO CREATE AN
% UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM,
% AND WHEN THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT
% PASSED ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL,
% UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WAS
% INCLUDED IN IT AND IT WAS
% MODELED AFTER WISCONSIN.
% SO THIS IS AN INSURANCE PROGRAM
% THAT YOU EARN BECAUSE YOU'VE
% WORKED AND IT IS DESIGNED
% SPECIFICALLY TO ENSURE THAT WHEN
% YOU LOSE A JOB THROUGH NO FAULT
% OF YOUR OWN, THAT THERE IS A
% SAFETY NET IN PLACE TO HELP YOU
% PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND FILL
% YOUR TANK TO GET TO THE NEXT JOB
% INTERVIEW SO YOU CAN FIND WORK
% >> SO UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS
% PAID FOR BY EMPLOYERS AND
% MAJORITY REPUBLICANS SAY THESE
% BILLS ARE NEEDED TO WEED OUT
% PEOPLE HANGING OUT ON
% UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AND NOT
% SHOWING UP FOR INTERVIEWS
% BECAUSE THIS COSTS EMPLOYERS
% TIME AND MONEY WHEN THESE FOLKS
% COULD BE WORKING, WHICH WOULD
% THEN EASE OUR WORKER SHORTAGE.
% YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
% >> SURE.
% SO I POINTED OUT IN COMMITTEE
% AND ON THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR DURING
% THIS DEBATE THAT GHOSTING IS A
% REAL SITUATION AND THERE'S
% ALREADY A REPORTING FORM ON THE
% DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE
% DEVELOPMENT'S WEBSITE FOR
% EMPLOYERS TO REPORT, BUT WHAT MY
% COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE AISLE
% INTENDED TO DO WITH THIS
% LEGISLATION IS ONE MISSED
% INTERVIEW, ONE CAR BREAKING
% DOWN, ONE LOSING YOUR CHILDCARE
% SLOT FOR THE DAY OR WEEK AND YOU
% WOULD LOSE UNEMPLOYMENT FOR THAT
% WEEK AS WELL AND UNEMPLOYMENT
% INSURANCE, WE HAVE ONE OF THE
% LOWEST RATES IN THE NATION.
% IT'S UP TO $370 COMPARED TO
% STATES AROUND US.
% THAT IS NOT MEANT TO SUPPLEMENT
% OR I SHOULD SAY SUPPLANT OR
% REPLACE AN INCOME.
% IT IS AN INCOME SUPPLEMENT
% DESIGNED TO HELP YOU PUT FOOD ON
% THE TABLE AND GAS IN THE TANK,
% BUT NOT MUCH MORE THAN THAT, TO
% BE FRANK, SO I THINK THE
% ARGUMENT NOT ONLY IS INCORRECT,
% BUT IT ALSO FAILS TO UNDERSTAND
% WHAT UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS
% USED FOR, AND TO BE FRANK, THE
% MAJORITY OF CLAIMS THAT ARE
% FILED ARE FILED IN THE WINTER
% WHEN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS,
% LANDSCAPERS, VERTICAL
% CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ARE ALL
% UNABLE TO DO THE WORK THAT IS
% NEEDED BECAUSE, IN FEBRUARY,
% MARCH, JANUARY, DECEMBER, THOSE
% HARSH WISCONSIN WINTERS, YOU
% CANNOT LAY ASPHALT OR CONCRETE
% BELOW 40° AND OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE
% NOT LANDSCAPING.
% SO MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES
% REALLY NEED TO LOOK INTO THE
% DATA.
% I POINTED OUT ON THE FLOOR THAT
% MANY WORKERS ARE UNABLE TO WORK
% BETWEEN I WOULD SAY THE MONTHS
% OF NOVEMBER AND MARCH WHEN IT
% COMES TO CONSTRUCTION AND
% VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION, AND THEY
% USE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
% DURING THAT TIME BECAUSE THEY'VE
% PUT IN 2,000 HOURS OF WORK IN
% SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS AND I FIND
% THE ATTACK ON BLUE-COLLAR
% WORKERS VERY DIFFICULT TO
% STOMACH WHEN MANY OF MY
% COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE AISLE
% RARELY IF EVER PUT IN 83 HOURS A
% WEEK ON AVERAGE LIKE THESE
% CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DO.
% SO I FOUND IT INTERESTING TO
% DISCOVER THAT THEY FAILED TO
% TAKE UP A VOTE ON ONE OF THE
% BILLS THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN UP
% TO THREE MONTHLIES OF
% UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AWAY FROM
% THESE HARD-WORKING MEN AND WOMEN
% ACROSS THE STATE AND I THINK
% IT'S BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID OF
% THE DEBATE AND AFRAID TO TALK
% ABOUT HOW THESE BILLS COULD
% REALLY HARM BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS
% >> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE OVERALL
% MESSAGE IS FROM THE REPUBLICAN
% PASSAGE OF THESE BILLS THIS
% WEEK?%WHAT IS THEIR MESSAGE?
% >> THEIR MESSAGE IS THAT PEOPLE
% IN WISCONSIN AREN'T WORKING AND
% THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.
% WE HAVE A 2.5% OR 2.7%
% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, DEPENDING ON
% THE LAST TWO MONTHS THAT YOU
% LOOK OF DATA, AND IT'S A
% HISTORIC RECORD.
% WE KNOW THAT AS PEOPLE ARE AGING
% OUT OF THE WORKFORCE, THERE ARE
% NOT ENOUGH NEW WORKERS TO
% REPLACE THEM, AND SO WHAT WE
% NEED TO DO FOR THOSE WHO ARE
% UNABLE TO WORK THE NUMBER OF
% HOURS THEY'D LIKE TO WORK OR
% UNABLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE,
% IS HELP THEM ACCESS CHILDCARE,
% BECAUSE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE
% BARRIER TO ENTRY RIGHT NOW.
% THERE ARE CHILDCARE WAIT LISTS
% ACROSS THE STATE.
% MANY RURAL AREAS ARE IN
% CHILDCARE DESERTS.
% SO WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO
% TACKLE CHARACTER.
% WE NEED TO -- CHILDCARE.
% WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
% HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSIT IF THEY
% DON'T HAVE A CAR.
% WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
% WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE WHERE
% THEY WORK HAVE ACCESS TO
% AFFORDABLE HOUSING SO THAT THEY
% DON'T HAVE TO RELY ON SOMEBODY
% ELSE TO HELP THEM GET TO WORK IF
% THEIR CAR BREAKS DOWN AND THEY
% CAN GET TO WORK IN THE CITY THAT
% THEY LIVE.
% AND SO THOSE THREE THINGS:
% AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PUBLIC
% TRANSIT AND TRANSPORTATION FOR
% WORK AS WELL AS CHILDCARE ACCESS
% AND AFFORDA AFFORDABILITY IS WHE
% BEEN FOCUSING ON.
% IT WAS OUR CORE MESSAGE ON THE
% ASSEMBLY FLOOR.
% WE MEAN IT WHEN WE SAY WE ARE
% EXTENDING A HAND.
% THERE ARE PLENTY OF INCREDIBLE
% PROPOSALS IN GOVERNOR TONY
% EVERS' BUDGET THAT WOULD INVEST
% IN WORK HOUSE FUNDING, TRANSIT,
% AND WE STAND READY AND WILLING
% TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS ACROSS
% THE AISLE TO ENACT GOVERNOR TONY
% EVERS' BUDGET.
% WE KNOW THE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
% IS REAL.
% LET'S HELP PEOPLE STAY WORKING,
% KEEP WORKING, AND GET INTO THE
% WORKFORCE IF THEY'RE NOT
% >> MEANWHILE, THESE BILLS ARE
% EXPECTED TO BE VETOED BY
% GOVERNOR EVERS, BUT