Mayor Cavalier Johnson
Press Release

State funding for youth summer jobs wisely restored by Governor Evers

A statement by Alderman Cavalier Johnson July 3, 2019

By - Jul 3rd, 2019 03:45 pm

Before being elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, I worked in workforce development. One of the best parts of my duties was to assist youth with their first summer job.

At the most recent meeting of the Common Council’s Judiciary and Legislation Committee, it was disheartening to learn that members of the State Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee decided to effectively reduce funding for Milwaukee’s popular summer youth jobs programming – which I also participated in when I was younger.

Today with a stroke of his veto pen, Governor Tony Evers made sure that those critical funding dollars will still be available to employ young people during the summer months in Milwaukee at the full amount as in years past.

The governor’s veto message is below:

These sections eliminate the statutory reference for the department to implement and operate youth summer job programs only in first class cities.

I am vetoing these sections in their entirety because I object to diverting funding away from successful existing youth summer jobs programs in Milwaukee that rely on the current funding levels provided. As a result of this veto, the program will continue to be available only in first class cities.

While there may not be much to agree on in Madison I would hope that going forward, Republicans and Democrats can agree that making sure that youth in Milwaukee are occupied with opportunities to earn, learn, and be safe is a worthwhile investment – one that even had the support of both Mayor Tom Barrett and former governor Scott Walker.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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