Panel to Discuss Wisconsin's Workforce

Author: Tim Muma

Published Date: 12/13/2023

State Leaders Speak on Legislation Impacting Wisconsin Workforce and DACA Recipients

State Rep. John Macco (R), who introduced three new DACA-related bills, will be joined at Carroll University by several panelists, including Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D), who has also been a strong proponent of the legislation. Bipartisan support for the bills comes as both sides recognize the enormous positive impact they could have on Wisconsin’s workforce.

Carroll President Cindy Gnadinger will open the event with a welcome to everyone in attendance, expressing her gratitude for the opportunity Carroll has to connect the community on critical social subjects.

“As an educational institution, we serve to educate and inform our students and the general public on topics that impact all of us,” said President Gnadinger. “Our goal is to share essential information that some people might not have, learn why our bipartisan state representatives created this bill and let them share more details or answer questions.”

Republicans and Democrats worked collaboratively on these bills to support Wisconsin’s businesses and state DACA recipients as they seek employment. One of the bills focuses on allowing DACA members to secure professional licenses to work in many fields in Wisconsin, such as nursing and teaching. Macco released the following statement leading up to the bill’s introduction.

“At the same time that Wisconsin is facing a critical workforce shortage, there are thousands of high-quality individuals who are prevented from entering high-need industries because of our state’s laws,” said Rep. Macco. “DACA recipients are a finite group of driven, highly-vetted individuals. I would immediately hire any DACA individual to any of my companies. We should be doing everything we can to enable local DACA recipients to work and encourage DACA recipients nationwide to bring their talents to our state.”

Lawmakers, business leaders and various groups in Wisconsin have come together on this topic, concerned that high-quality future employees will acquire jobs in other states. The entirety of the legislation addresses tuition exemption, nonrefundable tax credits and the acquisition of professional and commercial licenses for employment. The inability to receive a license to work in Wisconsin means DACA recipients will likely look to Illinois and Indiana as their first options.

The discussion, “New Legislation to Impact the Wisconsin Workforce Gap,” is open to the public, free to attend and will be livestreamed through this link for those who cannot attend. If you have any questions or would like an opportunity to interview someone from the event, please reach out to the contact information below to set up a time.

Join this event virtually by clicking the livestream link.