Reps in the News: Gov. Evers Targets Payroll Fraud

Governor Tony Evers

The Evers administration has set its sights on fighting payroll fraud in Wisconsin, which occurs when businesses pay workers in cash or classify employees as independent contractors as a way to avoid taxes and paying for employee benefits.

Surrounded by a number of union employees at an event in Madison on Monday, Gov. Evers signed an executive order creating a task force to study payroll fraud and worker misclassification.

The governor said he heard about the issue repeatedly on the campaign trail.

“It’s absolutely important we get this issue solved,” Evers said. “It’s wrong in a whole number of ways.”

According to the state Department of Workforce Development, audits uncovered 8,677 misclassified workers in Wisconsin last year. Those audits generated about $1.5 million in unemployment-insurance taxes and penalties.

Source: WPR

Congressman Mike Gallagher

Rep. Gallagher would like to see log trucks allowed on Wisconsin’s interstate highways. He says current, outdated rules push heavy log trucks onto state and county roads, creating a safety risk.

The Green Bay Republican is pushing the Safe Routes Act of 2019, a bill that would allow covered log trucks weighing up to 98,000 pounds on interstates.

He said trucks must now pull off some Wisconsin highways when they intersect with an interstate, putting heavy log trucks on backroads and through small, Wisconsin towns.

“Whether it be school zones, cross walks, intersections, things like that – in contrast to an interstate, which is just, after you have gotten onto an interstate, a straight shot – hopefully less congestion, less abrupt stopping,” he said. “A lot of the accidents that we’ve seen come from not being able to adjust your speed in time.”

Gallagher said the law aims to set national standards. Henry Schienebeck, executive director of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals, called the proposal “straightforward safety legislation.”

Source: WPR

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Baldwin, along with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), announced $21,199,755 in new grants for Wisconsin that will support AmeriCorps members serving the community with local organizations.

“Wisconsinites are committed to serving their communities more than ever, and hundreds of thousands of men and women have answered the call to service. And those who serve not only have the opportunity to make a difference, they develop valuable skills and find a passion for service that lasts a lifetime. These grants will help organizations continue to expand their reach to engage more people and bring communities together in our state,” Baldwin said.  

Through this competition, 18 successful grantees operating in Wisconsin will receive $12,726,099 in competitive funding from CNCS to support approximately 1,175 AmeriCorps members. CNCS will also provide an additional $5,864,596 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the Wisconsin AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of approximately $6,000 that they can use to pay for college or to pay off student loans.

Source: Baldwin press release

Senator Ron Johnson

In an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto on April 11, Sen. Johnson spoke about his concerns with loopholes that encourage illegal immigration and the crisis at the southern border.

“There absolutely is a humanitarian and national security crisis at the border. Back in 2014, President Obama declared a humanitarian crisis when 120,000 unaccompanied children and people came in illegally as family units. In just the first six months of this [fiscal] year, 240,000 have come. It’s overwhelming our system,” Johnson said.

“I have a great deal of confidence in the CBP Commissioner and now acting Homeland Security Secretary McAleenan. He’s choosing his team, and I think that’s probably appropriate. You still have seasoned managers in DHS. So I’m not panicked. I’m concerned because leadership matters, particularly when you’re in the midst of a crisis. But again, let me emphasize: the ball is in Congress’ court. The president can’t fix this without Congress changing some of these laws.”

Source: Johnson press release

President Donald Trump

House Democrats on Monday issued a subpoena to the German lender Deutsche Bank seeking information on President Donald Trump’s finances, a major escalation of their investigation into his business dealings.

In addition to the Deutsche Bank subpoena, House Democrats subpoenaed other banks – including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup – seeking information on Russian money laundering. The New York Times first reported on the issuance of the subpoenas.

The House Intelligence and Financial Services Committees, which authorized the subpoenas, were expected to issue additional subpoenas targeting Trump’s finances soon, Democratic aides said.

Democrats are ratcheting up their coordinated investigations into Trump’s business dealings as the Department of Justice prepares to release findings from special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe on Thursday.

Source: politico.com