MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature’s finance committee has approved a host of changes to Gov. Scott Walker’s floundering job creation agency, including removing the governor as chairman, dramatically reducing its reserves and eliminating a proposed $55 million in grants to fund regional loans. The governor has called on legislators to reform the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s operations after years of problems at the agency. Issues have ranged from failing to track past-due loans to businesses to failing to demand proof beneficiaries have created any jobs. The committee voted 12-4 to insert the changes into the state budget on Thursday. All four Democrats on the committee voted against it, saying the changes don’t go far enough to rein in what they consider a rogue agency. Republican lawmakers on the Legislature’s finance committee sought Thursday to restructure Gov. Scott Walker’s struggling job creation agency, proposing to remove the governor as chairman, dramatically reduce the agency’s reserves and eliminate a program that would fund regional loans. The move immediately drew praise from the committee’s minority Democrats, who declared that the GOP wants to “fire” the governor from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. They demanded Republicans get even tougher on the agency. “WEDC was part of the governor’s promise to create jobs. That promise has clearly been broken,” said Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison. Republicans countered that Walker proposed removing all elected officials from the board in the state budget he introduced in February. They said he wants to depoliticize the agency and called on Democrats to dial back the rhetoric. “We share your major concerns about WEDC. There’s no question about that,” said Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, the panel’s co-chairwoman. “If we are just so negative about everything WEDC does, who’s going to want to deal with us as a state?”
