APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – A previously stalled tax-break bill is back at the forefront of discussion after the mid-term elections.
The $100-million bill is intended to keep an Appleton-area plant of the Kimberly Clark Corporation from closing.
That bill passed through the State Assembly earlier this year, before eventually stalling in the Senate.
Democratic State Senator Dave Hansen doesn’t think it’s a wise move after the tax break package given to Foxconn.
“Who’s next and how much can we afford to give away?” asks Hansen. “After we gave away 3 billion to a foreign company, the biggest boondoggle in U.S. history in my opinion.”
Republican State Senator Roger Roth said if Democrats don’t support the bill, they’ll be blamed for losing the company and losing the jobs
“I think he’s being a little disingenuous,” says Hansen. “It’s not the first time, probably not the last time.”
For him, the bill isn’t a slam dunk.
“I have concerns,” explains Hansen. “Among them, the fact that they used the millions they got from the Trump tax cut and used it to close mills and fire workers.”
And Hansen says he’s received mutually concerned input from many people.
“We’ve gotten calls from people that say don’t support this because we’re being cut $14,000 to $20,000 a year,” he explains.
A public hearing will take place in the Legislature on Tuesday, but it’s uncertain if the Senate will vote on the bill.
Kimberly-Clark plans to close their Fox Crossings plant, which employs about 500 workers, if the bill doesn’t pass.
Following the mid-term election, there still isn’t enough Republican votes to pass the measure.
