Alex Joers
DemocraticQ1 America has a growing artificial intelligence (AI) industry, supporting cutting edge innovation and reshaping businesses, but raising concerns about education, ownership, and security. Application of AI technology has increased the demand placed on data centers, controversial for their resource use (such as water and land) and raising utility costs. What are your policy positions in regards to data centers and AI? What sources of evidence informed these positions?
Data centers should have clear prohibitions to protect the environment, public health, property values, and household budgets. We should require strong, enforceable standards that protect clean water, including safeguards against water pollution for data centers that already exist. Projects should also undergo robust, transparent siting and local input processes so communities have a real voice in decisions. We must ensure full accountability for pollution and require developers to bear the costs of infrastructure strain instead of local taxpayers. We should continue investing in conservation, renewable energy, and land protection to reduce flooding risks and preserve nature. Responsible development means balancing economic growth with stewardship of our environment. In addition, I would work to repeal the $2 billion tax exemptions that Republicans added to the prior budget. There are a lot of politicians that talk about standing up to Big Tech, but I’ve actually done it by working to regulate AI and social media companies.
KEYWORDS: Accountability, Prohibitions, Security
Q2 Making the US competitive in the bioeconomy (using technology applied to renewable biological resources to produce food, energy and industrial goods) requires innovation and investments in business, academia and government. Please describe policies you will support, if any, that relate to workforce development in Wisconsin’s strengths such as agriculture, biotechnology, and energy; and explain their rationale.
As a member of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, this is a topic I hear about frequently. We must invest in the bioeconomy while also lifting up our universities that are training the next generation of workers to access these fields. For far too long, public universities in our state have been slashed when it comes to their budgets and now they are trying to do more with less while other states surge ahead. We cannot let the brain drain continue in our state because of misplaced priorities and politicians who undercut the groundbreaking work higher education brings for our future.
KEYWORDS: Higher Education, Universities
Q3 Wisconsin’s public K-12 education systems have seen a significant decline in the past two decades, with more than 600 public schools closing and statewide student enrollment dropping 7%. These impacts have been especially pronounced in Wisconsin’s many rural counties, where opportunities for STEM education are already fewer. What policies, if any, would you support to improve K-12 education for students across Wisconsin?
Ensuring our schools have the resources to improve student outcomes starts with fixing Wisconsin’s broken school funding formula and investing in kids from cradle to career. We should fully fund public education instead of shifting costs onto local property taxpayers. School funding should be tied to inflation so districts can keep pace with rising costs and properly support students and staff year over year. For public schools, we must provide a sustainable funding increase and make special education reimbursement sum sufficient so districts are fully supported in meeting students’ needs. Students with disabilities deserve strong, consistent support, and schools should not be forced to shoulder these costs without adequate state investment.
KEYWORDS: Investment, Responsibility
Q5 If elected, in what capacities would you refer to scientists when you are deciding how to vote on a policy?
All the time. I believe the more voices we have the opportunities to listen to the better. We must bring science back to Wisconsin. For years, Republican politics have been working to discourage scientific research and investment in state agencies. We must reverse this trend and welcome scientists into the people’s house.
KEYWORDS: Listen, Engage
Q7 Wisconsin has faced an increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks in recent years, for instance with rising numbers of measles and avian influenza cases that threaten human health and agricultural industry, respectively. What policies, if any, would you support to manage the burden of infectious disease in the state and respond to future outbreaks?
For starters, we have to stop degrading our public health agencies and resources. Politicians must stop with the conspiracy theories that are fueling outrage to start to learn the facts before speaking. Wisconsin needs to adequately invest in public health infrastructure and ensure we are preparing for future emergencies before they arise.
KEYWORDS: Preparation, Facts