Dear Friends, According to Census Bureau Data, Illinois is losing 313 residents a day . The data shows 40 of them are headed to Wisconsin. While some may have mixed feelings about adding so many Bears fans, there are many reasons why they are leaving Illinois for Wisconsin. Illinois is in deep trouble. According to data from the Pew Charitable Trust , only 38% of their state pension is funded. That puts them as the 48th worst in the country. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is ranked number one. Our pension is funded at 103%. A stable pension is the result of careful budgeting and making sure we can cover our liabilities. Another huge issue for Illinois is taxes. The taxes in Illinois keep going up and up, and the state is falling further and further into debt. Here in Wisconsin, we’ve cut taxes by more than $8 billion, eliminated red tape, and delivered responsible budgets year after year. This budget was no different. When Governor Evers announced his Illinois-style budget, we couldn't let our state go down that road. We sent him a plan that was responsible, affordable, and sustainable. Unlike Illinois, our state is running a surplus. In fact, we started with $1 billion more revenue than we initially anticipated. So instead of taxing you more like the governor wanted, we were able to fund important priorities with the money you have already provided. While we were able to fix most of Governor Evers' budget, his vetoes made a lot of things worse. You can read more about that below. As always, if you have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our great state, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 608-266-5830 or by email at Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov. On, Wisconsin!

Evers Vetoes Money Away From Road Repair

This week, I joined nine other Senators in calling for Governor Evers to keep his promise to fix the roads. We sent a letter to Transportation Secretary designee Craig Thompson, urging him to fix the roads, not fund the trolley. Republicans invested $90 million to fix roads and bridges in our state. The governor used his veto pen to steal $15 million in crucial funding, and he wants to divert even more money away from fixing the roads.  His veto means he can transfer money to fund Mayor Barrett's trolley folly. The governor is breaking a promise he made to the people of Wisconsin and being irresponsible with taxpayer money. You can read their letter here .

Governor's Vetoes Threaten Healthcare

While I’m pleased the governor signed most of the budget, many of his vetoes create uncertainty and hurt many Wisconsin residents. Governor Evers has the most powerful veto pen in the nation and unfortunately, he wasn’t very responsible with it.   Wisconsin’s personal care workers are in a state of crisis. As the population continues to age, these workers need to be valued and recruited. Republicans made record investments into personal care workers by increasing funds by $36.9 million, more than five times what Evers invested.   Meanwhile, Evers vetoed a provision that would have directed the Department of Workforce Development to work on attracting and retaining more personal care workers. It’s clear that while the Governor tries to take a victory lap on the Republican investment into personal care workers, he is playing politics by vetoing other policies that can help these workers. Governor Evers also eliminated funding for job training for able-bodied adults with school-age kids. It’s a program that is successful at helping people on welfare obtain meaningful employment. Welfare programs should be a safety net, not a way of life. This training would have helped able-bodied adults obtain meaningful employment, yet Evers vetoed it because he’d rather have people on welfare than working. That's not the Wisconsin way.

Around the 8th...

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