MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers won't deliver his budget address until next month. However, Wisconsinites were given a big preview of his spending priorities Tuesday night during the annual State of the State speech.
Bolstering the middle class, maintaining the state's economic momentum and finding ways to attract and retain talent for Wisconsin's workforce were all priorities highlighted by the governor.
The move probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, given the state has a projected $6.6 billion surplus.
“It means we can continue our progress making the wise investments we’ve long needed to—and not because anyone wants to make government bigger, but because Wisconsinites want a government that works, and works better,” Gov. Evers said.
During his nearly 45-minute long address, Gov. Evers declared 2023 the 'Year of Mental Health' and announced his plan to spend more than $500 million to expand access to services across the Badger State. That includes $270 million to make the governor's 'Get Kids Ahead' program permanent.
However, investments in the classroom won't stop there, with additional funding sought to improve the educator pipeline.
“For years, communities have raised their own property taxes to keep their local schools afloat,” Gov. Evers said. “And, today, we can afford to do more. So, I am going to deliver on the promise I made before the election to use a portion of our state’s historic surplus to make an historic investment in our kids and our schools.”
Evers, who is often dubbed the 'education governor,' also vowed to deliver tax relief, especially for the middle class. The governor told Wisconsinites reform can be done without driving the state into debt or cutting important services like public safety.
“When we deliver tax relief—and we will deliver tax relief—we’re going to do it responsibly by ensuring we can keep taxes low now and into the future,” Gov. Evers stated.
A flat tax, as Republicans have proposed, however, was deemed “reckless” by the governor Tuesday night. Evers said lawmakers should not splurge on a $3.5 billion dollar handout to benefit the wealthiest 20% of Wisconsinites.
“Now is the time to stay prudent, to save smart, and to be bold with reasonable investments to keep building a lasting legacy of prosperity,” Gov. Evers said.
Education and tax reform are not the only big areas where Democrats and Republicans will need to find compromise.
Gov. Evers also pitched shared revenue reform Tuesday night and called for 20% of the state's sales tax revenue to go back to local communities.
Wisconsin Republicans reacted to Gov. Evers' State of the State address in a lukewarm manner.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos delivered the official GOP response, during which he noted Wisconsinites are still struggling with inflation on a daily basis and that his party has the better approach to tackle it.
“I would say this is typical Tony Evers,” Vos told reporters after the speech. “Very liberal, a little bit more than he knows Republicans will ever accept, and once again only talking to one side of the room. He really didn’t spend much time talking to the whole room.”
Meanwhile, other party leaders were disappointed by how much the governor focused on fiscal policy.
"Gov. Evers failed to propose any significant solutions to Wisconsin's most pressing issues like inflation, rampant crime, workforce shortages, and struggling schools. Evers' speech was about throwing money at problems when most Wisconsinites are hoping for real solutions and tired of excessive spending," WisGOP Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement.