Legislation clearing the way for a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn Technology Group will receive its second hearing Tuesday as the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee takes up the bill.
Gov. Scott Walker hold up a
memorandum of understanding
between the state and the company.
The committee plans to hold a public hearing at the SC Johnson iMET Center at 2320 Renaissance Blvd. in Sturtevant. Testimony will begin at 11 a.m.
JFC co-chairs Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) said Foxconn’s planned $10 billion investment is a potential game-changer for the state.
“Hearing directly from the people of the Racine and Kenosha area is crucial to the project and the Foxconn legislation,” Darling and Nygren said. “We look forward to the hearing.”
The Foxconn legislation received its first public hearing earlier this month at the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy. That committee eventually passed an amended version of the bill that included $20 million for workforce training and some language encouraging a preference for Wisconsin workers.
The full Assembly passed the bill Thursday, with three Democrats from the Racine and Kenosha area where the campus is likely to be located joining most Republicans in voting for it. The vote came after roughly seven hours of debate during which Democrats sought to have the bill sent to the Joint Finance Committee or have it amended to include stronger environmental, clawback and Wisconsin worker preference language.
After the vote, Gov. Scott Walker and Foxconn both issued statements praising the passage of the bill. Walker said the vote “was the next big step in bringing a high-tech eco-system to Wisconsin.”
“As the largest electronics manufacturer in the world, Foxconn Technology Group understands the value of strong partnerships and has committed to making Wisconsin a part of our family,” the company said in a statement. “Wisconsin lawmakers showed the same level of commitment, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to transform Wisconsin’s economy and make it a center of worldwide high-tech manufacturing.”
The announcement in late July that Foxconn would be building a campus in Wisconsin was met with a lot of optimism, but there was also some skepticism, which has grown as more details have come out. The latest BizTimes Milwaukee cover story explores the hype and the hope of the project.
