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On July 3rd, the Governor signed into law the state budget following final action from the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) and passage by both houses of the Legislature. Our final JFC action came after an agreement between the Legislature and the Governor on a number of key topics. This budget is a compromise document. It is shaped by negotiation between houses, between parties, and between branches of government.
This compromise has secured $1.5 billion in meaningful tax relief. Through a combination of cutting taxes for individuals making more than $29,370 or couples making more than $39,150, exempting the first $24,000 of retirement income, and exempting residential electricity and natural gas from sales tax, nearly every Wisconsinite will see savings from this budget.
As part of the negotiations, we also invested $276 million, in addition to our prior action, to build upon our historic commitment to special education reimbursement. By the 2026-27 school year, the state will reimburse 45% of the cost of educating special education students and 90% of the cost for students with the highest needs. This is the highest reimbursement rate from the state since the 1992-93 school year.
We made meaningful, structural reforms to Wisconsin’s childcare industry without making pandemic-era subsidies permanent. We reached an agreement with the Governor to use his remaining pandemic funds on payments that go directly to childcare providers. We also invested in the Wisconsin Shares program to help more low- and middle-income families pay for childcare. In addition to financial assistance, we enacted a number of structural changes aimed at increasing the availability of childcare slots and expanding 4K options for parents and providers.
We made targeted investments in the UW System and right sized the Governor’s request. We allocated $53 million in new money to general operations, with more than half of this money going to campuses facing declining enrollment, such as UW-Platteville. Another $54 million was directed towards merit-based compensation, aimed at attracting and retaining faculty in high demand fields such as engineers or accountants. I believe this will be great for UW-Platteville, helping them maintain and grow their team of talented engineers. We made a number of common-sense reforms across the UW System too, including continuing a position freeze to stop administrative bloat, simplifying credit transfer between UW colleges, and requiring most faculty to teach at least 12 credit hours per semester to better focus university resources in the classroom.
Our budget also delivers for roads and bridges across the state. We increased funding for roads and bridges by nearly $1.3 billion. This includes renewing the popular Ag Road Improvement Program (ARIP) and Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP). A new provision in ARIP will ensure that some of the funding targets bridges and culverts across the state that are most in need of repair.
As we wrap up our work on the state budget, I am proud of the bipartisan wins that have come as a result of our compromise. I am extremely proud that a number of Democrats in both legislative chambers voted to pass our budget and send it to the Governor. I look forward to sharing more about the victories in this budget in future columns!
If you need assistance with any state-related matters, please call my team at the State Capitol – 608-266-0703 – or email me – Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. My team is ready and willing to help navigate your state government, clear obstacles, and receive your input.
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