When Legislative Republicans went to work crafting our state budget that went into effect just over a year ago, we coined it the Made for Wisconsin budget. By that we meant our budget would be made for all of Wisconsin, so regardless of whether it’s the City of Beaver Dam, rural Forest County or the City of Milwaukee, our budget invests in your community. Looking back, we can see these investments making a real impact in our state. Look no further than the shared revenue increase that brought millions of dollars to counties, towns, villages and cities throughout Wisconsin for critical services such as infrastructure and public safety. While every community saw at least a 20% increase in funding from the state, our reform gave many smaller communities that have been left behind by the previous funding formula an even bigger bump. We also continued our commitment to funding schools with over a billion dollars of new money in K12 education. This included general aid, along with categorical aid in key areas that we know students are struggling such as mental health, literacy and special education. These dollars are making a difference for students in schools throughout Wisconsin. Another major investment our budget made is in capital projects. This doesn’t only include state office buildings in our cities; it includes a dam in Pattison Park in Douglas County, fire equipment at the Crandon Ranger Station, trail improvements in state-owned property, and so many more. With a significant one-time surplus to start last budget, we were able to do even more to build up our state’s infrastructure. While these thoughtful investments are making a positive impact in our communities, there is one spend that would have helped individuals, families and businesses throughout our state: meaningful tax cuts. Unfortunately, Governor Evers disagreed and vetoed billions in tax relief, keeping taxpayers’ hard-earned money in Madison rather than sending it back to those who overpaid. In six months, the legislative budget season will begin ramping up again. Between now and then, I look forward to hearing from my constituents about how our most recent state budget impacted them, so we can continuing enacting budgets that are made for Wisconsin.
