Wisconsin State Capitol (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson)
Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate unveil their legislative priorities, saying Republicans aren’t focusing on what matters to Wisconsinites.
Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) promotes their “Wisconsin Families First” plan, which she says focuses on growing the state economy by investing in families, businesses, and public infrastructure. She slams Governor Scott Walker’s presidential aspirations for being “a distraction,” as Wisconsin deals with a $2.2 billion budget.
Democrats plan to introduce additional proposals over the coming days and weeks, including a push for Medicaid expansion, minimum wage, free college, and student loan re-financing. Though, Republicans have the majority in the statehouse and have previously rejected those ideas.
A spokeswoman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says Wednesday’s announcement “was little more than a rehashing of the same tired ideas that the voters overwhelmingly rejected in November.”
Shilling says her caucus might be able to find common ground with Republicans in the areas of mental health services, transportation infrastructure, and high-speed Internet in rural areas.
The governor is scheduled to unveil his two-year budget plan February 3rd.
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Senator Fitzgerald’s spokeswoman Myranda Tanck also writes in her statement: “Within the budget, we are charged with balancing many of the same concerns that the Senate Democrats enumerated (Wednesday) in their agenda — job creation, workforce development, education, transportation, and infrastructure funding, and much more — all while ensuring that the best interests of Wisconsin’s taxpayers remain a priority. While some necessary reforms may not be glamorous, we are confident that Wisconsin’s families will continue to support common sense measures that make Wisconsin a better place to live and work.”