Gov. Evers: “Wisconsinites are sick and tired of having a do-nothing Legislature.”

Republicans to reject middle-class tax cuts, property tax relief to prevent property tax increases statewide, plans to lower out-of-pocket costs for child care, medication, and household goods, measures to crack down on prescription price gouging and health insurance transparency, investments to improve kids’ reading and literacy outcomes, support for Wisconsin’s farmers and veterans, efforts to get harmful contaminants out of Wisconsinites’ water, statewide plans to improve public safety and keep kids and families safe, and measures to bolster high-need sectors of the workforce, among other key priorities

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers today released a statement blasting Republican lawmakers, including members of the state budget committee, who today are poised to gut Gov. Evers’ proposed two-year state budget—the most pro-kid budget in state history-during 2025 the Year of the Kid. Republican lawmakers later today are set to vote to strip more than 600 proposals from Gov. Evers’ pro-kid budget.

Republicans today plan to vote against middle-class tax relief, more than half a billion dollars in property tax relief to prevent property tax increases on the average homeowners in their own districts, efforts to lower out-of-pocket costs for child care, medication, and household goods, measures to crack down on prescription price gouging and health insurance transparency, investments to improve kids’ reading and literacy outcomes, support for Wisconsin’s farmers and veterans, efforts to get harmful contaminants out of Wisconsin’s water supply, measures to bolster high-need sectors of the state’s workforce, and statewide plans to improve public safety and keep kids and families safe, among several other critical provisions. 

“In 2025 the Year of the Kid in Wisconsin, I introduced the most pro-kid budget of any governor in our state's history, because I believe doing what's best for our kids is what’s best for our state. But, today, Republican lawmakers are gutting my budget that did what's best for our kids and the folks, families, and communities that raise them,” said Gov. Evers. 

“While Wisconsinites struggle to keep up with rising costs, Republicans are rejecting my plan to lower out-of-pocket costs on everything from utility bills to over-the-counter medication, including voting against over half a billion dollars in property tax relief to prevent property taxes from going up statewide. While Wisconsinites are struggling to afford the life-saving healthcare and prescriptions they need, Republicans today are gutting my plan to crack down on health insurers and prescription drug companies, combat prescription drug price gouging, and cap the cost of insulin. While working families are struggling to find and afford child care, Republicans today are going to axe my plan to help lower the cost of child care, cut wait times, and get more kids into available child care slots,” Gov. Evers continued. “After today, Republican lawmakers will be on-record voting against efforts to help keep our kids and families safe, ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean and safe drinking water, prevent property tax increases, invest in mental health services for veterans, support to help farmers navigate reckless tariffs and trade wars, and so much more. 

“The most frustrating part for me as governor is that Republicans consistently reject basic, commonsense proposals that can help kids, families, farmers, seniors, and Wisconsinites across our state, all while Republicans offer no real or meaningful alternative of their own. Republicans talk a lot about what they’re against, but not what they’re for,” Gov. Evers said. “There are real and pressing challenges facing our state, whether it’s rising costs, deteriorating water quality, kids’ reading outcomes, generational workforce challenges, or anything in between, and Republican lawmakers have gotten away with doing nothing for far too long. Wisconsinites are sick and tired of having a do-nothing Legislature. Republicans must get serious about getting things done.”

The governor encourages Wisconsinites to contact their state lawmakers in the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate to voice their opinions on the 600 proposals Republicans plan to gut Gov. Evers’ pro-kid budget.

Wisconsinites can go to maps.legis.wisconsin.gov and enter their Wisconsin home address to find the contact information for their state representative in the Assembly and their state senator in the Senate.  

Wisconsinites may also email Republican lawmakers who serve on the state budget committee and are poised to gut Gov. Evers’ pro-kid budget on behalf of their Republican colleagues by clicking the links below:  

• State Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) 
• State Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) 
• State Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) 
• State Sen. Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond) 
• State Sen. Julian Bradley (R-New Berlin) 
• State Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood) 
• State Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) 
• State Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) 
• State Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls) 
• State Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) 
• State Rep. Alex Dallman (R-Green Lake) 
• State Rep. Karen Hurd (R-Withee) 

Below is a summary of the more than 600 proposals Republicans oppose and are poised to gut from Gov. Evers’ proposed state budget.

1. Republicans to Vote Against Middle-Class Tax Cuts, More Than Half a Billion Dollars in Property Tax Relief, Preventing Property Tax Increases for Average Homeowners in Their Own Districts, and Plans to Lower Everyday, Out-of-Pocket Costs for Wisconsinites and Working Families on Everything from Utility Bills to Diapers to Toothpaste.

Gov. Evers has spent months urging Republican lawmakers to support his plan to help lower everyday, out-of-pocket costs for working families in order to respond to reckless tariff taxes and trade wars in Washington that are going to continue to cause prices to go up on everything from groceries to gas. As part of his pro-kid budget, Gov. Evers proposed a comprehensive plan to help support Wisconsin’s kids by doing more to help the Wisconsinites and working families who raise them but are already struggling to make ends meet. 

Gov. Evers’ comprehensive plan to lower everyday, out-of-pocket costs for working Wisconsinites and families from child care and groceries to utility bills, life-saving medications, doctor visits, and everything in between. The governor’s lowering cost plan proposed nearly $2 billion in tax relief across efforts to prevent property tax increases for the average Wisconsin homeowner, exempt several household items and expenses from the sales tax, and cut taxes for middle-class Wisconsinites, seniors, veterans, homeowners, and renters.  

Republicans on the state’s budget committee are voting today to gut Gov. Evers’ plan to help lower everyday, out-of-pocket costs for Wisconsinites and working families across our state that would have:  

• Prevented property tax increases statewide for the average Wisconsin homeowner by providing Wisconsinites more than half a billion dollars in property tax relief, including $237 million over the biennium for veterans, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and others struggling to afford the property taxes on their homes;
• Eliminated the tax on cash tips, which would have ensured Wisconsinites across the state kept $13.6 million more of their hard-earned money in their pockets over the next two years alone;  
• Eliminated the sales tax on everyday household items and costs, including things like over-the-counter medications and utility bills, which would have saved Wisconsinites more than $261 million over the biennium; and 
• Provided more than $116 million in meaningful tax relief for working families by enhancing the Earned Income Tax Credit.

2. Republicans to Vote Against Plans to Help Fill Available Child Care Slots, Cut Child Care Wait Lists, and Lower the Cost of Child Care for Working Families Across Wisconsin.

Additionally, to help families keep more money in their household budgets and support the state’s workforce, the governor’s budget would have included more than $500 million to make child care more affordable and accessible for working families and support child care providers statewide. Republican lawmakers today are voting to gut:  

• Over $480 million for the successful Child Care Counts Program, which has been a lifeline for local child care providers, ensuring they can pay their staff and keep their doors open and lights on without raising tuition rates; and
• Efforts to support employer-sponsored child care initiatives to assist employers in addressing their workforce’s child care challenges. 

3. Republicans to Vote Against Cracking Down on Health Insurers, Auditing Insurance Companies for Denying Wisconsinites’ Healthcare Claims at High Rates, Requiring Insurers to Cover More Services No Questions Asked, Preventing Surprise Medical Charges and Bills, and Cutting Medical Appointment Wait and Travel Times Statewide. 

Gov. Evers hears from Wisconsinites all the time that they don’t feel like they are getting a fair shake when it comes to their healthcare coverage. As part of his state budget plan, Gov. Evers proposed sweeping reforms to make sure Wisconsinites can get the health insurance coverage they pay for, crack down on health insurers for denying Wisconsinites’ healthcare claims, cut red tape across the healthcare industry, improve insurance transparency, and lower out-of-pocket costs so Wisconsinites can get the healthcare they need, when and where they need it.

Republicans on the state’s budget committee are voting today to gut Gov. Evers’ proposed comprehensive overhaul of the state’s healthcare and health insurance industry, including:  

• Auditing insurers that deny claims at high rates and helping Wisconsinites fight denied claims;  
• Requiring health insurers to list covered services up front;  
• Preventing surprise charges or bills;  
• Reducing appointment wait times and enabling Wisconsinites to get care closer to home;  
• Requiring insurers to cover more services—no delays, no hassle, and no questions asked; and  
• Providing a grace period for unpaid medical debt.

4. Republicans to Vote Against Efforts to Fight Prescription Drug Price Gouging, Crack Down on Prescription Drug Companies, and Lower Wisconsinites’ Out-of-Pocket Costs for Prescriptions, Insulin, and Over-the-Counter Medication. 

According to a 2023 national survey by KFF, more than a quarter of adults in America reported that it is somewhat or very difficult to afford the cost of their prescription drugs, with about 30 percent of adults reporting that they did not take their medications as prescribed in the past year due to cost. Additionally, a 2024 Public Policy Polling survey found that 89 percent of Wisconsin voters, including 84 percent of Republicans, believe that lowering costs for prescription drugs would help people afford the cost of living. 

Despite these widespread challenges, Republicans on the state’s budget committee are voting today to eliminate proposals that would prevent prescription price gouging, improve oversight, and lower out-of-pocket medication costs, including:  

• Eliminating the sales tax on over-the-counter medications;  
• Establishing a $35 copay cap on insulin to ensure insulin is affordable for all Wisconsinites; 
• Creating an Insulin Safety Net Program to ensure folks never need to choose between rationing insulin and meeting other basic needs;   
• Establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board to oversee the pharmaceutical industry and drug market;    
• Creating a Prescription Drug Importation Program that would allow the state to import drugs that would create substantial savings for Wisconsin consumers and taxpayers;    
• Directing the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to study the creation of a state prescription drug purchasing entity;  
• Establish the Office of Prescription Drug Affordability to oversee the prescription drug regulatory provisions enacted under this budget and further analyze and develop policy initiatives to continue reducing prescription drug costs; and 
• Licensing and regulating entities involved in the prescription drug supply chain, among other provisions.

5. Republicans to Vote Against Statewide Efforts to Clean Up Lead, PFAS, and Other Harmful Contaminants, Reject Millions of Dollars in Investments to Ensure Kids, Families, and Farmers Have Access to Safe and Clean Drinking Water. 

Whether it’s kids in the classroom, families at home, or farmers and agricultural industries, Wisconsinites’ health, well-being, and way of life depend on access to clean, safe water. Gov. Evers’ budget proposed plans to combat PFAS contamination statewide, protect kids and families from harmful water contaminants in 2025 the Year of the Kid, and expand access to clean and safe drinking water for Wisconsinites across our state. 

Republicans on the state’s budget committee are voting today to eliminate proposals that would have invested over $145 million to address PFAS contamination across Wisconsin, from private well owners to municipalities, and across surface, drinking, and groundwater, including:  

• Using $125 million of already-approved funds to provide grants to municipalities for the investigation and response to PFAS contamination statewide; 
• Protecting innocent landowners like farmers who unknowingly spread biosolids containing PFAS; 
• Helping private well owners sample and test their private wells through the county well testing grant program; 
• Supporting PFAS sampling, testing, and research statewide; 
• Investing in emergency resources to provide safe, bottled water to households and communities impacted by water contamination; and 
• Rulemaking to create Wisconsin’s first-ever groundwater standards. 

No level of lead exposure is considered safe for kids—even a small exposure can affect a kid for life, reducing learning capacity and affecting academic achievement. It is why Gov. Evers’ budget plans would have also addressed lead poisoning in homes, schools, and communities across the state by investing over $300 million in numerous initiatives aimed at removing lead service lines and keeping Wisconsinites’ drinking water and environment free from lead, including relaunching the Windows Plus Program to support lead-safe renovations. 

To address the urgent need for lead prevention, most especially in spaces that care for Wisconsin’s youth and kids, such as schools, daycares, and more, the governor’s over $300 million investment that Republicans on the state’s budget committee are voting today to eliminate would have included:  

• Over $100 million to relaunch the Windows Plus Program to support lead-safe renovations; 
• $200 million for lead service line replacement in homes, schools, and communities statewide; and 
• Over $6 million for lead poisoning and exposure prevention, especially for kids. 

6. Republicans in 2025 the Year of the Kid to Vote Against Providing Healthy Meals for Every Wisconsin Kid in School, Investments to Improve Kids’ Reading and Literacy Outcomes, Expanding Financial Literacy and Computer Science Classes, Getting Harmful Contaminants Out of School Bubblers, and Helping Recruit and Retain Teachers Statewide. 

Gov. Evers has always believed that what’s best for kids is what’s best for our state. That’s why the governor—a former teacher, principal, superintendent, and state superintendent—declared 2025 the Year of the Kid in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers was proud to propose the most pro-kid budget of any governor and any budget in our state’s history and ask Republican lawmakers to approve a state budget that does what’s best for our kids at every stage, in every way, and no matter where they live in our state. 

Gov. Evers knows that we have to do more to improve outcomes for kids, and that means making meaningful investments in public education at every level, including in Wisconsin’s K-12 schools. Instead, Republicans on the state’s budget committee are refusing to do what’s best for Wisconsin’s kids and are set to vote today to gut key initiatives of Gov. Evers’ historic funding proposal to support Wisconsin’s kids and public schools, including:  

• Continuing the governor’s commitment to revenue limit increases to keep up with increasing costs; 
• Ensuring kids are fed at school by providing universal free breakfast and lunch for all students with no stigma and at no cost through the governor’s “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids” initiative;  
• Helping schools modernize bubblers to reduce contaminants in water, including lead and chlorine; 
• Supporting peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs; 
• Improving reading and literacy outcomes through early literacy tutoring grants and summer reading programs;  
• Improving financial literacy statewide through the “Do the Math” initiative;  
• Preparing high school students to be workforce-ready through career and technical education opportunities;  
• Allowing school districts to retain 100 percent of federal funding received for Medicaid school-based services, resulting in school districts receiving approximately an additional $50 million of federal funding; and 
• Ensuring kids receive a 21st-century education by increasing access to computer science curriculums.  

Additionally, Gov. Evers’ budget plan included provisions to help get more teachers into the education workforce to keep class sizes small and ensure kids get the best education possible. Unfortunately, despite education workforce shortages in school districts across the state, today, Republicans will vote to remove provisions to:  

• Allow schools to rehire retired teachers who have experience and expertise in the classroom;  
• Streamline the process for folks who follow a teacher apprenticeship pathway to get their teaching license; and
• Support “Grow Your Own” initiatives that help bring students back to teach in the school districts they graduated from.   

7. Republicans to Vote Against Comprehensive Plans to Reduce Barriers to Work, Expand Apprenticeship Opportunities in High-Demand Fields, and Solutions to Help Recruit, Train, and Retain Workers to Address Wisconsin’s Generational Workforce Challenges.  

Over the past six years, Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration have made it a top priority to address the state’s generational workforce challenges and build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy by making smart, strategic investments in key sectors.  

The governor’s 2025-27 budget would have built upon his administration’s work to support the state’s workforce. Instead, Republicans are voting today to gut:

• Efforts to reduce barriers to work and expand job training opportunities by reestablishing the successful Workforce Innovation Grant Program; 
• Grants to local organizations to address local workforce needs and barriers to work;  
• Investments in the state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program and Fast Forward workforce training opportunities for in-demand fields, including artificial intelligence, teacher apprenticeships, and green jobs training; and  
• Supports to connect workers to jobs, including the highly successful Worker Connection Pilot Program and Youth-to-Registered Apprenticeship supports.  

The governor’s budget would have also provided most private-sector workers in Wisconsin with paid family and medical leave for eight weeks and expanded eligibility to ensure parents and families had the flexibility to meet their personal, family members’, or kids’ needs—a proposal that over 70 percent of Wisconsinites support. 

Additionally, Gov. Evers once again proposed to restore collective bargaining rights and prevailing wage protections, repeal right to work, and bolster protections for wage theft, worker misclassification, and project labor agreements in his 2025-27 budget. Today, Republicans, like they have in previous budgets, are once again planning to gut that proposal. 

8. Republicans to Vote Against Supporting Wisconsin’s Farmers, Producers, and Agricultural Industries, Bolstering Wisconsin’s Meat Processing Workforce, Modernizing Dairy Producer Operations, and Devoting Staff to Help Farmers Navigate Market Disruptions and Economic Volatility Caused by Reckless Tariff Taxes and Trade Wars. 

Here in America’s Dairyland, agriculture is a $116 billion industry. Gov. Evers knows that farmers, farm families, and producers have been the backbone of the state for generations. So, when President Donald Trump announced reckless tariff taxes and started picking fights with Wisconsin’s largest export partners, hurting Wisconsin’s economy and farmers, and driving up costs for gas and groceries, the governor got right to work.

Gov. Evers proposed a state budget that made significant investments to bolster the state’s supply chain and support Wisconsin’s farmers and agricultural industries, including key efforts to help farmers and producers navigate economic volatility and uncertainty caused by irresponsible tariff taxes and trade wars.

Unfortunately, today, Republicans are poised to gut key investments in the governor’s budget proposal to support Wisconsin farmers, farm families, and the agricultural industry as a whole, including funding to:  

• Help farmers and producers connect with local food pantries to strengthen the state’s food supply chain;  
• Create a new pilot program to support projects that improve resilience and modernize operations for dairy producers;  
• Bolster the meat processing workforce to ensure a strong supply chain for producers and consumers;  
• Support programs like the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin and Something Special From Wisconsin Grant Programs that promote marketing of local products, get products into local markets, and reduce food waste; and  
• Help farmers navigate market disruptions and volatility caused by tariffs by providing dedicated support staff, including regional support staff and a dedicated agricultural economist.

9. Republicans to Vote Against Investments to Help Recover and Identify Veterans Missing in Action, Targeted Tax Relief for Veterans and Their Families, and Investments for Veteran Mental Health Services. 

Gov. Evers recognizes that veterans in Wisconsin and across the nation continue to face significant challenges when adjusting to civilian life. That’s why supporting Wisconsin’s veterans and their families and ensuring they have the resources and tools needed to thrive in their civilian lives has been a top priority for Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration since Day One. 

The governor’s proposed budget built upon that important work, proposing investments and provisions that would have helped expand access to healthcare and affordable housing and give veterans more breathing room in their household budgets. Republicans on the state’s budget committee are voting today to eliminate Gov. Evers’ plans that would have:  

• Supported the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project for missions to recover and identify veterans missing in action; 
• Invested in emergency and community-based mental health services for veterans; 
• Expanded access to the Assistance for Needy Veterans Grant by including medical devices as an allowable expense under the program;  
• Provided $23 million in tax relief to veterans and their families by expanding the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit to include renters; 
• Provided an additional $66.5 million in tax relief for disabled veterans and their families by expanding the eligibility for the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit to allow those with disability ratings of 70 percent or greater to claim the credit; 
• Supported peer-run respite centers, including the peer-run respite center for veterans; 
• Established Veterans Day as a state government holiday; 
• Provided tuition fee remission for the UW System for Hmong-Lao Veterans; and 
• Honored veterans’ stories by expanding the oral history collections at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. 

10. Republicans to Vote Against Support for Wisconsin’s Small and Local Businesses to Help Improve and Modernize Their Businesses, Afford Lease and Mortgage Payments, and Foster Innovation and Startup Opportunities. 

Wisconsin’s small businesses are the hearts of Wisconsin’s communities and are important and powerful drivers of the state’s economy. The governor’s budget would have built upon long-standing efforts to support small businesses across the state and included a $50 million investment to relaunch the successful Main Street Bounceback Grant Program, originally funded through federal relief funds, which would have provided as many as 5,000 eligible businesses with grants up to $10,000 to help afford building repairs and improvements, lease and mortgage payments, and defray other expenses that can be a barrier to growing a business.

Additionally, the governor’s budget would have provided $10 million for a Business Accelerator Program, which would help develop research into new startup businesses and provide grants to businesses to assist their growth and development.  

11. Republicans to Vote Against Statewide Plan to Fight Crime, Require Violent Criminal History Checks for All Firearm Purchases, and Key Measures to Improve Public Safety and Keep Wisconsin’s Kids, Families, and Communities Safe. 

Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration have long supported efforts to address crime, prevent gun violence, and bolster efforts to keep kids, families, schools, and communities safe. Earlier this year, Gov. Evers created the state’s new Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention and proposed a comprehensive plan to address crime across Wisconsin while enacting commonsense measures to prevent gun violence to keep kids, families, and communities safe. 

The governor’s budget would have provided his most robust and comprehensive gun safety reform efforts to date and worked to reduce crime, prevent violence, and keep folks and families safe through several critical initiatives and investments. Unfortunately, Republicans on the state’s budget committee today are voting to gut many of these provisions, including:  

• Permanently creating a statewide Office of Violence Prevention in state government to address and fight crime in communities across Wisconsin; 
• Creating the SAFE program, to allow Wisconsinites to temporarily—and voluntarily—register to prevent themselves from purchasing a firearm; 
• Requiring violent history checks and closing the loophole so that everyone goes through a background check no matter what kind of firearm they are buying or where they are buying it through universal background checks; 
• Ensuring law enforcement and loved ones have the tools they need to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a dangerous risk to themselves or others by implementing a “red flag” law; 
• Requiring firearm sellers to secure firearms when their facilities are unattended; 
• Helping ensure that guns in homes where there are kids or someone is prohibited from possessing a firearm are locked away or have a trigger lock engaged; 
• Ensuring law enforcement is notified immediately when a firearm is lost or stolen; and 
• Restoring Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases. 

For years, Wisconsin’s corrections system has put a strain on resources across the state—from local law enforcement to courts to annual corrections costs to taxpayers—coupled with consistent lack of meaningful investment in evidence-based, data-driven programs proven to reduce recidivism, which help improve public safety and keep kids, families, and communities safe. Gov. Evers’ budget proposed sweeping reforms to Wisconsin corrections, including some of the most significant facility and capital changes in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ (DOC) history. 

In order to accomplish Gov. Evers’ immediate and long-term corrections modernization goals, the governor’s budget proposed a “domino” series of facility changes, improvements, and investments, as well as commonsense policies to address pressing challenges across Wisconsin’s correctional institutions. Republican lawmakers today are poised to vote to reject a number of provisions that would have kicked off the process to reform the state’s corrections system, including:  

• Expanding the Earned Release Program capacity and access at the DOC; 
• Providing eligible individuals who have followed the rules, have not reoffended, and have complied with the terms of their sentence to earn compliance credits toward their supervision; 
• Contracting for community supervision regional recovery coaches to help address the high number of individuals on supervision with substance use recovery needs; 
• Expanding community-based options for the Alternatives to Revocation Program; and  
• Protecting correctional staff at the Green Bay Correctional Institution to ensure skilled and experienced workers have the opportunity to be hired into a different position of the same classification or pay range within the DOC when the facility is later decommissioned as part of the governor’s comprehensive corrections reform package. 

12. Republicans to Vote Against Allowing Wisconsinites to Put Binding Referenda and Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot, Preventing Legislators from Deleting Public Records, Expanding BadgerCare, and Legalizing and Taxing Recreational Marijuana, Among Other Proposals that Reflect the Will of the People of Wisconsin. 

Among the proposals Republican lawmakers are poised to gut from the governor’s budget today also include:  

• Expanding BadgerCare to provide affordable healthcare coverage to more than 90,000 Wisconsinites, save the state $1.9 billion, and draw down another $2.5 billion from the federal government. Despite the support of more than 70 percent of Wisconsinites, Wisconsin is only one of 10 states in the nation and the only state of its Midwest neighbors that has not expanded Medicaid.
• Creating a pathway for Wisconsinites to put binding referenda on the ballot in Wisconsin, enabling Wisconsinites to enact statutory and constitutional changes through a majority vote at the ballot box and without the Wisconsin State Legislature’s approval. 
• Unlike in other states, Wisconsinites do not have the power to propose new laws or constitutional amendments through a binding ballot initiative process, which would otherwise enable the people of Wisconsin to enact policy changes through a simple statewide majority vote.  
• In Wisconsin, only the Legislature can approve and place ballot questions on the ballot, leaving Wisconsinites little recourse when the Legislature fails to enact policies that have broad public support. 
• The governor’s proposal comes as Wisconsinites saw five statewide referenda questions in 2024—the most in a single year in over four decades, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel—all of which were drafted, legislatively passed, and placed on the ballot by Republican lawmakers, largely without direct input from the people of Wisconsin. 
• If Republican lawmakers are going to continue to try and legislate by constitutional amendment, Gov. Evers believes they should give Wisconsinites that same opportunity. 
• Combatting the climate crisis by supporting projects related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage, and energy planning, bolstering the Focus on Energy program to support home efficiency upgrades, and creating a program to work with utilities to fund energy improvements in residential or commercial locations.  
• Creating an automatic voter registration process for eligible voters who have already provided a verified proof of citizenship to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation when applying for a driver’s license.  
• Allowing absentee ballots to be counted the day before an election.  
• Currently, absentee ballots cannot be counted until Election Day, causing delays in election results. 
• Legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana, much like the state already does with alcohol, which would help Wisconsin compete with other states for talented workers and have more resources to invest in critical state priorities—a proposal that over 60 percent of Wisconsinites support.  
• Increasing transparency across state government by making the Wisconsin State Legislature subject to the same open records laws as the rest of state government, preventing lawmakers from being able to delete records.

An online version of this release is available here.