MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers made a case for his funding priorities for the next two years during his biennial budget address Wednesday night. Now, lawmakers on the legislature’s finance committee will be tasked with deciding how to spend a projected $7.1 billion surplus.
Hoping to build off accomplishments during his first term, Gov. Evers told lawmakers gathered in the Assembly Chambers there is more that unites both sides in his plan than divides them.
“This is a breakthrough budget, one that has rarely — if ever — come along in our state’s history,” Gov. Evers said. “And with this opportunity comes responsibility — today, we carry the weight of posterity.”
Evers used the opportunity of a primetime address to push for a promise he made out on the campaign trail: a 10% tax cut for the middle class.
“Giving working families a little extra breathing room is just one key part of our plan to bolster the middle class, maintain our economy’s momentum, reduce barriers to work, and address our state’s workforce challenges,” Gov. Evers said. “But we have a lot of work to do together to keep building our economy from the ground up.”
The governor also made good on another promise from last month’s State of the State address when he called upon lawmakers do to something about shared revenue for local governments struggling to cover the costs of basic services.
During Wednesday night’s speech, Evers once again floated his idea for 20% of the state’s sales tax to go back to municipalities.
“The state has to start being a partner in — not an obstacle to — our local communities’ success,” Gov. Evers said. “The way we’ve been funding our local governments isn’t sustainable. We need to change that.”
The so-called “education governor” also pitched a $2.6 billion boost in funding for public schools, including $270 million to support mental health programs for students over the next two years.
“I’m also here to tell you that the way we’re funding our schools isn’t sustainable, either,” Gov. Evers said. “We need to change that, too. Budgets reflect our priorities, which is why every budget I’ve ever built began with doing what’s best for our kids. This one is no different.”
However, what was different about this budget proposal from previous ones was the call for compromise.
“I promise you this: in this budget, there’s more that unites us than divides us,” Gov. Evers said. “These aren’t Republican or Democratic priorities—they’re Wisconsin priorities, areas where we should be able to find common ground.”
Even so, many Republicans chalked the speech up to a “liberal wish list” from the governor.
"Governor Evers has unveiled yet another irresponsible budget that tries to spend its way out of the problems he's created for Wisconsin, from our students' shutdown-induced learning losses to the historic crime wave afflicting Wisconsin cities,” WisGOP Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement. “As Wisconsinites continue [to] reel from inflation — worsened by Democrats' overspending in Washington — Evers' budget plan that spends billions of hard-earned tax dollars on his liberal wish list is simply unrealistic and unsustainable."
Gov. Evers’ budget priorities are now in the hands of members of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. Members from both chambers and parties will spend the next several months crafting the budget that will be put before lawmakers to vote on, ideally, by July 1.