Assembly to take up bill on WEDC contracts

Bill would ban employees from making contract deals for monetary gain

MADISON, Wis. — The state Assembly is set to take up a bill that would bar Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. employees from negotiating contracts they may have a financial stake in.

Rep. Jeff Stone’s bill would ban WEDC board members and employees with a monetary interest in a contract from participating in drawing up the deal or exercising any discretion in regard to the contract.

The Assembly is expected to vote on the bill Tuesday.

The measure comes after an audit revealed WEDC hasn’t followed state law, adequately tracked its loans and sometimes gave money to companies that didn’t qualify for tax breaks. The Legislature’s budget committee decided last week to block new WEDC funding until improvements are made and require WEDC workers to follow state ethics and financial interest disclosure laws.