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Republicans take no action on Evers’ special session

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An expected outcome at the Capitol. Republican legislative leaders in the state Senate and Assembly gaveled in and out of session on Wednesday, after signaling they’d take no action on a special session from Democratic Governor Tony Evers almost as soon as he called it more than a month ago.

Evers wanted lawmakers to take up a $1 billion workforce development package, including $365 million to support hard-pressed child care providers. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) faulted Evers for twice vetoing a bill that would have imposed work-search requirements on welfare recipients.

“Senate Republicans will continue to stand with Wisconsin families that are struggling with inflation by presenting a workforce development proposal to the Governor,” LaMahieu said.

Meanwhile, a new study from a non-partisan research group details child care costs for Wisconsin families. Kevin Dospoy is deputy director of Forward Analytics.“We’re not advocating for any policy one way or the other, but we know that parents need to pay for childcare,” Dospoy told WKOW. “We know that childcare is very expensive and parents can’t really pay more.”

The report (“Priced Out: The Steep Cost of Childcare in Wisconsin”) found the average annual cost of infant child care in Wisconsin in 2021 was $13,572. That’s more than the $10,766 annual tuition at UW-Madison.

Republicans propose American Family Field funding plan

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Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly have proposed a $614-million plan to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee and upgrade American Family Field. The new plan would raise income taxes on MLB Players and staff, including the Brewers.

“Unfortunately, the amount of money that was generated and has been spent so far, doesn’t even allow the team to remain in Wisconsin unless something is done as quickly as possible,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester).

Under the plan, the Brewers will chip in for repairs to American Family Field, including winterizing the park for use year round. “We’ve asked the Brewers to step up and they have the Brewers are going to contribute an additional 100 million dollars over the term of the contract. And that is in addition to their current rent and other capital investments,” said Representative Robert Brooks (R-Saukville).

The plan also requires investments from Milwaukee city and county.

The plan unveiled Monday was greeted cautiously by Democrats. In a statement, a spokesperson for Governor Tony Evers said it’s unfortunate Republicans rejected a proposal Evers’ made earlier this year, to spend $290 million in state money to fund Brewers ballpark renovations. Evers looks forward to reviewing the Republican proposal and continuing conversations.

Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer of Racine and Assistant Leader Kalan Haywood of Milwaukee said the Republican proposal falls short of recognizing the regional benefit of AmFam Field and places too great of a financial burden on the city and county of Milwaukee.

Speaker Vos threatens to cut UW funding over plans to keep DEI staff

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A threat to UW System funding over DEI. 

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Thursday afternoon the University of Wisconsin System “will never get another nickel out of the Legislature” unless it cuts diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Vos responded in a statement to the Daily Cardinal, after the paper reported that UW-Madison vice chancellor for student affairs Lori Reesor confirmed DEI positions would not be cut during a Wednesday meeting with student government. 

Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee cut $32 million from the UW System’s 2023-25 state budget and tied that to elimination of 188 DEI positions. Democratic Governor Tony Evers used a partial veto to let UW officials absorb the cut as they see fit.

State Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz sworn in at Capitol Rotunda

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Former Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz is Wisconsin’s newest state supreme court justice.

She was sworn into office Tuesday afternoon. “I look forward to serving alongside all of you, along with Chief Justice Ziegler and Justice Bradley to uphold the Constitution of our state and deliver on the promise of justice for every Wisconsinite.”

Protasiewicz says her time as a judge and prosecutor will help her administer justice fairly to all. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the importance of upholding our laws, holding people accountable, and applying justice fairly. And equally.”

Protasiewicz’s election shifts the balance on the court to a liberal majority. She defeated conservative Daniel Kelly in the spring elections in a hotly contested race. Major court cases could soon be before the supreme court, including challenges to the state’s abortion ban and how the state handles elections. 

Evers partial vetoes of state budget include new K-12 funding for 400 years

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Democrat Governor Tony Evers has used the line-item veto to give Wisconsin school districts their largest base revenue increase in history. 

“I have also used my broad veto authority to provide school districts with predictable long-term increases for the foreseeable future.”

The governor cut words and hyphens from a provision on revenue increases in the Republican-authored state budget to put a 325 dollar per year per pupil increase into revenue limits for schools for the next 400 years. He also eliminated a Republican proposal to remove the state’s top tax bracket and put back over 180 positions at the UW-System. Republicans say Evers is being irresponsible with taxpayer money, and creating unsustainable programs. 

Evers says all of these vetoes were necessary. “They sent the budget back to my desk without making critical investments in key areas that they know and have acknowledged are essential to the success of our state.”

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos voiced his disappointment on Wednesday. “Vetoing tax cuts on the top two brackets provides hardly any tax relief for truly middle-class families. His decision also creates another economic disadvantage for Wisconsin, leaving our top bracket higher than most of our neighboring states, including Illinois.”

 

State Assembly debates state budget after Senate approves it Wednesday night

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State Assembly Democrats made one final plea for more funding in the state budget as the chamber debated the bill on Thursday.

Democrat minority leader Greta Neubauer says Republicans can still fund social programs. 

“There is still time for our Republican colleagues to realize the error they are committing by failing to work with us and Governor Evers on a budget that delivers real lasting solutions.”

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says Republicans are sending most of the projected 7 billion dollar tax surplus back to taxpayers. 

“Almost half of the dollars that were overtaken from the citizens of Wisconsin back to them in income and property tax cuts.”

But Republicans have cut some of Governor Tony Evers’s major pledges in the budget, including multiple cuts for the UW-System. Evers has threatened a total veto if that money isn’t put back.

Elections commission deadlocks on naming new administrator

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The Wisconsin Elections Commission did not name a new administrator after Tuesday night’s meeting.

That’s because Democrats on the commission abstained from the vote, citing a recent state supreme court decision that allowed a Republican appointee to sit on the Natural Resources Board past the time of his appointment.

Democrat Commissioner Mark Thomsen says the law is clear. “If there isn’t a vacancy, we don’t have the right to reappoint. The law is clear that the currently confirmed administrator remains in that post.”

Republicans on the commission say not naming a new administrator is a bad look, and that the commission ought to have sent current Administrator Meagan Wolfe to the Senate for confirmation. Wolfe has been criticized by conservatives for her handling of the 2020 presidential election, which Joe Biden won.

Legislative Joint Finance committee finishes proposed state budget with over $4 billion in tax cuts

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Heading into the final budget session on Thursday, Republicans on the legislative joint finance committee say they’ve delivered over 4 billion dollars in tax cuts.

Co-chair Republican Representative Mark Born says the cuts should come as no surprise. 

“That’s some great news with the continued tax relief properly returning the money that we over-collected from the taxpayers of Wisconsin.”

Committee co-chair Senator Howard Marklein says it’s important to return money to residents. “We invested historic amounts of money in our core priorities, while also providing for a historic tax cut, the largest tax cut in history.”

But Democrats say that the budget does more harm than good. Assemblyman Evan Goyke from Milwaukee says that the budget as it stands is a disservice to Wisconsin’s youth as the population continues to age. 

“I don’t see in the budget any initiatives that will catch the attention of young people to either come here or to stay here.”

Senator La Tonya Johnson of Milwaukee says cuts to childcare programs will harm the state. 

“If we do not have reliable quality childcare, our parents cannot go to work.”

Once Joint Finance is done with the budget, it will head to the Legislature for approval, and then to Governor Tony Evers, who can sign it, veto it, or use the line-item veto to modify it.

Evers signs historic shared revenue deal

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has signed an historic shared revenue deal. At a Wausau fire station Tuesday, the governor explained stagnant state funding has put local governments in a bind.

“So with shared revenue being held stagnant for the last decade local partners in every corner of the state have been forced to make impossible decisions about what essential services to fund.”

The law provides an additional $247.9 million in state aid to counties and municipalities. “Today means our local partners might finally be able to make ends meet.”

The Democratic governor acknowledged the bipartisan nature of the bill and acknowledged the work of its Republican co-authors. State Senate Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) and Representative Tony Kurz (R-Wonewoc) were present for the signing but were not among the speakers.

The deal also prevents a financial crisis by allowing elected leaders to vote on local sales taxes in Milwaukee, but also places restrictions and requirements on what the city and county may do with new sales tax revenues. “Obviously the folks from the city of Milwaukee had some really difficult things to answer to regarding . . . requirements that they have to do,” Evers said. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and County Executive David Crowley attended the bill signing.   

Evers defended provisions of the shared revenue deal which provide additional state funding for private “choice” schools in Wisconsin. “We added a little bit more money in order to get this deal across the finish line,” the governor said. “But the idea that somehow voucher schools and independent charters haven’t been receiving money and all of a sudden they are this time, that’s just not true.”OR

The governor has been sharply criticized by the state’s largest teachers union, public education advocates and some Democrats in the legislature who believe he caved in. Republicans are calling it the largest expansion of choice schools in state history. Vouchers will now total $9,499 per student for K-8 and $11,993 per student for high school. The deal also adds $1 billion to the budget for public K-12 schools. 

 

 

     

Vos ’embarrassed’ by DEI efforts at UW System

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos continued to hammer on the UW System’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts during the weekend’s state Republican Party convention in La Crosse.

The Republican leader made his comments during a panel discussion on Saturday. “For the past 10 years the left has used every bit of their resources to indoctrinate – and to burrow like a tick – inside the university system where it’s really hard to get at it.”

Vos wants a cut of at least $32 million to the UW system’s budget – an amount he says is equivalent to what is spent on DEI. System President Jay Rothman says shrinking the UW’s would have serious consequences for the state.   

 

“The overt racism, the overt exclusion, the overt indoctrination is so deep inside the UW system I am embarrassed to be an alumni,” said Vos, who is a UW Whitewater alumnus. “We have got to fix that.” 

Governor Tony Evers  has said that he won’t sign a state budget that includes a big cut to the UW System.