On April 15th, Frida Ballard attended the Committee on Ways and Means to listen in and show support for Assembly Bill 17. This bill would provide tax credits to businesses that choose to convert into worker cooperatives or Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Specifically, it would cover 70% of the costs associated with converting to a worker cooperative, and up to 50% for converting to an ESOP.
The goal of this bill is to reach business owners nearing retirement who don’t yet have a succession plan. By converting to a cooperative, these owners can receive a fair price for their business while leaving it in the trusted hands of the people who already help run it. If passed, this bill has the potential to preserve thousands of Wisconsin-based businesses and jobs, along with the wealth they generate—rather than seeing them closed or sold to out-of-state buyers.
During the hearing, Charity Schmidt and Kristin Forde—colleagues from the UW Center for Cooperatives—testified about the strong track record of cooperatives and their consistent success in keeping wealth rooted in local communities.
On June 24th, AB-17 passed the Committee with a bipartisan, unanimous 10-0 vote and is now in the hands of the General Assembly. Please contact your representatives and urge them to vote in favor of this important bill!
In more exciting news for the cooperative movement: this month, we’re also celebrating the completed Spanish translation of the How to Start a Worker Cooperative guide. The new guide, Cómo Desarrollar Cooperativas, is now available online.
This updated resource doesn’t just translate the original guide—it includes culturally relevant examples and insights specifically useful to immigrant workers forming their own cooperatives. It also highlights Latinx-led co-ops like Zapata Cooperative and Pachamama. Please share this resource widely!