Capitol action includes ups, downs for Wisconsin’s emerging economy Madison Wisconsin Business News – WBNews

The return of the Legislature and the unveiling of the latest state budget plan has come with a mix of proposals tied to the state’s knowledge economy. Here’s a quick rundown of the pluses and minuses so far: Broadband development: Gov. Scott Walker’s budget contains about $40 million to speed deployment of broadband technology in hard-to-serve places across Wisconsin, mostly in rural areas. This would likely accelerate the rollout of federal “Connect America Fund 2” grants, beginning this year and running through 2020. Access to high-speed internet connections is critical for Wisconsin, especially in those areas that could lag in terms of economic growth, education, health care and more without it. Investor tax credits: The budget would remove a longstanding cap on how much money a young company could raise before its investors no longer qualify for the state’s investor tax-credit program. The cap has stood at $8 million for about a decade. Meanwhile, the financing needs of young companies – especially those in capital-intensive or regulated industries – have changed. Raising the lifetime cap to $12 million for any one company wouldn’t deplete the existing 25 percent credit pool and would enhance the growth of companies that create good-paying jobs. Fetal tissue: Once again, bills are circulating in the Capitol to ban research on aborted fetal tissue in Wisconsin. One bill would essentially duplicate existing federal law and thus wouldn’t change existing practices in Wisconsin, where small amounts of fetal tissue, cells or amniotic fluid are used for research…more detail