State Budget Update & Engagement Opportunities 

April 9, 2021

Dear Neighbor, 

The 2021-23 state budget process is in full swing as the Joint Finance Committee examines Governor Tony Evers' Badger Bounceback Budget and legislators take public testimony and input virtually and in-person across the state.

This session, I am a member of the legislature's Joint Committee on Finance, which oversees the entire budget process prior to the final votes and amendments on the Assembly and Senate floors. I'm committed to advocating for Racine's priorities, but I also want to hear from you about what you would like to see prioritized in this biennial budget.

There are many opportunities for you to share your priorities with me, the Joint Finance Committee, and our legislative colleagues in the coming weeks.

• On Wednesday, April 14th at 6:00 pm, I will be hosting a virtual budget listening session alongside Senator Bob Wirch and Representative Tip McGuire to hear from constituents about what you would like to see us fighting for in Madison and in the 2021-23 State Budget. You can find the Facebook event for this listening session here or register directly to join us on Zoom here (add link).
• The Joint Finance Committee will be holding a series of public hearings on the State Budget. The committee will be holding in-person hearings in Rhinelander on April 21st and Menomonie on April 22nd, and a statewide virtual public hearing on April 28th. You can find more information about each of these hearings here.
• If you can't make it to any of these events, you can always share your thoughts with me and with the Joint Finance Committee via phone or email! Submit testimony to the Joint Finance Committee here, email the committee at budget.comments@legis.wisconsin.gov,email me at rep.neubauer@legis.wi.gov, or call my office at (608) 266-0634!

Budget Update

This week, the Joint Finance Committee held a series of agency briefings to discuss Governor Tony Evers’ proposed “Badger Bounceback” state budget. We heard from the Department of Public Instruction, Department of Workforce Development, Department of Natural Resources, and Public Service Commission. We heard about the need to invest in our public education, prioritize Wisconsin workers and businesses to bounce back stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, invest in clean water and climate resilience, and broadband access. The committee also began on Friday a series of public hearings around the state, and virtually, to hear from Wisconsinites about their priorities in this budget. (See the list above for future hearings and how you can get involved!)

After a year of COVID-19, the Badger Bounceback Budget invests in Wisconsin workers and families, so that we can recover and reinvest in our long term resilience. The budget includes items that people in Racine and across the state care about, from expanding BadgerCare to fully funding our public schools, fighting climate change, joining our neighboring states in legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, implementing automatic voter registration and non-partisan redistricting, and so much more.

The budget is more than a list of policies and fiscal allocations — it is a moral document that sets out our priorities as a state for the next two years. I look forward to hearing from you on Wednesday, and I know that with our efforts, we can deliver a winning budget for Wisconsin families.

In Solidarity,

Greta Neubauer

State Representative

66th Assembly District

Important Links for COVID-19 Information: 

• The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has a website tracking COVID-19 in Wisconsin, including vaccine and health-related resources and case statistics from across the state. This website is updated daily by 2:00 p.m. You can visit it HERE.
• The City and County of Racine have launched COVID-19/Coronavirus websites with local information and resources. You can find Racine County’s website HERE, including daily updates from the Joint Information Center. The City of Racine’s website is available HERE. It includes many resources for finding COVID-19 vaccines throughout our area! 
• This is a non-exhaustive list of resources and updates --  if you don’t find what you’re looking for here, you can find information for non-medical services online at 211 Wisconsin, dial 211 on your phone, or text your ZIP code to 898211.