Executive Budget: 'The Year of the Kid'

Governor Tony Evers presented his 2025-27 Executive Budget on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and labeled this “The Year of the Kid”.  The proposed budget totals approximately $2.4 billion in expenditures and seeks to cut $2 billion in various taxes.  The state currently has a surplus of more than $4 billion. Governor Evers cautioned that Wisconsin needs to be “reasonable and pragmatic” because of the chaos in Washington and the uncertainty of federal funding. 

Highlights of the Executive Budget include increased funding for K-12 schools, especially for special education and mental health, and funding for free school breakfasts and lunches.  The budget includes a “make or break” proposal of $856 million for the University of Wisconsin System.

Other other proposals include:

·        funding for childcare assistance

·        increasing funding for tech school

·        funding remedies to address lead exposure

·        improving water quality

·        addressing PFAS contamination

·        adding a new tax bracket for high earners

·        creating a new system to audit health insurance companies

·        legalizing marijuana

·        freezing the private school voucher program

·        expanding Medicaid

·        eliminating taxes on cash tips

·        eliminating tax of over-the-counter medications

·        funding the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program

This is the People’s Budget. In December, Governor Evers held listening sessions around the state gathering public input for his budget.  As expected, Speaker Robin Vos called Evers’ budget “dead on arrival.”  The Republicans have pledged to throw out the Governor’s proposal and start from scratch, making tax cuts their number one priority.