State Senator Drafts Bill To Make WEDC Crack Down On Companies That Outsource

A Democratic state senator says the state’s economic development arm needs to crack down on companies that move jobs out of state.

Sen. Dave Hansen started drafting the legislation after news outlets reported that the power systems company Eaton Corp. would be moving 93 jobs to Mexico after it received hundreds of thousands of dollars in state tax credits. The credits came from the semi-private Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

Hansen said Eaton isn’t the only company to have moved jobs. He said WEDC is an “epic failure.”

“If you don’t comply and keep those jobs here, then you’re not going to get any grant, any kind of payment for the next five years. So you’re going to pay the price for what I would say is fiscal misuse of state funds, our funds, our workers’ funds and sending our jobs away from the state,” said Hansen.

WEDC said it holds companies accountable and businesses must meet criteria for job retention.