MADISON, Wis. — Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vowed in his State of the State speech Tuesday to veto any bill that would limit access to abortions and announced plans to expand access to emergency contraception.
Evers also declared 2024 the “Year of the Worker" and called on Republicans and Democrats to work together on addressing workforce issues, including expanding access to affordable housing, child care and paid family leave.
Evers also called on the Legislature to release funding to address PFAS pollution.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos derided the address, Evers' sixth State of the State, as “typical Tony Evers.”
“Not a lot of new ideas and a lot of rehashing of old things that have been proposed over the course of the past few years and failed,” Vos said.
Evers issued his abortion veto pledge even as Republicans move forward with a measure that would let voters weigh in on whether it should be banned after 14 weeks of pregnancy.
The speech comes as Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature have had some bipartisan successes but continue to fight over redistricting, abortion, tax cuts, election administration and other key issues in a presidential election year.
Evers, like many Democrats nationwide, made abortion rights a focus of his winning 2022 campaign, and he returned to that theme again Tuesday. He noted that his opponent, Republican Tim Michels, supported banning abortions and lost.
“I want to speak directly to women in Wisconsin tonight,” Evers said. “I will veto any bill that takes away your reproductive freedom or makes reproductive health care any less accessible in Wisconsin than it is today. Period.”
Evers announced that enrollees in the state’s BadgerCare Plus Medicaid program will have access to over-the-counter contraception, including emergency contraception, without a separate prescription. The medication will be provided without any out-of-pocket costs, Evers said.
Evers said the public’s widespread support of abortion rights as shown in statewide and nationwide polls shows the importance of having legislative maps that fairly reflect the population. The Wisconsin Supreme Court in December tossed out the current Republican-drawn maps as unconstitutional.
“When elected officials gerrymander themselves into safe seats, they can comfortably ignore the overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites,” Evers said.
Evers also renewed his pledge to fight efforts to make it more difficult to vote in the battleground state. Evers has vetoed a raft of Republican proposals over the past five years that seek to make changes to election administration in the state.
Evers said that in coming weeks he will be announcing new steps his administration is taking to increase voter turnout. He didn’t reveal any details.
Vos said he was disappointed that Evers didn't mention cutting taxes as Republicans have proposed.
“We're going to move forward with our plan and hopefully Gov. Evers once he has a chance to review them will sign them into law,” Vos said.
Despite the divisions, Evers called on Republicans and Democrats to work together to address Wisconsin's workforce shortages, declaring 2024 the "Year of the Worker."
Evers called for expanding paid family leave, an idea the Legislature rejected last year, investing more in public education and coming up with a long-term solution to child care shortages. Republicans also rejected a plan from Evers last year to continue the Child Care Counts program, but he got around them by allocating $170 million in pandemic relief funds to keep it running through June 2025.
“Republicans are officially on the clock to make the meaningful investments necessary to prevent the collapse of an industry that’s essential for maintaining our current levels of workforce participation,” Evers said.
Evers asked Republicans to come up with alternate plans if they continue to reject his workforce proposals, as they have done twice already.
“I will work with any legislator, any partner, any stakeholder who’s willing to engage in meaningful conversations on these issues to do the right thing for Wisconsin,” Evers said. “In the meantime, my administration will continue to pursue every pathway and seek every avenue to address our workforce challenges without legislative action, just as we have for five years.”
Evers also renewed his call for Republicans to release $125 million in funding approved in the state budget to fight pollution from so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS. He also called on them to spend more on mental health services statewide. Evers announced the creation of a new interagency council designed to reduce barriers and address gaps in mental health services.
In his speech delivered before lawmakers, members of the state Supreme Court, tribal leaders and others, Evers highlighted bipartisan successes in the past year, including an agreement on a plan to pay for repairs to the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium that will keep the team in Wisconsin through at least 2050.