Dear Friends,
When Governor Evers introduced his budget, one thing was very clear: our state couldn’t afford it. He spent our record surplus and billions more. The governor wanted to increase spending by $1,000 for every resident in the state, He raised taxes by more than one billion dollars, and eliminated reforms that led to our strong economy.
Governor Evers likes to call his expensive plan ‘the people’s budget’ probably because every person in the state was going to pay for all of that spending. We have worked hard to craft a budget that benefits everyone in Wisconsin, not just a couple of counties. Instead of growing government, we invested heavily in the priorities of the people across Wisconsin.
Our budget uses the money the taxpayers have already provided and funds many of the same priorities Governor Evers outlined like schools, roads, and health care. Unlike the governor, we are not raising or shifting taxes. We are lowering taxes. Our budget delivers more than $500 million in tax relief. Despite what you may have read, Republicans are actually cutting property taxes by $59 million.
To fix our roads, we are providing the largest increase in new revenue into our Department of Transportation in a generation. This revenue helps keep road projects off the state's credit cards. Not only do we borrow a lot less than governor, it's the lowest level of bonding since the 2001-2003 budget. While we are bonding less, we are making sure important projects like rebuilding the I-43 North-South Corridor reconstruction on track.
Republicans proved you can be pro-kid AND pro-taxpayer. This budget provides the largest total investment in actual dollars to K-12 education in the history of the state. Our budget is sustainable and doesn’t dig a Doyle-sized deficit in the future.
Wisconsinites deserve to take pride in their budget, and we believe this budget gives them just that. We made targeted investments in people, not programs. I would like to thank all of the service agencies that have put in countless hours and effort to help this process run smoothly.
The state budget still must be approved by both the State Senate and the State Assembly. It's my hope Governor Evers see that Republicans made a good faith effort to support many of his priorities and still hold the line on taxes.
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.wi.gov
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On, Wisconsin!
