McDowell, Kelly Create Wisconsin
McGann, Michelle BetMGM, LLC
McGann, Michelle DraftKings Inc.
McGann, Michelle FanDuel Group, Inc.
McGann, Michelle FBG Enterprises Opco, LLC
McIntosh, Forbes Imagine MKE
McIntosh, Forbes WISCONSIN CABLE COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION
Mead, Collin Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
Moore, Thomas Association of Dental Support Organizations
Moore, Thomas Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
Moore, Thomas WPPI Energy
Mugnaini, Jason Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
Murray, Ryan Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.
Murray, Ryan Alliant Energy
Murray, Ryan American Society of Interior Designers
Murray, Ryan America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)
Murray, Ryan CVS Health
Murray, Ryan International Interior Design Association
Murray, Ryan Stockbridge-Munsee Community
Murray, Ryan Tesla, Inc.
Murray, Ryan Union Pacific Railroad Company
Murray, Ryan Wisconsin Mortgage Bankers Association
Murray, Ryan Zillow Group, Inc.
Petersen, Eric Sellers Dorsey & Associates, LLC
Reader, Chris IRG Action Fund
Rogowski, Michael Francis Energy
Rogowski, Michael Independent Physicians Network (IPN)
Rogowski, Michael LeadingAge Wisconsin
Rollins, Luke RELX Inc.
Romportl, Daniel Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists
Rothschild, Matthew Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Rude, Nels NetChoice
Sauer, John LeadingAge Wisconsin
Schweitzer, Alicia Coalition of Ignition Interlock Manufacturers
Sepic, Savannah Alliant Energy
Shepherd, Jeremey Bellin Gundersen Health System, Inc.
Sickel, Paul SEIU Wisconsin State Council
Speer, Beverly Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Spencer, Matthew Madison Gas & Electric Company
Trawicki, Dan Wisconsin Game Preserve Association
Vander Wiele, Rachel Independent Physicians Network (IPN)
Vander Wiele, Rachel LeadingAge Wisconsin
VerVelde, Rachel Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
White, Katie The ALS Association
White, Katie Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists
Wilson, A.J. Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists
Zelenkova, Ramie Binti, Inc.
Zelenkova, Ramie Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists
Sincerely,
DANIEL A. CARLTON, JR.
Administrator
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President Kapenga appointed Senators Wanggaard and Pfaff to escort his Excellency, the Governor, to the Joint Convention.
Senator LeMahieu, with unanimous consent, asked that the Senate recess until 6:45 p.m. and proceed as 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.
6:35 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 Address.
6:45 P.M.
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In Assembly Chamber
In Joint Convention
7:00 P.M.
Senate President Kapenga 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
“Good evening, Wisconsin!
Honorable Supreme Court Justices, Tribal Nation leaders, constitutional officers, Maj. Gen. Knapp, members of the Wisconsin National Guard and active and retired members of our armed forces, cabinet members, Sen. President Kapenga, Majority Leader LeMahieu, Minority Leader Agard, Speaker Vos, and Minority Leader Neubauer, legislators, distinguished guests, and to all of the Wisconsinites joining us, whether you’re here in the gallery or watching from home, thanks so much for being here tonight.
I’m Tony Evers, and I’m proud to be standing here tonight as the 46th governor of the great state of Wisconsin to deliver my fifth State of the State address. It’s good to be back!
My son, Nick, and his wife, Landa, are with us tonight. And my former kindergarten classmate, Kathy, is up in the gallery. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last year, and this year will be celebrating our 54th year of going to the Wisconsin State Fair together. Kathleen Frances, thank you for your relentless support, understanding, humor, and insight. I love you so much.
On May 29, 1848, President Polk signed a bill making Wisconsin a state. That means, in 2023, we’ll be celebrating Wisconsin’s 175th birthday. And I am proud to report to you tonight that in 175 years of statehood, our state has never been in a better fiscal position than it is today.
When we began our work together four years ago, our roads and bridges were in disrepair. We’d sent back tens of millions of your tax dollars to Washington, D.C. that could’ve been used to expand high-speed internet. Our school rankings dropped to 18th in the country at one point. Support for our university system had been cut by hundreds of millions of dollars. And our state was not actively working to address climate change or invest in clean energy.
Well, I’m proud to say that the state of our state is much different today. We’ve gotten to work fixing the darn roads—I even helped fill some of those potholes myself, by the way. And as I stand here tonight, I’m proud to report we’ve worked together to repair and improve over 5,800 miles of roads and nearly 1,600 bridges across our state.
We’ve also gotten back on track preparing our state, our workforce, and our economy for this century. Over the last four years, we’ve allocated more than $340 million into expanding high-speed internet—more than any administration in state history. More than 387,000 homes and businesses will have new or improved access to reliable, high-speed internet, and I want to double that number by the end of this term. And together we will.
We also created the Council on Health Equity and charged them with preparing a blueprint for reducing and eliminating health disparities across our state. We created the state’s first-ever plan to respond to and mitigate the effects of climate change. And I signed an executive order creating the first-ever Office of Environmental Justice to develop strategies that will help us address disparate impacts of climate change in communities across the state. Our state now has a Clean Energy Plan with strategies to help lower energy bills for working families, reduce our reliance on out-of-state energy sources, invest in job training and apprenticeship programs in innovative industries and technologies, and create an estimated more than 40,000 jobs by 2030.
I also kept my promises: I vetoed every bill that restricted reproductive freedom; we delivered a 10 percent tax cut for working families; we increased investments in public transit and our university system and technical colleges; we convened a Blue Ribbon Commission to help develop solutions and create opportunities for Wisconsin’s veterans. And last October, we took the Commission’s recommendations and announced $10 million to support veterans’ mental health, create a rental assistance program for homeless veterans, and to expand veterans’ access to skills and jobs training.
We’ve gotten to work these last four years making smart, strategic investments—and our state’s economy shows it. Over the last four years, unemployment has hit record lows, and we had the highest number of people employed ever. Our state has a AAA bond credit rating for the first time in about 40 years—that means we’re able to get lower interest rates and save your tax dollars. Our general fund and ‘rainy day fund’ both ended the last fiscal year at the highest levels ever in our state’s 175-year history. We’re now expected to end the current biennium with about $6.5 billion in our state coffers and over $1.7 billion in the ‘rainy day fund.’
And that’s great news, Wisconsin. It means we can continue our progress making the wise investments we’ve long needed to—and not because anyone wants to make government bigger, but because Wisconsinites want a government that works, and works better. We have roads and bridges to fix, schools to fund, kids to support, communities to keep safe, water to keep clean, and a future we’ve built together after years of neglect that, today, we must work to protect.
We’ve worked to invest in public education at every level after a decade of disinvestment. We passed the largest increase in special education aid in state history. Our K-12 schools have now returned to the top 10 in the country.
But we also know our current funding system is not sustainable. For years, communities have raised their own property taxes to keep their local schools afloat. And while some school districts have successfully passed referenda to help keep the school lights on, many have tried and failed. This system means drastic differences in outcomes for our kids—creating winners and losers, haves and have-nots.
Doing what’s best for our kids has always been what’s best for our state. And, today, we can afford to do more. So, I am going to deliver on the promise I made before the election to use a portion of our state’s historic surplus to make an historic investment in our kids and our schools.
We’re going to make targeted investments to improve reading and literacy outcomes and expand financial literacy curriculum across our state. We’re going to invest $20 million to increase literacy-related programming and implement evidence-based reading practices across Wisconsin. And our “Do the Math” initiative will help ensure our kids have the tools and skills to make smart budgeting and financial decisions to prepare for their future.
We also know that if we want to get our kids caught up and achieving at their highest potential, then we need to reduce and keep class sizes small. Schools need resources to retain experienced educators and recruit new, talented folks to join our classrooms. I’m proposing a pathway to get experienced educators back into our workforce by making it easier for school districts to hire retired teachers and staff. And we’re going to invest over $20 million into recruiting, developing, and retaining teachers and student teachers, including $10 million for our local, homegrown educators, to bolster our educator pipeline and ensure it’s sustainable for the future.
We also have work to do to get our kids caught up from the past few years. We all want to improve outcomes and ensure our kids are prepared for success. And I believe that together we will. And we’ll start by making sure our kids can bring their full and best selves to our schools and our classrooms.
We cannot overstate the profound impact that the past few years have had on our kids in many ways—and that includes their mental health. According to the Office of Children’s Mental Health’s 2022 Report, about a third of our kids experience feelings of sadness and hopelessness nearly every day—a 10-percent increase over the last decade.
Kids in crisis are often distracted or disengaged in class, might not be able to finish their homework, and won’t be able to focus on their studies at home or at school. Improving student mental health can also improve student learning outcomes and school attendance, while reducing bullying, risky behaviors, violence, involvement in the juvenile justice system, and substance misuse.
So, over the last year, we doubled our investment in our “Get Kids Ahead” initiative—investing $30 million of our federal pandemic relief funds to provide every Wisconsin public school district with new resources to expand school-based mental health services. Tonight, I’m announcing we’re going to make “Get Kids Ahead” a permanent state program, and we’re investing more than $270 million to ensure every student has access to mental health services.
The last few years have affected our kids’ mental and behavioral health—and adults’ mental health, too. We’ve seen record-high opioid-related overdose deaths, and Wisconsin’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline received 6,000 calls just in the first month of its launch this past July.
