Madison – Representative Chanz Green (R-Grand View) issued the following statement after Assembly Bill 550, which updates the current technical education equipment grant program, was signed into law by Governor Evers:
“This bill being signed into law earlier today is a huge win for our school districts across Wisconsin. Manufacturing continues to be a major economic driver of Wisconsin’s economy. In our state, manufacturing supports nearly 500,000 jobs across 92,000 companies and generates an annual economic output of over $68 billion.
It was time to modify this grant program and adjust it to meet what Wisconsin needs today. It is necessary that we keep working to ensure that our students are exposed to this crucial industry in our state.”
AB 550 does the following:
- First, it allows grant money to also be used for the enhancement or improvement of a technical education facility and for the acquisition of equipment that is used in construction fields in the workplace.
- Second, the bill promotes the formation of consortiums, or teams of schools, to submit equipment requests in order to pool their resources and serve more students.
- Third, it raises the maximum grant award amount from $50,000 to $100,000.
- Fourth, it requires DWD to award at least one-third of the grant money to applicants that are either school districts in which they are eligible for sparsity aid or consortia that include one such school district.
- Lastly, the existing 200% match requirement is being reduced to 100% if the matching funds come from a private business and not from the government.
Constituents can contact our office by emailing Rep.Green@legis.wisconsin.gov or by calling (608) 237-9174. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns.
Representative Chanz Green represents the 74th Assembly District, which covers all of Ashland, Bayfield, Iron, and Price counties and includes parts of Douglas and Sawyer counties.
Last Update: Mar 21, 2024 3:26 pm CDT
