According to a press release today, Gov. Tony Evers has enacted the 2023–25 biennial budget with improvements by using his broad, constitutional veto authority, providing a historic increase in support to local communities for the first time in a decade, investing more than $1 billion in public education, making one of the largest state investments in workforce housing, investing in infrastructure, supporting Wisconsin farmers, and providing tax relief to working families, among several other critical priorities.
Highlights of the 2023–25 biennial budget and Gov. Evers’ line-item vetoes include but are not limited to:
- A generational increase in shared revenue for local communities, providing a $275 million boost in state aid to localities by funding the supplemental county and municipal aid program created by 2023 Wisconsin Act 12;
- An overall increase of nearly $1.2 billion in spendable authority for public school districts, a $325 per pupil increase on revenue limits in each fiscal year, and an increase in the low revenue ceiling from $10,000 to $11,000 per pupil in the first year of the biennium;
- One of the largest state investments in workforce housing — $525 million — in state history;
- Several key investments in Wisconsin’s roads, including $555.5 million to fund transportation projects underway or under development;
- The provision of $125 million to address and prevent PFAS contamination statewide and several investments in projects across the state that support the conservation and preservation of natural resources;
- Investments to support Wisconsin farmers, farm families, and the agricultural industry as a whole, including the provision of $1 million GPR in each year to help build Wisconsin’s agricultural brand in international markets and increase agricultural exports through the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports program (WIAE);
- Tax relief for working families by reducing the individual income tax rates for the bottom two income tax brackets to provide $175 million of individual income tax reductions over the next two years;
- Investments in child care for working parents ensuring $15 million in fiscal year 2023–24 at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. can be used for grants to child care providers rather than loans; and
- Support for the UW System, allowing the retention of employees with work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion on UW System campuses.
