In the first two weeks of Gov. Scott Walker's special session on job creation a range of legislation has been introduced that intends to give tax cuts to small businesses, offer tax credits for health care contributions and reduce business liability, all aimed at stimulating job growth.
Walker's tort reform bill aims to protect businesses from frivolous lawsuits, and is receiving support from the business community.
The National Federation of Independent Business lauded several components of the bill, including protecting small businesses from being penalized for selling faulty products and raising standards on what constitutes expert opinion in a court case.
However, the Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, which already has a contentious relationship with Walker due to the fight over state employee contracts at the end of 2010, said in a statement that it puts the welfare of workers and consumers at risk.
""This is not about job creation,"" said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary Treasurer of Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. ""This is an extreme shift in the balance of the law to dramatically favor corporate interest over ordinary people.""
Other legislation focuses on providing businesses and individuals with tax cuts and credits.
One bill would grant tax credits for contributions to health savings accounts, including those made by employers on behalf of an employee.
""Healthcare costs are a major concern for small businesses in Wisconsin,"" State Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills said in a statement. ""HSAs are a vital tool for controlling costs and allowing our entrepreneurs to grow the economy.""
However, Legislative Fiscal Bureau Director Bob Lang released a report claiming the HSA tax credits would cost the state more than $48 million over the next two years, a sum state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, called a ""give-away to insurance companies.""
Another bill would provide tax cuts to small businesses with a gross annual revenue of $500,000 or less a year. Lang's report said it would result in $79.2 million less in revenue for the state.
