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Legislative Update


Governor Evers talks state budget, reacts to legislative leader’s comments on K-12 funding

by | Jan 6, 2025 | Legislative Update Blog, State Budget

The Governor made the comments in a press briefing on Friday that was embargoed until this morning. Along with commenting on K-12 funding in the state budget, the governor announced his intention to propose allowing state citizens to directly put binding referendum questions on the ballot thereby bypassing the state Legislature. This is in response to recent legislative efforts that put constitutional amendments on the ballot that bypassed the governor. The following is from Wispolitics:

— Dem Gov. Tony Evers said it’s “a joke” that GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos thinks schools can get by on the spending boost due them over the next two years, vowing to propose an even bigger increase in his budget.

Evers used his partial veto authority in the 2023-25 budget to write into state law an annual increase of $325 per student over the next four centuries. The increase applies to the cap on how much schools can increase spending through a mix of state aid and property taxes. GOP lawmakers challenged Evers’ move with the state Supreme Court.

Vos, R-Rochester, suggested last month if the court upholds Evers’ veto, “schools are mostly off the table,” and GOP lawmakers will focus their attention on other areas of the 2025-27 state budget.

“Honest to God, that is a joke,” Evers told reporters on Friday as he previewed his coming budget and answered questions.

Evers added, “there’s going to be more” for schools when he introduces his budget next month.

Prior to the 2023-25 budget, which included increases of $325 per student in each year of the biennium, schools saw no hikes in the revenue cap in six of the previous eight years. The exceptions were 2019-20 and 2020-21, Evers’ first budget. Those increases were $175 and $179, respectively.

The guv used Friday’s briefing, which was embargoed until this morning, to announce he’ll propose in the budget a pathway for state voters to put binding referendums on the ballot. It would require lawmakers to create such a process through a constitutional amendment. If lawmakers signed off and voters approved of the change, those seeking to put a binding referendum on the ballot could file petitions with the Elections Commission to hold a vote on proposed state laws, constitutional amendments or to repeal state statutes. Currently state constitutional amendments can only occur through the Legislature, which must OK a proposed amendment in two consecutive sessions before sending it to voters.

Evers previously proposed lawmakers create a binding referendum process after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision that guaranteed access to an abortion. Lawmakers ignored that call, and they could strip this Evers proposal out of his upcoming budget if they chose. Still, it would force GOP members of the Joint Finance Committee to vote on taking the proposal out of the guv’s budget.

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