CONTACT: Eric Bott, EBott@afphq.org

Walker pledges to veto shady PFA power grab targeted by AFP activists

Budget deal protects taxpayers while reforming state government

MADISON, WI – Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin is praising an 11th hour deal struck between Governor Scott Walker and conservative Senators Steve Nass, Duey Stroebel, and Chris Kapenga to significantly improve the state budget to protect taxpayers and reform state government.

According to AFP-WI State Director Eric Bott, the deal advances several key priorities for the free-market activist group including stopping a suspicious provision to give vast new powers to Wisconsin Public Finance Authority (PFA) shepherded through the Assembly by Speaker Robin Vos. The PFA provision was exposed earlier this week by AFP-WI and targeted by its base of over 130,000 activists in a grassroots blitz and aggressive digital ad campaign under the Twitter hashtag “#VetoPFA.”

Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin State Director Eric Bott made the following statement on the PFA veto:

“AFP-WI put everything we had into killing this scheme because it smacked of cronyism, threatened the property rights of Wisconsin citizens, and used public resources in Wisconsin for private investment gains in other states like California. Our activists worked around the clock to urge Governor Walker to #VetoPFA and we are pleased that it met a richly-deserved demise this evening. Though we killed the PFA deal in this budget, we will not rest until the larger PFA scam has been exposed and sent to the ash heap of Wisconsin history where it belongs.”

AFP is commending several other components of the Walker-Senate deal including improvements to cost-saving ‘federal swap’ legislation, faster implementation of the repeal of the prevailing wage, changes protecting taxpayers from an energy efficiency property tax loophole, and the elimination of a newly created transportation bureaucracy dubbed the TPC. All were budget priorities for AFP’s activists.

“Governor Walker and these senators took a good budget and made it much better,” said Bott. “We’re grateful to them and the other elected officials who fought against cronyism and in favor of pro-growth reforms in this budget.”

Bott stressed that while AFP activists are pleased that the proposed expansion of PFA power is dead, they will continue to press for further investigations and reforms to the outfit. He noted that deep concerns persist about their activities and reiterated AFP’s support for the PFA audit proposed by Rep. Scott Allen.

BACKGROUND:

AFP-WI to Lawmakers: Wisconsin Should Not Empower Shadowy Public Finance Authority

AFP-Wisconsin Commends Rep. Scott Allen’s Call for PFA Audit

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