Gov. Scott Walker presented a message of moving forward and outlined priorities for Wisconsin in his State of the State address Tuesday.
After two years in office, Walker cited a lower unemployment rate as well as structural reforms that balanced state and local budgets as evidence Wisconsin is “heading in the right direction.”
“What we did was think more about the next generation than we did about the next election,” Walker said, “and it worked.”
He also outlined priorities for the coming year, with job creation topping the list.
Throughout the address, Walker told anecdotes of successful businesspersons and employees who were seated in the Assembly chamber galleries where Walker spoke, or occasionally welcomed onto the stage with the governor.
But the operating engineers and carpenters he introduced were among Wisconsin’s unemployed. Citing almost six thousand jobs that a successful mining bill could create, Walker said he supported legislation to make iron ore mining an easier process.
“If any state can move forward with a way to streamline the process for safe and environmentally sound mining, shouldn’t it be the badger state?” he said.
Walker added he would like to sign such a bill early this year, and state Sen. Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, announced a press conference Wednesday morning on mining in a press release.
Also during the address, Walker emphasized education reform, saying it is essential to creating skilled workers.
This included UW FlexOption, a flexible option degree program that, according to Walker, the state and the University of Wisconsin System have worked on to give adults a lower cost and more convenient option to earn a college degree.
“If we want to help employers grow here in Wisconsin, we must show them there is a steady supply of graduates with the skills needed to fill the jobs, not only of today, but of tomorrow,” Walker said.
However, Democrats responded after the speech with criticism of Walker’s results on his top priority, jobs.
Assembly Minority Leader Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said Wisconsin is lagging in job creation, with a national ranking he called “unacceptable.”
“I don’t think any Wisconsin citizen that’s used to seeing Wisconsin being at the top of the class…would be happy with this assessment,” Barca said.
