Governor Evers Presents First State Budget Proposal

With much anticipation, Governor Tony Evers gave his first Budget Address to a joint convention of the State Legislature, unveiling his proposal for the 2019-2021 state budget.  With Republicans in control of the Legislature, it's likely that the budget that is eventually enacted later this year will look quite different.  However, there were some items where I think we can all come together.  Closing the "dark store" loophole is an issue I've championed and has bipartisan support; Democrats, Republicans and independents all understand that this is a matter of tax fairness, and we need to act now to protect residential property taxpayers. The Governor has proposed increased funding for our neighborhood schools, something that benefits all of our communities, whether we have school aged children or not. Special education funding would get a substantial boost after over a decade without an increase; a recent study found a $1 billion gap between what schools spend on special education and what the state provides. A proposal to address water pollution and the replacement of lead pipes is vital for providing clean, safe drinking water.  Increasing transparency at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and ensuring that companies receiving state tax dollars can't ship jobs out of state or overseas are long overdue. The initiatives on homelessness that I have advocated for were included in the Governor's budget; the recommendations came out of a bipartisan committee chaired by then-Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. Finally an expansion of programs providing dental services and other health care services to children and lower-income families make sense from an economic and moral standpoint.  The next few months will be a whirlwind of activity, with the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee debating and voting on the budget piece by piece, and with divided government, things are sure to be interesting.  Watch the full speech, read the transcript, or check out the full Executive Budget document for more information, and keep an eye on future newsletters for budget updates.

Racine Resident Mary McIlvaine Highlighted in Budget Address

 McIlvaine with Sen. Wirch

One of the stars of the Governor's budget address comes from right in our own backyard. While visiting friends in northern Wisconsin, Mary McIlvaine experienced firsthand the difficulty that people in many parts of the state have making a simple cell phone call or connecting to the internet.  Following the 2018 election, Mary attended a listening session in Milwaukee hosted by Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, where she shared her concern over the lack of broadband access the state's less-populated areas. Governor Evers agreed with Mary and invited her to attend the Budget Address as one of his special guests. He introduced her during his speech, where he announced a plan to increase funding for state broadband grants.  You can watch Mary's time in the spotlight on Wisconsin Eye.  Congratulation to Mary McIlvaine, and thanks for making your voice heard.

  Telemarketers Still Bothering Consumers

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has released its list of Top Ten Consumer Complaints for 2018, with telemarketing once again ranking as the most common complaint.  Even more frustrating, the number of telemarketing complaints was actually up 17% over 2017.  Overall, more than 40% of the complaints received by DATCP involved telemarketing.  Many of these complaints involved calls from scammers, seeking to gain personal information and not abiding by the Do Not Call list.  Landlord/tenant issues were the second most frequent complaint.  The full list is below, including links to more information.  To file a consumer complaint with DATCP, visit their website or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-422-7128.