Governor Walker’s State of the State Address tonight will be relatively brief. According to his office it will come in at about 23 minutes-plus time for applause. It will also be to-the-point. Among other things the Governor will highlight the administration’s delivery of a balanced budget without a tax increase and identify gains on the jobs front.
The State of the State speech happens on the eve of tomorrow’s expected Assembly vote on the mining bill, a bill that is as closely watched for its potential positive impact for jobs in Northern Wisconsin as well as its potential negative impact on environmental conditions there. There’s been plenty of discussion and debate at the State Capitol on the subject of jobs. The mining bill-specifically the possibility of an iron ore mine in Ashland and Iron Counties-is currently the state’s most concrete representation of potential job creation. Gogebic Taconite, the Florida-based company ready to mine just south of Lake Superior claims the operation would support nearly 3,000 jobs in the region.
Governor Walker isn’t likely to mention the mining bill and associated Gogebic mine proposal in his speech tonight-although he might. Either way that’s the jobs-related item that will be on most legislators’ minds tonight when both houses convene in the Assembly Chambers for the Governor’s address.
You can watch the State of the State speech live on WPT, including Democratic response, tonight at 7:00. Here and Now’s Frederica Freyberg anchors our coverage. She’ll be joined by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Capitol Correspondent, Shawn Johnson. We’ll have full coverage of Thursday’s Assembly action on the mining bill, as well as discussion on what’s in store for the bill over in the Senate, on Friday’s Here and Now.
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