Rep. Craig : $1 Billion Saved From Act 10 Has Made Government More Efficient

A state lawmaker David Craig (R-Vernon) is praising Gov. Scott Walker’s announcement that the state’s controversial budget repair law that significantly limited public unions in collective bargaining has reached $1 billion in savings.

After Walker appeared in Manitowoc Monday morning to make the announcement, State Rep. Craig released the following statement 

“Today Governor Scott Walker announced that Act 10 reforms have saved Wisconsin taxpayers over $1 billion.  Across the 83rd Assembly District, municipalities and school districts are savings millions of dollars because of the reforms the state legislature passed last year.

“Act 10 is working for Wisconsin and for the taxpayers of the 83rd  Assembly District. As an example of the success of these reforms, the Muskego-Norway School District taxpayers saved an estimated $2 million on health insurance coverage alone for district employees because the School Board was able to utilize the tools and flexibility given to local governments in Act 10.  Overall, the reforms have helped school districts in the 83rd Assembly District to realize an estimated $7 million-plus in savings.  Because of the taxpayer savings realized and the accountability and efficiency measures instituted by these reforms, I will continue to support this law going forward.”

“I ran for office in order to help restore fiscal responsibility, efficiency and accountability in state government. It is in the best interest of everyone in Wisconsin if state and local governments are held accountable to the people.  Act 10 gave local officials the tools they needed to institute reforms that make government more efficient and accountable and save taxpayers a billion dollars.”  

The $1 billion in tax savings was made in less than a year from when the law went into effect, according to a news release from Walker’s office.

"This is a great day for the hardworking people of this state who pay for the expenses of government," Walker said in the release.

Melissa Baldauff, research director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, responded to Walker’s announcement by saying Walker’s numbers do not add up.

“Like pretty much everything else Scott Walker says, this claim is a distortion of reality that is a blatant attempt to distract from Walker’s real record of failure and dishonesty,” Baldauff said in a memo to reporters.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who is one of four Democrats running in the gubernatorial recall primary, said:

"Gov. Walker is desperate to distract attention from the fact that under his failed leadership Wisconsin lost 4,300 private sector jobs last month, and lost more jobs than any state in the country last year. What Walker isn't telling the people is that he made the deepest cuts to education in Wisconsin history, our state lost nearly 1,500 teacher positions over the past year, and we still have a $140 million budget deficit even though Walker raised fees on the people of Wisconsin by $110 million. This isn't a record to brag about – it’s a record that causes failed governors to be tossed from office."