2019-21 Wisconsin state budget passes

With 78 partial vetoes, Governor Evers officially passed the Wisconsin 2019-21 state budget on July 2.

The $82-billion budget included important priorities for Alliance members, including investments in transportation funding and K-12 education, as well as the proposed cuts to income taxes.

The approved budget included a moderate income tax decrease, property tax levy limits maintained, $400 million in transportation funding over the biennium, $423 million in the state’s “rainy day” fund and the defeat of proposed changes to the Manufacturing & Agricultural Tax Credit, TIF limits, capital gains and prevailing wage.

• The $400 million increase to the transportation fund will come through increases in title and registration fees. The Governor vetoed a proposed $2.5-million study to look at tolling or mileage-based fees. Some lawmakers have said the budget falls short of providing a long-term transportation funding solution.
• Governor Evers increased education funding by an additional $65 million using vetoes, which brings the total increase to K-12 education spending to $570 million over the biennium. Governor Evers had originally pursued $1.4 billion, while the Republican budget had included a $500 million increase.
• The budget included a $12.5 million increase in each year for general aid to Wisconsin’s technical colleges, an increase of 14.1% over the base year.

Read more about the Wisconsin budget process here and read more about the Alliance policy priorities here.

Alliance attends President Trump’s Wisconsin speech

The Alliance attended President Trump’s program on Friday at Derco Aerospace, which centered on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). President Trump touted the benefits of the USMCA during his Wisconsin visit.

Read more about the USMCA’s impact in Wisconsin here.

If you would like to convey your support of the USMCA to Congress, click here.