Post by Logan on Mar 14, 2017 13:07:59 GMT -6
Lawmakers reintroduce bipartisan bill to make WEDC fraud a felony
A bipartisan proposal making it a felony to defraud the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. was reintroduced Friday, almost two years after the Wisconsin State Journal reported on a failed $500,000 loan to a Milwaukee businessman who lied on his application.
The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem Lakes, and Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, would make defrauding the state’s flagship job-creation agency a Class E felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and five years of extended supervision and/or a $50,000 fine. Offenders and their companies would also be ineligible for WEDC benefits for seven years and could be liable for damages.
A similar bill passed the Assembly last session but never received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Commerce and Local Government. The previous chairman of that committee, former Sen. Rick Gudex, died last year. His successor, Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The previous bill faced opposition from the Wisconsin Economic Development Association, which warned the bill could have a chilling effect on legitimate businesses seeking financial aid but worried inaccurate projections about job creation would be punished.
Read more: host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/lawmakers-reintroduce-bipartisan-bill-to-make-wedc-fraud-a-felony/article_bc3a2c1b-4f75-5fee-81be-42365f8acac5.html
A bipartisan proposal making it a felony to defraud the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. was reintroduced Friday, almost two years after the Wisconsin State Journal reported on a failed $500,000 loan to a Milwaukee businessman who lied on his application.
The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem Lakes, and Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, would make defrauding the state’s flagship job-creation agency a Class E felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and five years of extended supervision and/or a $50,000 fine. Offenders and their companies would also be ineligible for WEDC benefits for seven years and could be liable for damages.
A similar bill passed the Assembly last session but never received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Commerce and Local Government. The previous chairman of that committee, former Sen. Rick Gudex, died last year. His successor, Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The previous bill faced opposition from the Wisconsin Economic Development Association, which warned the bill could have a chilling effect on legitimate businesses seeking financial aid but worried inaccurate projections about job creation would be punished.
Read more: host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/lawmakers-reintroduce-bipartisan-bill-to-make-wedc-fraud-a-felony/article_bc3a2c1b-4f75-5fee-81be-42365f8acac5.html