The Missed Opportunities

BadgerCare Expansion

Governor Evers included a provision to expand BadgerCare (otherwise known as Medicaid) in our state. The majority party’s refusal to expand BadgerCare will cost the state an estimated $600 million in GPR savings and the loss of $1 billion in one-time federal funding over the next biennium. More importantly, over 90,000 Wisconsinites would have become eligible for quality and affordable health insurance had Medicaid been expanded.

PFAS

Governor Evers included eight provisions to help address PFAS issues that communities like the Town of Campbell have experienced. Unfortunately, Republican Legislators removed all but one provision from the budget, leaving the state without adequate regulation of the chemicals, and local communities without the tools and resources needed to address contamination when it is found. I believe Wisconsin is seeing just the tip of the iceberg with PFAS contamination, we must have a stronger sense of urgency about this issue as more regions will share this experience. I have spoken on the floor twice in the past two weeks to educate my colleagues on this issue and will continue to push for needed action.

Early Childhood Education

The majority of Wisconsin families live in child care deserts; we also rank high in percentage of women who work outside the home. Yet, families struggle to find quality, affordable, accessible care for their children.  Many small and national business groups recognize that a strong childcare system is a critical piece of addressing our workforce needs. Governor Evers included a funding increase for the Wisconsin Shares program which helps people afford childcare, provided technical support for childcare centers, and addressed wages and training for workers. I advocated for this funding in the budget for our future; we need to support our families and our childcare centers and workers. Republicans in the Legislature rejected these proposals and did not include their own solutions to address the childcare shortage. I am committed to continue working in a bi-partisan manner on this issue going forward.

K-12 Education  

Governor Evers included significant increases in K-12 education, while increasing funding for specific areas like student mental health and special education. Republicans, despite significant revenue increases, decided to do the bare minimum to ensure that our schools don’t lose billions in federal funding. When the budget came to the floor of the State Assembly, my colleagues and I offered an amendment to increase general school aids by $800 million, raise local revenue limits by $200 per pupil in the first year of the biennium and $204 in the second year of the biennium, and more. The next generations are the future of our state, and if we want our state to be strong and successful, we need to invest in the education of our children. This was yet another missed opportunity by Republican legislators to invest in the future of our state, our community, and our families.

Infrastructure

Prairie Springs Phase II

Governor Evers included funding for the Prairie Springs Phase II project at UW-La Crosse, a project which has been in the works for nearly a decade, with Phase I complete and Phase II shovel ready. Republicans significantly cut the Capital Budget and removed Prairie Springs along with other projects.  This means that we will wait another two years to move forward, the costs to complete the project will increase yet again, and the La Crosse area will miss out on the economic impact of the project. The entire UW System has suffered from projects being deferred and delayed over the past decade to the point where some of our buildings are failing and presenting safety issues. More should have been provided for our campuses in order to attract and retain students.

Broadband

COVID-19 highlighted the already critical lack of broadband in many parts of the state. Governor Evers proposed taking the next step in expansion by dedicating $200 million in new funding to bring broadband to under and unserved communities. Republicans voted to borrow $125 million to fund broadband expansion, which will cost the state more in interest and which may not be able to be used, as bond issuers do not like to fund projects which may be obsolete by the time the bond is paid off. With the enhanced revenue estimates, we could and should have funded expansion outright instead of borrowing.

Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship Program

Governor Evers’ budget proposal increased funding and renewed the Knowles-Nelson Program for 10 years, with an annual allocation of $70 million. Instead, Legislative Republicans voted to authorize the Knowles-Nelson Program for 4 years, with an annual allocation of $33,250,000. Many Coulee Region residents contacted my office to advocate on the value of this program. We have benefitted from this funding which has fed our tourism industry, created healthy spaces for all, and preserved our beautiful natural environment for future generations. This very important investment should have been fully funded and renewed for the full ten years.

Fair Maps

The Governor’s budget included a provision that would require the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to draw legislative and congressional redistricting plans. Ensuring fair maps in Wisconsin that reflect the will of the voters is not only the democratic thing to do, but also preferred by the majority of Wisconsinites, Republicans and Democrats alike. Voters should pick their elected officials, elected officials shouldn’t pick their voters via gerrymandered maps. 

Provision to Assist La Crosse County Remains in Budget

One provision that I worked on in a bi-partisan manner remained in the budget. A tipping fee exemption was requested for the La Crosse area several years ago. Our local delegation worked on this in the past. I was able to get the bill passed in the Assembly last session but it was derailed due to COVID. Upon my request, the Governor put it in the budget and one of my Republican colleagues worked to keep it included. It was a good moment to share a handshake with him in the chamber as we finally got this across the finish line.

Tipping Fee Exemption — Waste-to-Energy Facilities 

The 2021-23 Biennial Budget includes an exemption from solid waste disposal fees (tipping fees) for facilities that incinerate solid waste for the purpose of energy recovery, often known as "waste-to-energy facilities." 

This tipping fee exemption would save La Crosse County approximately $198,000 annually. La Crosse County is home to a unique and award-winning public/private partnership in the disposal of municipal waste. For over 30 years, La Crosse County and Xcel Energy have been partners in lowering land disposal of municipal waste by reusing this waste to generate energy. The La Crosse County Disposal System members send approximately 76,000 tons of household waste to the Xcel Energy plant to be used as a refuse derived fuel (RDF) source for Xcel’s waste-to-energy facility. This RDF is incinerated to generate electricity for approximately 10,000 La Crosse area homes. The system currently serves La Crosse, Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties, dozens of municipalities, along with multiple businesses striving to achieve zero landfill initiatives. 

Rep. Billings in La Crosse and Madison 

I testified on the floor of the Assembly in support of several amendments that my Democratic colleagues and I offered to improve the proposed budget and provide more for our communities and state. 

Senator Wanggaard and I provided members of the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety information on our bipartisan bill to combat the fentanyl presence in our communities. 

Two investigators from the La Crosse Police Department traveled to Madison to testify in support of the fentanyl bill I mentioned above. 

It has been great to get back into the community and converse with many of you. I took this photo at the first Moon Tunes of the summer.

 And lastly, please have a fun and safe Independence Day celebration! I hope to see you all at Riverfest.