My first few months in office have been exciting and time consuming. I have had the opportunity to hear from many of you regarding various issues and I am always happy to hear your opinions on matters of concern to you. Since the last article I have been busy with the upcoming budget and have introduced several bills.

WISCONSIN INCOME EQUITY ACT:

The Wisconsin Income Equity Act (WIEA), Assembly Bill 161, has been introduced and a hearing was held. WIEA attempts to raise the wages of the average worker by placing limits on the amount corporations receive through executive salary tax exemptions. Simply stated, the Wisconsin Income Equity Act seeks to reduce the income gap by encouraging corporate responsibility. This bill would end our state's practice of subsidizing excessive executive pay.

Under current law, compensation paid to a company's officers and employees can be deducted from its income tax and this deduction for executive officers cannot exceed $1,000,000. The Wisconsin Income Equity Act changes the $1 million executive compensation deduction cap by further limiting the deduction to 25 times the company's lowest paid full-time employee. So, if the lowest paid employee makes $20,000, the corporation would be able to deduct $500,000 of executive income. Increases in corporate deductions are now tied to increases in the wage scale. This bill is not an attack on those at the top of the income ladder. Rather, it is our goal to lift up those at the lower end of the economic ladder.

This bill doesn't limit executive pay, and it doesn't tell companies how much to pay their employees. It will, however, send a strong message to a company that wants to receive tax deductions for executive pay . This bill aims to send a message about the values of Wisconsin government. Those who work on the factory floor are as important to the company as those who work in the corporate suite. This is a bipartisan bill that has over 15 Assembly sponsors, and has been debated for an hour on Tom Clark's Wisconsin Public Radio program. This is a solid bill that has statewide support.

CLOSE THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAS

I am also sponsoring a resolution urging Congress to close the School of Americas. The School of Americas is one of the bigger wastes of taxpayer dollars at the federal level. It is responsible for the training of foreign military officers associated with high profile massacres, killings, kidnappings and tortures in Central and South America. I have seen firsthand the effects of the bloodshed caused by those trained by the School of Americas in both El Salvador and Colombia on Sister City visits. The cost in human and financial terms is significant.

Many religious and human rights organizations support its closure. During the last congressional session, every single member of Wisconsin's delegation voted to close the School of Americas. With three new members of Congress from our state, we need to send a strong message from the people of Wisconsin and the legislature.

WISCONSIN PRISON CRISIS

I have also introduced three bills along with Senator Fred Risser (D-Madison), that deal with the prison overcrowding crisis in Wisconsin. One bill will require that a "prison impact assessment" be filed whenever bills include language to create a felony. The other two bills deal with repealing "Truth In Sentencing" (which eliminates parole) and ending the transfer of prisoners out-of-state. I will expand on these issues in my next article and have further details on the budget. As always, If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.

State Representative Mark Pocan


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