Kammer, Peter NetChoice
Kinser, Brittany City Forward Collective, Inc.
Kussow, Matthew Timbavati Wildlife Park
Kussow, Matthew Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools
Lamb, Jordan Sanofi US (FKA Sanofi-Aventis)
Langenohl, Tony Pfizer Inc.
Legreid, Brad Wisconsin Dairy Products Association Inc
Leibham, Joe Coalition of Ignition Interlock Manufacturers
McCoshen, William Pfizer Inc.
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.
_____________
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.
_____________
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.
