Governor Scott Walker supports bill to reshape state hiring process

MADISON — Governor Scott Walker is telling Republican state Assembly members that he supports a plan making it easier to fire state workers as part of a rewrite of the law governing the hiring and firing process.

Walker spoke about the plan during a 15-minute speech to Assembly Republicans on Thursday, September 24th.

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke and Sen. Roger Roth are preparing a bill that would eliminate exams for prospective state workers, shift hiring authority from state agencies to the Department of Administration and define "just cause" for terminations.

Walker calls the changes common-sense reforms that will give state agencies the ability to both retain good workers and remove bad ones.

Walker says the system is broken. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he hopes to vote on the bill this fall.