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Governor Evers 8th State of the State Address
Gov. Tony Evers is asking for more of the same from Wisconsin lawmakers.
The governor delivered his final State of the State speech Tuesday night, and it wasn’t much different from his previous seven.
The governor again asked to spend more money on schools and the UW, and he again said lawmakers need to do something about healthcare and child care.
"I’ll go 10 toes with any lawmaker about school funding. My 400-year veto isn’t an automatic property tax increase, folks, because that isn’t how school funding works in Wisconsin," Evers said. "The Legislature has rejected over $7 billion for K-12 schools that I requested over the last four state budgets. If lawmakers want to have an honest conversation about property taxes, start there."
Republican lawmakers were quick to say that they have increased funding for public schools and the university over the past eight years. Though they have held steady against the Medicaid expansion the governor has asked for.
Evers also announced a hope to make a Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention permanent, launch a new state film office, and buy 20 years worth of Clean Energy Credits.
Republicans say the governor’s call to action has a very ‘take it or leave it’ tone.
"It sounds like he is willing to sit down and talk, but he is trying to draw bright lines in the sand," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said after the speech. "That is not something I've ever found to be productive. We need to be able to sit down and talk about things that are important to both the Legislature, the taxpayers and the governor. It should not be a 'my way or the highway' type negotiation."
The governor also said he will call lawmakers into a special session later this year to deal with drawing a new congressional map. He said lawmakers should expect to return in August, September, and possibly October.
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