Wisconsin voters to weigh in on job search requirements for public assistance
Wisconsin voters will be asked to weigh in on whether childless, able-bodied adults should be required to search for work in order to receive public assistance.
The state Assembly voted 62-35 to place the question on the April 4 ballot as an advisory referendum — a vote that is informative as a measure of public opinion but is not legally binding. The Senate approved the measure on a 22-10 vote on Tuesday, with Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, joining Republicans to pass it. The ballot proposal, a joint resolution that requires passage by both chambers of the Legislature, does not require the governor’s approval.
The resolution — introduced by Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester — would place this question on the ballot: “Shall able-bodied, childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits?"
“As you look around the state of Wisconsin, we are facing a lot of challenges, but one of the ones that I hear especially from employers is we have a workforce crisis. If you go to any business in the state, they are looking for workers,” Vos told reporters during a news conference before the vote.
Vos noted that Wisconsin’s labor participation rate — 64.9% in the most recently available federal data — is lower than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://captimes.com/news/government/wisconsin-voters-to-weigh-in-on-job-search-requirements-for-public-assistance/article_ebb5280d-6ca5-580a-8055-071d2df30512.html