MADISON, Wis. _ Attempts to lure Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn to southeastern Wisconsin could involve hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives, a state senator said Thursday.
Sen. Luther Olsen, a Republican, said he wants to hold off on passing the state budget until lawmakers know more about what it would take to get Foxconn Technology Group to site a massive facility in Wisconsin. The state budget, which was supposed to take effect July 1, is held up because of disagreements among Republicans who control the state Legislature.
Olsen said he doesn't have a firm grip on what the state might need to do to land Foxconn but that Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, has told him it could require hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives. Fitzgerald told The Associated Press the deal could require "huge, big numbers."
Olsen said he believed lawmakers should hold back on passing a budget to make sure the state had enough cash on hand for an incentive package.
"When you negotiate with a company like this, you don't want to get ahead of yourself," he said. "My position is if this happens, we need to make sure we meet our commitments."
Foxconn, which manufactures iPhones and television screens, is considering building a massive U.S. plant that would employ thousands. Company officials have visited Wisconsin and other states in recent weeks to meet with top elected leaders as they mull their options. In Wisconsin, much of the focus has been on Racine County, south of Milwaukee.
At a news conference Tuesday, Fitzgerald appeared to hint that the Legislature would need to take action to get a deal with Foxconn as he made the case for passing the budget as soon as possible.
"We have other things looming that are probably going to take up the time of the Legislature, and not only things that are very much on the front pages right now, but you know, we've got a fall agenda that we're going to try to get into as well," he said.
He didn't provide details on what he meant about matters that are in the news these days. But there has been steady stream of news about the possibility of Foxconn coming to Wisconsin since President Donald Trump visited the state on June 13 and said, "Just backstage, we were negotiating with a major, major, incredible manufacturer of phones and computers and televisions, and I think they're going to give the governor a very happy surprise very soon."
On Thursday, Fitzgerald told The Associated Press that one idea being discussed is using $200 million that Gov. Scott Walker had proposed for a personal income tax cut and diverting it to help pay for transportation funding and possibly Foxconn incentives. But he stressed that possibility was part of a "brainstorming" session he had with Walker and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on Wednesday.
