29. Increases in Mileage Aid Payments
This section increases the mileage aid payments in the general transportation aids program to $2,789 in calendar year 2024 and $2,845 in calendar year 2025 – thereby providing 2 percent increases to the mileage reimbursement rate in both of these calendar years. This section also includes 2 percent increases in calendar year 2024 and calendar year 2025 for the general transportation aids program for both counties and municipalities.
I am partially vetoing the section to delete the mileage aid payment increases because I object to providing further increases to mileage aid when the disparate impact of 2011 Wisconsin Act 32 on the mileage aid versus share of cost aid components of the general transportation aids formula remains unaddressed. The nearly 6.0 percent reduction signed into law by 2011 Wisconsin Act 32 fell entirely on share of cost awardees in the formula. As a result of my veto, this disparate treatment based on the formula component that a locality relies upon is reduced. My veto also retains the 2 percent increases in funding for both calendar year 2024 and calendar year 2025 for the general transportation aids program as provided by this section. 30. Dignitary Protection Unit
Section 387
This section requires the Department of Transportation to maintain a dignitary protection unit. The section further identifies Justices of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin as state officers eligible for protection by the dignitary protection unit.
Ensuring the safety of all public officials and institutions, including our judges and our courts, must be a top priority. Under current law, the department may already assign state traffic officers to protect state officers, including Justices of the Supreme Court. I support ensuring that state traffic officers may be assigned to protect Justices of the Supreme Court, and I believe more can be done to bolster this important work, including providing the necessary resources to meet the Legislature’s intent. I am vetoing this section as I object to creating redundant directives for the Division of State Patrol that would ultimately limit its flexibility to respond to the dynamic public safety needs of Wisconsin. Further, I object to the fact that this section does not provide additional resources for the State Patrol if the intent is that it provide additional officer assignments.
I welcome the Legislature to continue to work on this critically important issue in partnership with my administration and our courts during this biennium to ensure appropriate security can be provided and properly funded to protect the Justices of the Supreme Court.
31. Freight Rail Preservation Program
Section 9144 (1)
This provision requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the freight rail preservation program and further requires the department to submit a report of this analysis to the Joint Committee on Finance no later than June 30, 2025.
I am vetoing this provision because I object to the Legislature mandating analyses when the department is already able to undertake such actions at its own discretion. I also object to this additional reporting requirement. In lieu of the actions that would have been required under this provision, I am directing the department to update the department’s Intermodal Facility Study.
32. Mississippi River Parkway Commission Administrative Support
Section 9144 (11)
This provision requires the Department of Transportation to assign the equivalent of a 0.1 FTE position from the duties of the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator position to the Mississippi River Parkway Commission for the purpose of providing administrative support to the commission.
I am vetoing this provision because I object to this level of micromanaging of the department. In addition, I am vetoing this section because I object to a legislative mandate of such a limited scale.
33. Fee for Identification Stickers for Electric Vehicles
Section 460
This section creates a $1 fee to pay for the costs of manufacture and distribution of stickers or decals to identify both hybrid electric vehicles and nonhybrid electric vehicles. These stickers or decals are intended to alert emergency personnel of the unique safety concerns of these vehicles.
I am vetoing this section to eliminate the $1 fee that this section would charge the owners of these vehicles because I object to this unnecessary fee. Because of existing registration fees for these vehicles, including an increase to the registration fee for nonhybrid electric vehicles in this budget bill, there is no need to set this fee to cover Department of Transportation costs for these stickers. In addition, a fee of this magnitude would simply be an irritant to state residents owning these vehicles.
34. Opening Avenues to Reentry Success Program
Section 9108 (2)
This provision directs that $2,272,300 GPR from the appropriation under s. 20.410 (1) (ds) in the 2023- 25 biennium be utilized to expand the original Opening Avenues to Reentry Success (OARS) program. I am vetoing this provision because I object to preventing the Department of Corrections from funding the continuation of the Opening Avenues to Reentry Success 2 (OARS2) pilot program. With this veto, the Department of Corrections will be able to both expand the OARS program and continue the OARS2 pilot program. I continue to be supportive of both the OARS and OARS2 programs and request that the Department of Corrections utilize these additional funds for those programs.
35. Community Reentry Centers
Section 100
This section would create a new appropriation under s. 20.410 (1) (df) for the Department of Corrections to establish and operate community reentry centers. I am partially vetoing this section because I object to including an unworkable appropriation in the budget. My partial veto will remove the reference to s. 301.098 because there is no s. 301.098 under current law nor does this bill create it. While pending legislation on this topic was prepared for the Legislative Council Study Committee on Increasing Offender Employment Opportunities and introduced in the Legislature, there is no language in this bill to identify it. 36. Law Enforcement Overtime Grants
Sections 123 and 423
These sections would eliminate the law enforcement overtime grants program and repeal the corresponding law enforcement overtime grants appropriation under s. 20.455 (2) (jc). I am vetoing these sections because I object to eliminating a program that supports efforts to help keep our kids, our communities, and our state safe by helping our police departments with overtime costs. My budget recommended providing expenditure authority for the Department of Justice to issue law enforcement overtime grants and retaining the appropriation will allow the program to potentially be funded in the future.
37. Consolidated Court Automation Programs
This section provides $12,349,500 PR in fiscal year 2023-24 and $12,248,500 PR in fiscal year 2024-25 in the appropriation under s. 20.680 (2) (j) for the consolidated court automation program. Although there is no language in the budget bill to identify it, the dollar amounts reflect a Joint Committee on Finance motion increasing this appropriation by $2,188,000 PR in each fiscal year to reestimate expenditure authority. I am partially vetoing section 51 [as it relates to s. 20.680 (2) (j)] by lining out the amounts under s. 20.680 (2) (j) and writing in a smaller amount to reduce the appropriation by $2,188,000 PR in each fiscal year because I object to a funding reestimate of this size. I am also requesting the Department of Administration secretary not allot these funds. It is important that reestimates accurately reflect anticipated revenues in order to avoid a deficit in the appropriation. The effect of this veto is to delete the funding increase added by the Legislature and instead implement my recommendation regarding expenditure authority estimates for the consolidated court automation program. As a continuing program revenue appropriation, the expenditure authority for the court information systems appropriation under s. 20.680 (2) (j) may continue to be adjusted under current law procedures. E. PROTECTING & CONSERVING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
38. Unobligated Stewardship Authority
Section 194
This section sets aside $2,500,000 in unobligated bonding authority from fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23 from the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship 2000 program for drilling new wells, facility maintenance, upgrades and renovations, and construction of new buildings at the Les Voigt State Fish Hatchery and the Brule State Fish Hatchery.
I am partially vetoing this section to remove the specific fiscal years and the specific projects because I object to having unobligated Stewardship bonding authority available only for earmarks at the discretion of the Legislature. Due to the Legislature’s obstruction through the Joint Committee on Finance anonymous objection process, many valuable Stewardship projects have been delayed or denied leaving unused and unobligated bonding authority at the end of each year. It is my sincere desire that we work together to fix this broken system for approval of beneficial conservation projects. This veto will allow the Department of Natural Resources to access all unobligated Stewardship bonding authority to invest in critical projects that will protect, preserve, and provide access to Wisconsin's natural resources.
39. Echo Lake Dam
These sections create a new continuing appropriation and provide $1,000,000 GPR in the 2023‑25 biennium for providing a grant to the city of Burlington for the restoration of a dam on Echo Lake.
I am partially vetoing section 51 [as it relates to s. 20.370 (4) (jc)] and vetoing section 75 in its entirety because I object to providing additional state funding for a project that already received a $1,000,000 grant under the Municipal Dam Grant Program during the 2021-23 grant period. 40. Department of Natural Resources Position Reallocations
Section 9132 (1)
This provision directs the Department of Natural Resources to reallocate 1.0 FTE existing position as a conservation warden supervisor and 2.0 FTE existing positions as conservation wardens, for the purpose of all-terrain vehicle and utility terrain vehicle law enforcement.
I am partially vetoing this provision to remove the specific number of FTE and job classifications because I object to the Legislature requiring the Department of Natural Resources to reassign a set number of existing positions to specific job classifications. This veto will allow the department to determine how to best allocate positions for conservation purposes. The department will report any reallocations to the Department of Administration and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau for inclusion in the final Chapter 20 schedule. 41. Pattison and Amnicon Falls State Parks Earmarks
Section 9132 (3)
This provision earmarks $2,161,300 SEG for development and maintenance projects at Amnicon Falls and Pattison State Parks. The provision specifies projects that the Department of Natural Resources must complete at both properties.
I am vetoing this provision because I object to limiting the department's flexibility to prioritize projects based on areas of highest need. This veto will provide the department the ability to utilize the funding for development and maintenance projects throughout the state park system.
42. Tribal Gaming Transfer
Section 144
This section increases the annual transfer of Tribal gaming revenue to the conservation fund from $3,000,000 to $4,000,000.
I am vetoing this section because I object to this additional transfer of Tribal gaming revenue to the conservation fund. I believe Tribal gaming revenue should be retained for investments in Tribal communities and that those communities should be partners in any discussion that increases the transfer to the conservation fund.
43. Steve Creek Dam
Section 76
This section creates a new continuing appropriation in the 2023-25 biennium for providing a grant to Pierce County for repairs of a dam on Steve Creek. It should be noted that there is no body of water known as Steve Creek in Pierce County; however, there is a dam on Steve Creek in Price County. It appears from the motion that was adopted by the Joint Committee on Finance that the intent of this provision was to provide Price County with a grant.
I am partially vetoing this section to eliminate the reference to Pierce County because I object to providing funding to a county for a project that is located in a different county. With this veto, I am directing the Department of Natural Resources to work with Price County to issue this grant.
44. Lake Mallalieu Dredging Grant
These sections create a new continuing appropriation and provide $2,000,000 GPR in the 2023-25 biennium for providing a grant to the Lake Mallalieu Association for dredging Lake Mallalieu.
I am partially vetoing section 51 [as it relates to s. 20.370 (4) (jf)] and partially vetoing section 78 to remove the word dredging because I object to limiting the grant recipient to spending these funds only on the physical dredging of the lake. The association will likely incur ancillary costs related to the project, such as costs related to studies and permitting, and it is my intent to allow the grant to be utilized for these costs in addition to the physical dredging of the lake. 45. Division Administrator Positions at the Department of Natural Resources
Section 430
This section reduces the number of division administrator positions in the Department of Natural Resources from ten to nine.
I am vetoing this section because I object to reducing the number of division administrators at the Department of Natural Resources. As a result of this veto, the Department of Natural Resources retains the position authority for this 1.0 FTE PR unclassified position for appointment as a division administrator that would otherwise have been eliminated as a result of the Legislature’s action.
46. Board of Commissioners of Public Lands Deputy Director Position
Section 196
This section eliminates the ability of the executive secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands to appoint a deputy director.
I am vetoing this section because I believe that the executive secretary should have the ability to appoint a deputy director if they so choose, and object to the Legislature eliminating that option. As a result of this veto, the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands retains the position authority for this 1.0 FTE GPR position for appointment as a deputy director that would otherwise have been eliminated as a result of the Legislature’s action.
F. ADDITIONAL KEY PRIORITIES
47. Tribal Grants Sunset
Sections 142, 149, 9101 (2), and 9401 (1)
These provisions create an appropriation at the Department of Administration and require the department to use it to distribute grants to federally recognized American Indian Tribes or bands in this state. The Joint Committee on Finance has reserved $11,000,000 of Tribal gaming revenues to supplement this appropriation in fiscal year 2023-24. In addition, the appropriation is repealed on July 1, 2025.
I am vetoing sections 142, 149, and 9401 (1) and partially vetoing section 9101 (2) to retain the creation of the appropriation but remove the sunset for the appropriation, because I object to ending this program. A similar grant program in the 2021-23 biennium was also funded with Tribal gaming revenues and has proven valuable to the Tribal Nations, allowing each Tribe and band to use the funding in the way it deems best to meet the needs of its members. The language of this appropriation is general and would allow grants that offer similar flexibility to be made to each Tribe and band. While this veto does not establish ongoing funding for these grants in subsequent biennia, it at least preserves the framework of this program that both the Legislature and I agree upon.
48. Legislative Human Resources Office
Section 19
This section creates the Legislative Human Resources Office and establishes duties of the office and the director. Under the language of this section, the office would “have all of the rights and privileges pertaining to human resources records as are enjoyed by executive branch agencies, including those under s. 230.13 and subchapter II of ch. 19,” which address public records. I am partially vetoing this section because I object to including unnecessary language in the statutes. If the intent of the Legislature was to treat the records of the office the same as human resources offices of executive branch agencies, this language is unnecessary and may create inconsistency in how human resources records are treated by the office. By partially vetoing this section to remove reference to the treatment of records, it will be clear that the office is simply subject to the state’s Public Records Law in the same manner as all authorities as defined under the Public Records Law, including executive branch agencies.
49. WisconsinEye
Section 20
This section creates an endowment fund for the WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, Inc. The Joint Committee on Finance has reserved $10,000,000 in its GPR supplemental appropriation to supplement a new biennial appropriation if a request for funding is made jointly by the Department of Administration and WisconsinEye. As a condition of receiving the payment, WisconsinEye must raise a match of at least an equal amount of nonstate funding sources for the endowment fund. If WisconsinEye ever ceases operation, it shall pay back the state's investment. Finally, it is also prohibited from charging any fee for access to recorded content of public meetings.
I am partially vetoing this section to expand the prohibition on charging fees for WisconsinEye content because I object to any fees being charged, given the significant contribution of state resources. It is important that the public have free access to all WisconsinEye content in order to ensure full transparency of legislative and other public proceedings.
50. Promotion of the U.S.S. Wisconsin Columbia-Class Submarine
Section 9148 (2)
