Budget Bill goes to Gov. Evers’ Desk

This week, the Assembly was on the floor on Tuesday to consider the biennial budget. The budget bill passed with bipartisan support in our house and was sent over to the Senate. The Senate concurred on the bill on Wednesday.

Over the last couple of months, I have done my best to keep you in the loop on the budget process. With the budget bill headed to Gov. Evers’ desk, I wanted to take some time to highlight some parts of the budget that I feel are of particular interest to our community:

• In reviewing my Budget Survey responses, one of the most popular “comments” was regarding property taxes. The state doesn’t collect a property tax anymore, but property taxes in Wisconsin and in our community remain burdensome. This budget provides $650 million in property tax relief.
• Wisconsinites statewide will reap the benefits of an income tax cut which is estimated to save the typical family $900.
• This budget meets Governor Evers by enumerating I-94 E/W and keeping all projects on time. We also provided $40 million to keep the project moving forward. This project is crucial here in southeastern Wisconsin. We also fund the local road grant program at $100 million, which is $25 million higher than the Governor.
• We reauthorize and fund the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program, which includes funding for local assistance grants. Municipalities apply for these grants to fund things like local parks and bike or walking trails. I hear from many of my constituents that they enjoy the parks and trails in our area and support funding this program.
• This budget reaches the goal of two-thirds funding for our schools in the second year of the biennium. Additionally, we make targeted investments in education on the things we hear about most: special education and mental health by providing additional funding for these categorical aids. We are also increasing funding for Wisconsin Reading Corps (WRC), which is a public-private partnership that works on closing the reading achievement gap in districts like Oak Creek-Franklin.
• Over the years, I have toured many long-term care facilities in my district. These facilities care for our most vulnerable community members. To ensure they are able to continue to do so, we have provided $434 million in new funding for long-term care facilities and their staff. This level of funding exceeds the Governor’s recommendation.
• For years I have heard from local dental care providers in my district that it’s difficult for them to afford to provide care for the Medicaid population with low reimbursement rates. This budget provides a 40% increase in Medicaid reimbursements for dental to help those providers.
• I have heard from Emergency Department physicians who live in my district and are concerned about lack of funding, so we increased funding for these providers by $6.6 million.

Now, Gov. Evers has multiple options as far as his path forward. Once the budget bill arrives on his desk, the Governor has three options: he can sign the bill as it is, veto it in its entirety, or he is able to line-item veto certain parts of the budget. If the bill is line-item vetoed, the remaining parts of the bill are still signed and become law. Given that the budget bill passed with bipartisan support, I remain hopeful that the Governor will sign this budget.

Happy 4^th of July!

As we enter the 4^th of July weekend, I wanted to wish you and your family a Happy Independence Day!

Don’t Miss These In-District Events!

• Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden – through Monday, July 5, varying times – Grant Park, 100 E Hawthorne Ave, South Milwaukee https://www.travelingbeergardens.com/
• Oak Creek 4^th of July Parade – Sunday, July 4 from 9am-12pm – click here to view the parade route ocwi.org/july4
• Oak Creek 4^th of July Celebration – Sunday, July 4, various activities happening throughout the day ocwi.org/july4
• South Milwaukee Independence Day Fireworks Show – Sunday, July 4 at 9pm – Grant Park Area #5, South Milwaukee
• Oak Creek 4^th of July Fireworks – Sunday, July 4 at dusk – Lake Vista Park, Oak Creek ocwi.org/july4