Walker Calls On Both Parties To Keep Fox Valley Kimberly-Clark Plant Open

Gov. Scott Walker said he is confident the state Legislature will pass an $100 million incentives package to keep consumer products company Kimberly-Clark Corp. in the Fox Valley. The Legislature announced Tuesday, it will take up the issue during a November extraordinary session, held just after the mid-term elections.

At a Fox Valley campaign stop on Thursday, Walker told reporters any deal made during November’s extraordinary session will require votes from both parties.

“It has to be bipartisan. That is why it was important to get it past the election,” Walker said. “None of the Senate Democrats were willing to go on the record before the election. So we just think it’s critically important when you look at these jobs.”

The $100 million tax incentives package is contingent on Kimberly-Clark keeping the Neenah Cold Spring Facility in Fox Crossing — which employs 500 people — open. The deal includes capital expenditure credits and payroll tax credits.

But it is unclear if Walker has enough votes in the Senate to approve the deal as three Senate Republicans have said they will not support the bill. Republican senators against the bill include Sen. Chris Kapenga, R – Delafield, Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, and most recently Sen. David Craig, R-Town of Vernon, who said on Wednesday that “if brought to a vote, I would not support the proposed Kimberly-Clark tax incentive legislation.”

Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling also criticized the package, writing in a statement Wednesday that Kimberly-Clark has laid off “thousands” of workers and has forced concessions on those who remain.

“Workers in the Fox Valley and across Wisconsin have suffered as a result of Republican tax giveaways, both at the state and federal level, which have unfairly benefited large corporations and the wealthy. Having already canceled a previously scheduled vote on the Kimberly-Clark Tax Break Bill, Senate President Roth and Majority Leader Fitzgerald are once again leaving workers in the lurch with no guarantee that a vote will ever be held on this bill. As Democrats look to protect local jobs and prevent further outsourcing, we are committed to commonsense solutions that restore tax fairness, expand worker opportunities and create a level economic playing field for all Wisconsin businesses,” Shilling wrote.

Earlier this year, before an incentives package was floated, Kimberly-Clark announced plans to shift production to Arkansas.

On Thursday, Walker stood by the incentives, saying they are “critically important to keep these good paying jobs, to keep this investment,” Walker said. “We think, unlike other employers, Kimberly-Clark, both for the types of jobs and even for the tradition, Kimberly-Clark is quite literally part of this community.”