GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Governor Tony Evers stopped in Green Bay on Wednesday as part of a trip to tout his plan for a special session of the Wisconsin Legislature to take up a plan for spending some of the state’s projected $3.8 billion budget surplus.
Evers stopped at the Ferguson Family YMCA in downtown Green Bay to continue pitching the plan, in hopes that Republican legislators will sit down at the table. In the past, such efforts have seen lawmakers in ‘special session’ for less time than it took them to get to their seats.
“There’s no reason why we can’t do it. The rising costs Wisconsinites are seeing every day are every reason that we should,” Evers said.
Evers’ plan calls for a $150 refund to every Wisconsin taxpayer, along with tax breaks for child care and family caregiving. It also includes $750 million for schools and $188 million in property tax relief.
Republicans who control the Legislature have called the plan an election-year gimmick and say they prefer to use the surplus to cut taxes in the 2023-25 budget. But Evers challenged that plan.
“That’s not going to help Wisconsinites buy groceries or gas, pay for childcare, heat in their homes, or put food on the table today” Evers said. “Wisconsinites can’t wait. Legislators should not sit in Madison on state coffers that are filled, and then at the same time, tell Wisconsinites who are working really hard every day that they can’t afford to do more. That’s just baloney.”
In response to WTAQ asking whether he’s optimistic that lawmakers would even consider the proposal or use the session to discuss the plans, Evers shared a shred of hope.
“Even if you’re just saying that it’s money that the people of Wisconsin put in this pot and we need to return it because we have more than enough. I think we can put it any way people want, and that’s why I think we have some chance,” Evers said. “It’s real simple. We have excess money. That excess money came from the people’ of Wisconsin. The people of Wisconsin have needs in order to mitigate a pandemic, and also, we can help support our school systems…Let’s find common ground, pass this plan, let’s get it done. It’s just the right thing to do, folks. It’s the people’s money, let’s get it back to them.”
Evers says he understands that there will be some political posturing to get things started, but hopes it prompts productive discourse among legislators.
“Frankly, I don’t care who gets the credit on this…To me, this transcends politics in a way. If that’s even humanly possible,” Evers said. “Hopefully at the end of the day, the people of Wisconsin will have convinced the Republicans that this is a worthy endeavor.”
