Democrats Propose Jobs Bill that trains people for jobs.

Scott Walker's "Open for Business" policy has one big short coming; you can't just ask companies to plop their business here without the thought of a trained workforce. You can of course if you're Walker.

That's why the Democrats have a more sound alternative, and a requested sacrifice for our state's nearly 3,000 millionaires to help get people back to work. Think the elite rich will go for it, or feel penalized for their success? I think we know the answer.

According to Republicans, leading means making decisions no ones going to like. Well, Democrats can do that too, for our selfishly wealthy.

State Rep. Cory Mason and State Sen. Chris Larson introduced the Wisconsin Jobs Initiative … will provide job skills training and education to at least 35,000 Wisconsin workers through a significant investment in Wisconsin’s Technical College System (WTCS). The bill would replace the $34.2 million cut from the WTCS in the biennial budget. It also allocates $35.8 million in grants to provide skill training and education, assist dislocated workers, and expand capacity at technical colleges statewide. Preference for the grants will be given to areas of the state with high unemployment.

Rep. Mason said, “Wisconsin’s employers have joined the chorus of voices calling for a skilled workforce.” "Governor Walker's cuts to education forced Wisconsin's technical colleges to scale back important job training. As a result, companies like Caterpillar have family-supporting jobs available but lack the right skilled workers to fill them," said Sen. Larson.

"The bill proposes that this investment be paid for by the creation of a new top income tax rate for those tax filers whose annual incomes exceed $1 million. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates that there are approximately 2,900 Wisconsin tax filers who would be impacted by this change, which would generate at least $70 million in new revenue in its first year. 

Rep. Mason; “This bill asks Wisconsin’s wealthiest individuals to share a small amount of that sacrifice in order to train and educate at least 35,000 Wisconsin workers.”