Rep. Farrow: $1 Billion Saved From Act 10, 'The Results Are Clear'

This article has been updated at 1 p.m. Monday to include comments from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

Sussex's state lawmaker is praising Gov. Scott Walker’s announcement that the state’s controversial budget repair law that significantly limited public unions in collective bargaining has reached $1 billion in savings.

After Walker appeared in Manitowoc Monday morning to make the announcement, State Rep. Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee) released the following statement:

“We have kept our promise to put taxpayers first.  For the first time in years, local governments and schools have the flexibility to balance the needs of taxpayers while still maintaining a high level of services. Our reforms are why property taxes for the medianvalue homeowner went down for the first time in the last 12 years.” 

“Here in the 98th Assembly District, we have achieved savings of over $9 million. For example, the Pewaukee school district has saved nearly $800,000 in pension costs. One of the most integral reforms made this past year was giving school districts the ability to competitively bid out their health insurance plans. The results are clear – statewide, school districts that selected a competitive plan reported an average savings of $220 per pupil per year.” 

“Many times over the last month, we’ve heard the naysayers claim – ‘The sky is falling in Wisconsin’. These positive results prove otherwise. I encourage everyone to visit www.reforms.wi.gov for more information about Wisconsin’s $1 billion savings.” 

The $1 billion in tax savings was made in less than a year from when the law went into effect, according to a news release from Walker’s office.

"This is a great day for the hardworking people of this state who pay for the expenses of government," Walker said in the release.

Melissa Baldauff, research director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, responded to Walker’s announcement by saying Walker’s numbers do not add up.

“Like pretty much everything else Scott Walker says, this claim is a distortion of reality that is a blatant attempt to distract from Walker’s real record of failure and dishonesty,” Baldauff said in a memo to reporters.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who is one of four Democrats running in the gubernatorial recall primary, said:

"Gov. Walker is desperate to distract attention from the fact that under his failed leadership Wisconsin lost 4,300 private sector jobs last month, and lost more jobs than any state in the country last year. What Walker isn't telling the people is that he made the deepest cuts to education in Wisconsin history, our state lost nearly 1,500 teacher positions over the past year, and we still have a $140 million budget deficit even though Walker raised fees on the people of Wisconsin by $110 million. This isn't a record to brag about – it’s a record that causes failed governors to be tossed from office."