MADISON, Wis. — There was a lot of pomp and circumstance on Inauguration Day.

What You Need To Know

  • The 2023 Legislative Session kicked off in Madison on Tuesday

  • State lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers were sworn into office during Inaugural ceremonies

  • Lawmakers said they're optimistic the parties will find common ground on certain issues, but know it's not easy

Lawmakers such as State Senator Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander) and State Representative Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) said it's exciting. 

“I’m in high hopes that we really can find areas of common ground that we can agree upon and move forward with with some productive legislation for the people in Wisconsin," Swearingen said. 

“I’m a born optimist, so every day I wake up with the belief that maybe today is the day that we can make a difference and get something across the finish line and really do some good for people," added McGuire. 

Spectrum News 1's Andrew Havranek spoke with four lawmakers, including a Democrat from both the the State Assembly and the State Senate and a Republican from both the State Assembly and the State Senate.

They all said while there are major differences in what members of both parties prioritize, there is some common ground on a number of things. 

“I think we’re going to have some good things that we can come together on a bipartisan issue, I think we can do it around healthcare, the cost of healthcare, and some of the other priorities around the state," said State Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma).

"I think we can build on the last budget," added State Senator Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick). "The governor and the legislature agreed that we wanted to give the middle class a tax break, and we did. The largest tax break in history, but we could have done much better if the governor and the leaders of the majority party had sat down and worked it out.”

Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin Lemahieu all met before the end of the year.

It was their first meeting in two years.

Smith said that’s a good thing. Felzkowski agreed — but said she wants to see more. 

"The East Wing is the leader of the State of Wisconsin. The East Wing needs to initiate those meetings, and I hope he continues to do so," Felzkowski said. 

One pressing issue where that communication will be important to find common ground is something all four of these lawmakers brought up: Shared revenue for cities across the state. 

“I know the governor has mentioned and I think our speaker has mentioned it — the issue of shared revenue when it comes to municipalities," Swearingen said. "Levy limits continue to be a problem with some of these municipalities, I know the speaker may have a different opinion.” 

Another area where members on both sides of the aisle want changes, but disagree on how to change it, is abortion.

Abortion became illegal in Wisconsin after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned of Roe v. Wade last summer. 

“I think there is going to be a lot of difficulty in getting done the things that the people of Wisconsin have overwhelmingly stated that they support which is a woman’s right to choose," McGuire said. 

So, while Inauguration Day brings out all of the excitement of a fresh start and optimism, lawmakers said they know there’s a lot of work to be done. 

“A lot of optimism on the first day — we’ll see what the second day brings," Smith said.