The legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JFC), which I co-chair with Rep. Mark Born, met on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 to continue our work for you. Every item on the agenda passed with unanimous, bipartisan support. Even though summer is in full swing, the legislature continues to work and move items through the legislative process.
JFC unanimously approved $20 million in Campus Community Transition Grants to support communities where a University of Wisconsin (UW) branch campus has been closed. This is a direct result of legislation I authored with Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Sen. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan), which will help counties plan and redevelop underutilized campus buildings in the event of a campus closure.
As a result of JFC action, Richland County is now eligible to apply for a $2 million Campus Community Transition grant to support redevelopment efforts at the UW-Platteville Richland campus. The money may be used for economic development, housing, infrastructure and any other redevelopment efforts the community pursues. I look forward to seeing the new ideas and initiatives that Richland County develops to use the property in innovative ways.
JFC also unanimously approved $7.5 million in matching funding for BioForward, Inc. to establish regional tech hubs across Wisconsin. On July 2, 2024, Wisconsin received a $49 million award from the federal government to support this important work. This funding will be used to accelerate product development in the area of personalized health data, expand mobile cancer screening, and increase apprenticeship programs and career pathways in the area of biohealth.
According to BioForward, this investment could create up to 30,000 jobs and contribute as much as $9 billion in regional gross domestic product (GDP) growth. You can learn more about the BioForward Technology Hub here: https://www.bioforward.org/wisconsin-biohealth-tech-hub/.
Our legislative work continues, even when the floor calendar ends. I am proud of our unanimous, bipartisan work to deliver results for the 17th Senate District and Wisconsin.
I hope this information is helpful as you prepare to cast your votes. As always, please do not hesitate to connect with me to provide input, ideas or to seek assistance. Send an email to sen.marklein@legis.
wisconsin.gov or call 608-266-0703. I want to hear from you.
— Sen. Howard Marklein represents Wisconsin’s 17th Senate District.
