Rep. Tony Kurtz’s Statement Budget Passage

Contact: Rep. Tony Kurtz
rep.kurtz@legis.wi.gov

Rep. Tony Kurtz’s Statement Budget Passage

MADISON –Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) issued the following statement after the Wisconsin State Assembly passed the 2023-2025 biennial budget:

“Today, I voted for a re-crafted budget that makes significant investments in many priorities for Wisconsinites including local governments, K-12 education, transportation infrastructure, workforce housing, the agriculture industry and provide the largest tax cut in Wisconsin history,” said Rep. Kurtz.

Here are some highlights of what’s included in the 2023-2025 biennial budget:

•   $1 billion in new money to public schools, targeting areas where students need additional support such as literacy initiatives, special education aid and mental health programming
• $1.5 billion for transportation infrastructure including local roads, state highways and interstate projects
•  $125 million for mitigating PFAS throughout Wisconsin, in addition to providing funding for other water quality initiatives such as dredging and dam safety projects
•  $3.1 billion to support accessible and affordable health care including funds to respond to the critical workforce shortage facing the healthcare industry, raising reimbursement rates for a variety of services, rural critical care hospitals, free and charitable clinics and more
• $525 million for the workforce housing initiatives that were recently signed into law
•  $4.4 billion in tax cuts, the largest in state history, made up of income and property tax cuts as well as the repeal of the personal property tax
• Providing new funding for improvements to our state's parks and recreational areas, to ensure residents of our state can enjoy our natural spaces
• Supporting our agriculture industry by increasing funding for the meat and dairy processor grants, funding farmer mental health and promoting the expansion of agriculture exports from Wisconsin
• Making critical investments to support and improve our criminal justice system through increasing wages for district attorneys and public defenders to make these positions more competitive
• Funding key public safety initiatives through the Department of Military Affairs, like hazmat teams, urban search and rescue teams and the replacement of our emergency response communication network
• Building on the success of bringing the F-35 to Madison, we are investing in securing the next generation of Air Force refueling aircraft for the state
• Providing significant resources to ensure the state can remain competitive with the private market by including a general wage increase to all state employees, providing target raises to sectors struggling with recruitment and retention
• Making key investments to market our state as a tourist destination to ensure Wisconsin will be competitive with our neighbor states in marketing all of the things that make Wisconsin a great place to visit
• Includes the funding for the increases provide through shared revenue to local governments under 2023 Wisconsin Act 12

###