Prepared by the Legislative Reference Bureau
(January 21, 2020)
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Referrals and Receipt of Committee Reports Concerning Proposed Administrative Rules
The committee on Transportation, Veterans and Military Affairs reported and recommended:
Relating to the registered nurse education stipend assistance program.
hist114389Referred to the joint committee for review of Administrative Rules, January 21, 2020. JERRY PETROWSKI
Chairperson
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Messages from the Assembly
By Patrick E. Fuller, chief clerk.
Mr. President:
I am directed to inform you that the Assembly has
Adopted and asks concurrence in:
Passed and asks concurrence in:
Concurred in:
Senate Amendment 1 to Assembly Bill 119
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President Roth appointed Senators Kooyenga and Miller to escort his Excellency, the Governor, to the Joint Convention.
Senator Fitzgerald, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate recess and proceed is a body to the Assembly Chamber to meet in Joint Convention to receive the Governor’s State of the State Address, and further, that the Senate stand adjourned pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, upon the rising of the Joint Convention.
6:30 P.M.
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Recess
The Senate proceeded in a body to the Assembly Chamber to meet in Joint Convention to receive the State of the State Message.
6:45 P.M.
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In Assembly Chamber
In Joint Convention
7:00 P.M.
Senate President Roth in the chair.
The Committee to wait upon the Governor appeared with his Excellency, the Honorable Governor Tony Evers, who delivered his message as follows:
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State of the State Address
“Honorable Supreme Court Justices, tribal nation leaders, Constitutional Officers, members of the Wisconsin National Guard and active and retired members of our armed forces, cabinet members, Senate President Roth, Majority Leader Fitzgerald, Minority Leader Shilling, Speaker Vos, and Minority Leader Hintz, legislators, distinguished guests, and, most importantly, people of Wisconsin, welcome, and thank you for being here.
My partner in mischief, Kathy, is up in the gallery tonight along with our daughter, Katie, our son-in-law Collin, our son, Nick, and our daughter-in-law Landa. Thank you for your love and support—I love you all.
I’m Tony Evers, and I’m incredibly proud to be here as the 46th governor of the great state of Wisconsin to deliver my second State of the State Address.
As I reflect on my first year in office, although there were setbacks and occasional political posturing—what I call ‘huffing and puffing’—we also had a lot of success, and I am proud of everything we accomplished in just a year’s time.
One of the best parts of my job is getting out of the Capitol and visiting with people all across our state. And holy mackerel, that’s what we did. Lieutenant Governor Barnes and I both visited all 72 Wisconsin counties this past year. Actually, the bad news is that Lieutenant Governor Barnes and I raced to see who could be the first to visit all 72 counties. He beat me by about five days. But the good news is that we’re just a few weeks into 2020, and I’ve already got a head start on him this year.
This past year we also brought science back to the state of Wisconsin. And we acknowledged that climate change exists, and it’s a threat we need to start taking seriously. Lieutenant Governor Barnes is the chair of the Climate Change Task Force, working with local governments, industry and business leaders, and people from across our state on our environment, stewardship, and sustainability—thanks, Lieutenant Governor Barnes, for your good work.
I was also proud to sign executive orders affirming equity, inclusion, respect, and dignity for state workers in Wisconsin. Last year, I visited every single one of our agencies to thank our employees and hear about the good work they’re doing for our state. We should be proud of the folks who serve Wisconsinites every day, and I look forward to continuing to listen and elevating their voices and work.
I also promised that criminal justice reform would be a central focus of my administration. Although we have a lot of work to do on this issue, we made some important progress this year. For the first time in more than eight years, a governor stepped foot inside of one of our correctional facilities—and actually, not just one, I visited 6. And the Wisconsin Parole Commission is working to make sure we get our parole system back on track. Our Parole Commission chair, John Tate II, is here with us in the gallery tonight, and has been doing a great job. Thanks for all your work on this important issue, John.
Part of reforming our criminal justice system is believing in forgiveness and the power of redemption—things that I think speak to the character of our state. This past year, I also made good on my campaign promise to reinstate the pardon review board. We granted the first pardons in our state in nine years, offering forgiveness and a second chance to folks who’ve made amends in their lives and communities. Congratulations to Katie and Annette who are two of the folks we’ve pardoned since taking office and they are up in the gallery—thank you for being here tonight.
In my last State of the State Address, I asked the legislature to set politics aside so we could work together on the issues facing our state. I said I expected bills to be passed with broad support and in the spirit of bipartisanship. So, one of the things I’m most proud of is that more than 95 percent of the bills I signed my first year in office had bipartisan support. And, by golly, folks worked together on some important issues.
Representative Loudenbeck, Representative Kolste, Senator Kooyenga, and Senator Bewley came together to work on expanding access to healthcare in rural areas by making sure that Medicaid covers telehealth services in Wisconsin. And thanks to Senator Bernier, Senator Schachtner, Representative Zimmerman, and Representative Brostoff, voters will not be denied their right to vote because they have a disability. Because of Representative Thiesfeldt, Representative Bowen, Senator Johnson, and Senator Darling’s good work, we signed a bill to train commercial drivers on recognizing and preventing human trafficking in Wisconsin. These bills exemplify what we can accomplish when we’re focused on what unites us rather than what divides us, so thank you all for your good work.
