MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Assembly is scheduled to pass a package of Republican-authored bills designed to force more people into the workforce by tightening eligibility for unemployment benefits and Medicaid coverage.
The bills up for a vote Thursday are expected to be taken up in the Senate before the session ends next month. They are almost certainly headed for vetoes by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers should they pass the full Legislature.
Still, the proposals give Republicans a platform to discuss the state’s worker shortage problem while making the case that part of what’s fueling it are public benefits that are too generous. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate hit a record low of 2.8% in December.
