MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers took to the podium Wednesday night at the Wisconsin State Capitol for his seventh State of the State address, where he addressed success in cutting taxes and building the economy.
“We begin this year with, I believe, an urgent need- and a mandate- to find common ground,” said Evers.
He laid out his 2024 accomplishments with first addressing tax cuts. According to Wisconsin Policy Forum, Wisconsin’s state and local burden dropped to a new record low in 2024. He further touted this accomplishment by saying he helped approve the largest tax cut in state history.
“All told, through the income tax cuts I’ve signed into law, most Wisconsinites have seen a 15 percent income tax cut,” he said. “Folks will see $1.5 billion in tax relief each year, primarily target to the middle class,” said Gov. Evers.
Gov. Evers then highlighted the state’s accomplishments with building the economy. In his 2024, he dubbed it as “The Year of the Worker.”
“We reported nine counties with the lowest rates of unemployment on record. Wisconsin ended last year with seven consecutive months of record-high employment.”
He also boasted about his success in launching the first-ever teacher apprenticeship pilot program. He said the program aims to retain new teachers and bolster our education workforce.
During 2024, the governor said he helped strengthen the state’s workforce by welcoming billions of dollars in investments from global companies. Those companies include Microsoft, Eli Lilly and Company and Kikkoman. He said thousands of jobs will be created in the state from this investment.
Along with job growth, he also touted on improving the state’s programs and bringing them up to the speed of the 21st century.
“Folks can apply for or renew their professional licenses online. And get this! Wisconsinites no longer have to use a fax machine to send in some of their materials.”
Driving the importance of education, Gov. Evers stated, “We have to do more to improve outcomes for our kids.”
He declared 2024 “The Year of the Kid”, as he stressed the importance of setting up students for success.
“Kids in class should be focused on learning, not wondering when or whether they’ll eat next.
In his budget, he said next month he will introduce again the “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids” initiative. Along with making sure students are fed, he also emphasized the importance of kids’ mental health.
“I’m announcing my budget proposal will invest nearly $300 million to provide comprehensive mental health services in schools statewide.” He said improving these resources are a “crucial part of improving outcomes in our classrooms.”
He also discussed the importance of making schools safety as he touted the success of establishing the new Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention. The program works to establish more partnerships and strengthen connections to make communities safer.
He then went into statistics on statewide crimes. He said while major categories of violent crimes are doing down, while the rate of gun deaths in Wisconsin is trending in the opposite direction.
Gov. Evers referenced the two lives lost in the Abundant Life Christian School shooting.
“We cannot let common sense get lost in the debates over whether basic polices could have prevented the most recent school shooting or the one before it, or the one before that. We aren’t here in Madison to quibble about the semantics of the last shooting; we are here to do everything we can to prevent the next one.”
He encouraged stronger background checks and passing “red flag” laws, which would allow for more tools that would not allow guns out of homes when someone is a dangerous risk to themselves or others.
Driving down costs for childcare was another topic Gov. Evers addressed. He touted that he signed a bipartisan bill to expand child and dependent care credit. The bill will go into effect this year. “Over 110,000 Wisconsin taxpayers will see an average benefit of over $650 per filer, totaling nearly $73 million, this year alone.”
During his speech, he also called for bipartisan efforts to address immigration.
“I have always been willing to work with anyone who is willing to do the right thing for the people of Wisconsin,” Evers said. “And that has not changed. But I will not compromise on our Wisconsin values of treating people with kindness, dignity, empathy, and respect.”
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Republicans would introduce legislation next week that requires cooperation with federal law enforcement officials who are working to deport undocumented immigrants who have committed a crime.
Vos added that he feels Wednesday’s address was “a bunch of empty promises and that will not be able to be delivered.”
While he disagrees with Evers’ points, he said that he will continue to focus on three main things.
“Making sure we have high educational standards with any increase in funding for our schools. We are going to make sure if someone is here illegally and commits a crime, they are going to be deported by cooperating with ICE,” said Vos. ”Most importantly we are not going to spend the surplus on growing the size of government. We are going to spend it by giving tax relief of almost 1,000 dollars to everyone in Wisconsin.”
Gov. Evers wrapped up his speech by emphasizing the importance of investing in the future, while not stretching beyond need. “We must continue to go, as ever, forward, together.”
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