May 13, 2010
Loan Fund to Create Jobs
Madison – Gov. Jim Doyle today signed into law Senate Bill 651, which creates a so-called "Green to Gold" revolving loan fund. The $100 million in state and federal funds will be available at low interest to Wisconsin industries wishing to lower their energy costs, make "green" products and create and retain jobs. “My top priority has been and will continue to be helping businesses create jobs and giving our workers the opportunities to get those jobs,” Doyle said at the UW-Milwaukee bill signing. The bill, written by Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, and Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, authorizes the Department of Commerce to make loans to manufacturing businesses to adopt energy efficiency measures, retool to manufacture green products, expand or establish domestic clean energy manufacturing, and create or retain jobs in this sector. Mason said, “This is a huge win for Wisconsin’s struggling manufacturers, for workers, and for the environment. The Green to Gold fund is a smart use of existing resources, and will leverage our state’s manufacturing base and high-skilled workforce to put people back to work, creating clean energy products.” Mason said he'd heard from manufacturers around the state that they wanted to make their facilities more energy efficient, "but funds are scarce, and it’s hard to get financing these days. The Green to Gold fund addresses this need." - From the Racine Post.
April 29th, 2010
The Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association has named State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, its Legislator of the Year. Mason was selected "for his consistently strong support for Gateway Technical College, for all technical colleges statewide, and for the more than 400,000 students enrolling in the colleges each year." “Cory Mason understands the central role technical colleges play in the state’s economic recovery and prosperity,” said Paul Gabriel, the association’s executive director. “Rep. Mason has worked tirelessly to create new pathways to prosperity through technical colleges for his constituents and for all Wisconsinites.” During the legislative session Mason supported new investment in job training at the colleges and increased student financial aid. "He supported budget provisions and led the effort on other bills assisting the colleges and students at a critical time when Wisconsin experienced a boom in both unemployment rates and in technical college enrollment," the association said. Last June, during Gateway Technical College's budget deliberations, Mason urged the board to increase the college's tax levy, to produce enough new money for hundreds of more students to attend. The board did not take his advice. Gateway President Bryan Albrecht said of Mason: "He believes that colleges like Gateway are a critical resource to developing the technical skills needed to compete in today's workforce.” The award will be presented at the association’s spring meeting on Friday, April 30, in Racine. The district boards association is comprised of the local governing board members of Wisconsin’s 16 technical college districts.
Creates Revolving Loan Fund to Create Jobs, Grow Green Economy
Madison – A bill to create a $100 million revolving loan fund that will enable Wisconsin industries to achieve energy efficiency, use renewable energy, and make products that support a green economy was introduced today by Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) and Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point). The bill’s sponsors say the initiative, dubbed the Green to Gold Fund, will create jobs and help the state’s economy recover more quickly. Wisconsin Department of Commerce Secretary Richard Leinenkugel joined the lawmakers at the State Capitol today to announce the initiative, which was originally proposed by Governor Doyle in his 2010 State of the State Address.
“Companies want to upgrade for energy efficiency and create new products and services to meet the growing demand for green energy technologies, but they’re having trouble finding the capital to invest in the upgrades and improvements they need,” said Sen. Lassa, who is chair of the Senate Economic Development Committee. “The Green to Gold Fund will help position Wisconsin for a stronger, more robust economic recovery, create good new jobs, and continue Wisconsin’s emergence as a leader in the green energy economy.”
Representative Cory Mason, a member of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, said, “The Green to Gold Fund allows Wisconsin’s manufacturers to compete in the global economy by helping them reduce their energy costs, and put people back to work in the process. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.” The bill authorizes the Department of Commerce to make loans to manufacturing businesses to adopt energy efficiency measures, retool to manufacture green products, expand or establish domestic clean energy manufacturing, and create or retain jobs in this sector. Commerce will use existing state resources and federal dollars to create the fund.
“The Green to Gold fund will assist companies as they implement energy efficiency or renewable energy measures in their facilities to enhance their competitiveness and create or retain jobs, retool their existing facilities to manufacture products that support the green economy, and expand or establish domestic clean energy manufacturing operations," said Department of Commerce Secretary Richard J. Leinenkugel.
As the holiday shopping season gets under way, state Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) has introduced legislation to give consumers information about chemicals in children's toys. Dubbed the "Toxic Toys" bill, it is being circulated for legislative co-sponsorship and is expected to be formally introduced in December. "Like all parents, I want to ensure that the toys I buy for my young daughter are safe and won't harm her," Mason stated in a news release issued Wednesday. His daughter Eleanor will turn 1 in December. According to the release, the bill would:
-- Require the state's consumer watchdog agency, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, to identify chemicals that are capable of causing harm to children, based on credible scientific evidence.
-- Require manufacturers and distributors of products containing those chemicals to provide information to the agency about those products.
-- Require the agency to identify safer alternatives and then require manufacturers and distributors to use them to replace problematic chemicals within a "reasonable amount of time," Mason stated.
-- Requires the agency to develop a program to educate consumers and retailers so they can identify children's products that may contain harmful chemicals. "One of the best ways to keep our children safe is to be knowledgeable about the chemicals which may be in their toys," Mason stated.
In celebration of the City of Racine's demisemiseptcentennial, state legislators will retire this morning to the Assembly Parlor to partake of the Danish pastry kringle, following the reading of a resolution honoring the city and its populace at this momentous occasion.
Wait. What? Racine turns 175 this month. To recognize that milestone, Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, is bringing kringle to the Capitol. He will share it with fellow legislators after the ceremonial reading of a resolution about Racine and its 175 years. A few weeks ago, Mason asked constituents about what they thought should be in a resolution honoring the city.
"This is a nice, democratic way to recognize the city," he said. They suggested things like North Beach, the city's abolition tradition and Racine's industrial heritage. They're also the ones who suggested recognizing what Racinians call a water fountain, in item No. 29 of 38: "Whereas, the people of the Racine Community have the good sense to refer to a water fountain as a Bubbler." Not everyone was in the celebratory spirit, he acknowledged. "There were two snarky comments," Mason said. "The rest were really people saying what about this? What about the DeKoven Center? There was really a great range of suggestions."
Today, in honor of the city and those suggestions (and, perhaps, in a bit of celebration of the last session day for the year), Mason plans to bring some kringle with him. He is expected to pick the kringle up on his way in to Madison this morning, but declined to say exactly where it will come from: "Say it's from a variety of bakeries in Racine that make kringle. It will be a good representation of the Danish kringle tradition." Mason intends to bring a mix of pastry, from what he calls the "three kringle food groups: the fruit, the cheeses, the nuts." And, in case you're wondering, Mason's picking up the tab. "This is on my own dime," he said. "There's no line item in the Mason budget for kringle."
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
By Andrew Beckett (WRN.com)
Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine)A proposal at the Capitol would restore the civil rights of state and UW employees. U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the last decade have resulted in nearly 60,000 state employees being denied key civil rights protections, according to state Representative Cory Mason (D-Racine). He says those decisions have impacted the rights of workers to sue the state under the Family Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Age Discrimination Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mason is introducing legislation requiring the state to waive its immunity to those laws. As a major employer, he says the state should not tolerate people being denied the right to protect themselves from discrimination or wrongful termination from a job. The exemption from federal law does not apply to local government employees, only those directly employed by the state. Mason says it's unfair to prevent those workers from suing the state, if they feel federal laws have been violated. A similar proposal failed to pass during the last legislative session.
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