The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
>> Welcome to Wisconsin Public Media's coverage of Governor
Tony Evers seventh state of the state address. We are bringing
you live coverage tonight from the Wisconsin State Capitol in
Madison. In a few moments, the 46th governor of Wisconsin will
make his way into the Assembly chambers.
>> Evers will speak tonight before a joint session of the
Wisconsin Assembly and Senate. The state Supreme court, his
cabinet and tribal leaders. Good evening. I'm Shawn Johnson from
Wisconsin Public Radio. >> And I'm Frederica Freyberg
from PBS Wisconsin. Tonight, Democratic Governor Tony Evers
lays out his plans for 2025. He'll be speaking to the 107th
session of the Wisconsin Legislature.
>> Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who represents communities in
Racine and Walworth counties, will provide this year's
Republican response immediately following the governor's state
of the state address. >> And the governor is already
in the assembly chambers, having left the parlor where we are
sitting. And so he is making his way to the podium.
>> He's getting an early start this year. Sometimes we wait for
the governor. This year he's practically waiting on us as he
goes between the both sides of the aisle for this speech. It's
a different makeup of the legislature than he's had
recently. Still, Republican majorities in the state Assembly
and in the state Senate. But they are smaller under maps that
he signed last year that this legislature passed last year
under the threat from the state supreme Court.
>> So this marks the governor's last state of the state address
before he announces whether he will run for a third term in
2026. >> And he's said that he's
likely to make that announcement after the budget is wrapped up.
We're going to hear hints about what's going to be in that
budget. Tonight, he's going to deliver his budget address on
February 18th. But then the legislature, again controlled by
Republicans. If history is any guide, they're going to make a
lot of changes to it. And it's all going to be done with that
sort of political question hanging over of what will Tony
Evers do? >> It is my honor to introduce
the governor of the great state of Wisconsin, the Honorable Tony
Evers. >> Hello. Thanks, everybody.
Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, Wisconsinites,
honorable Supreme Court justices, tribal nation leaders,
constitutional officers. Adjutant general may, members of
the Wisconsin National Guard and active and retired members of
our armed forces. Cabinet members, legislators,
distinguished guests, and Wisconsinites from wherever
you're joining us tonight. Thank you for being here with us. I'm
Tony Evers, and I'm so grateful and proud to be the 46th
governor of the great state of Wisconsin.
>> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
>> I see her up there. My former forever. Forever prom date.
Kathy is up in the gallery of as well. Kathleen. Frances.
Kathleen. >> Frances.
>> Kathleen. Frances, you are the cream to fill my cream puff.
And I love you more every day. Thank you so much, Kathy. We
begin a new year. We begin a new year with a new legislature
elected under new fair maps. >> For people here.
>> For the first time in a generation, this legislature was
not elected under some of the most gerrymandered maps. And in
America. I am hopeful this will mean more collaboration, more
partnership, a little less rancor, and a renewed commitment
to the do the right thing for the people of Wisconsin. And
that's great news. It means we can work together to make
bipartisan progress on critical priorities, like reforming our
justice system, fixing our roads, funding our public
schools, and expanding access to affordable, affordable housing.
You know, it's no secret that sometimes people in this
building disagree and share some differences. Never with me, of
course, but we begin this year with, I believe, an urgent need
and a mandate to find common ground. So let's get to work.
Wisconsinites. Wisconsinites, I begin tonight with good news.
Thanks to our work cutting taxes, Wisconsinites are keeping
more of your hard earned income today than at any point in the
last 50 years. A new Wisconsin. I'll get this. A new Wisconsin
Policy Forum report says Wisconsin state and local tax
burden dropped to a record low in 2020 for the state, and local
taxes Wisconsinites pay as a share of your income is the
lowest it's been in over half of a century. Think about that.
>> Everybody. >> Just two decades ago,
Wisconsin was in the top five states for our tax burden and
the taxes of paid as a share of their income. Today, Wisconsin
is at the bottom of 16 states in the country. We have seen the
largest drop in our tax burden of any state over the last 20
years. Cutting taxes has been a
bipartisan priority for over the last six years. I have proposed
a middle class tax cuts and every budget I've introduced as
governor and the legislature sent me back some proposals. I
agreed with, including one of the largest tax cuts in states
history. All told, through the though, through the income tax
cuts I've signed into law, the most Wisconsinites have seen a
15% income tax cut or more. And if folks will see a $1.5 billion
in tax relief each year, primarily targeted to the middle
class. And we've been able to provide
real, responsible relief while still paying down our state's
debt savings. We're saving where we can and working across the
aisle to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. After 30
consecutive years of our state's checking account running a
deficit, we have ended all five fiscal years that I've been
governor with a positive balanc. And Wisconsin, our workforce has
never been stronger. I declare 2024 the year of the worker in
Wisconsin because I want we. We wanted to address the workforce
challenges that have plagued our state for generations to make it
a top priority. And here are the results so far in 2024, we
reported nine counties with the lowest rates of unemployment on
record. We had. >> His. We had.
>> Historically low unemployment in Wisconsin, ended the last
year. It was seven consecutive months of record high
employment. Wisconsinites are hard workers by nature and more
Wisconsinites are working than ever before.
And we want Wisconsin workers to be ready for the 21st century.
For the second consecutive year, we hit an all time high of
nearly 10,000 youth apprentices and had record high employer
participation. And we had the highest enrollment ever in our
registered apprenticeship programs, 100 year history. For
the third year in a row. We launched the first ever
teacher apprenticeship program to retain new teachers and
bolster our education workforce. We created new youth
apprenticeship pathways from law enforcement and fire prevention
to early childhood education. And we're partnering with over
20 bipartisan states through the US Climate Alliance to train 1
million new registered apprentices nationwide, with a
focus on climate and clean energy fields. Over the next
decade. And we're making sure our
economy is built for the 21st century, too. In 2024. We
launched we launched the largest public private investment in
Wisconsin, startups and entrepreneurs in the state.
History. We also welcome billions of dollars and
investments from global companies, including Microsoft,
Eli Lilly and Company, and Kikkoman, among others, that
will create thousands of jobs here in Wisconsin. Businesses
partnering with our administration last year
committed to more than $2 billion in capital investments,
the highest level ever in the last decade.
>> How about that? >> We're also working to make
Wisconsin a global leader in health and medical field
advances, from developing new technologies to discovering
cures and strategies to improve treatment outcomes. We worked
with Senator Baldwin to secure Wisconsin's designation as a
U.S. Regional tech hub. Our tech hub is projected to create over
100,000 jobs and $9 billion worth of economic development in
Wisconsin over the next decade alone.
And Wisconsinites, thanks to our hard work, state government is
working smarter and faster than ever before. We've been able to
modernize and improve programs that can help improve your daily
lives. It's about making sure government works and works
better for you. We expedited community infrastructure
projects for drinking water by cutting the review time for
engineering plans in half. We partnered with the technical
colleges to streamline licensing for students, helping make sure
they could join our strapped health care workforce as soon as
possible. We also created the first ever interactive mapping
tool for producers to be able to monitor animal diseases,
outbreaks across Wisconsin. After I directed investments to
bring our state's licensing system into the 21st century,
folks can now apply for or renew their professional licenses
online and get this Wisconsinites no longer will
have to use a fax machine to send in some of their materials.
For those of you who are wondering what the heck a fax
machine is, folks, that's the point.
>> We created. >> A new system to help
professionals respond to drug overdoses, identifying dangerous
trends in our communities and getting information out quicker
to folks that need it. We made it possible to purchase state
trail passes online so folks no longer have to carry a paper
pass on the trails. And we launched a new app for our state
run veterans homes so that loved ones can stay up to speed on
their veterans medical care. And Wisconsinites were also
saving your tax dollars along the way by shrinking our bottom
line. We're working to consolidate building space
across state government and by downsizing and expanding remote
work options. We've made it even easier for Wisconsinites to join
our state workforce, regardless of where you live, our plan is
projected to save taxpayers over $7 million every year by
delivering another half $1 billion in savings from deferred
maintenance costs. >> To.
>> Wisconsin, we accomplished a lot this last year. We have
shown that we can get a lot of good things done when politics
stay out of our way. There is, as always, more work to do, and
our work together continues here. Tonight. I will soon
introduce my our next state budget, laying out our state's
top policy priorities for the next two years. Every budget I
have ever built began first by doing what's best for our kids,
and this one will be no different. So I will go. I will
again propose historic investments in K through 12
education.
>> And I. >> And I will again ask
Republicans and Democrats to join me in doing what's best for
our kids by making meaningful investments in public education
at every level, from early childhood to our UW system and
our technical colleges. The good news is that the
legislature need not wait until I introduce my budget to get to
work. Republican lawmakers can start today by releasing the $50
million we approved with bipartisan support. Nearly two
years ago. These funds were already approved. They are
available now, and they should not still be sitting in Madison.
Folks. >> Folks. Folks, our kids.
>> And their future are too important for politics.
Republicans, please release these investments so that we can
get the work improving. Reading's outcomes statewide.
We have to do more to improve outcomes for our kids. And yes,
that means making meaningful
investments in our public schools. But our kids outcomes
are as much a reflection of what happens within our schools as
they are. Importantly, a reflection of what happens
beyond them. And that's a simple matter of math. The average
Wisconsin elementary student, for example, spends less than
12% of their year receiving direct instruction in the
classroom. That means that they probably spend, give or take,
about 80% of their time. Of the year. Outside of our schools. So
we have to recognize that our schools and educators cannot
single handedly fix our kids circumstances beyond the school
doors that nevertheless impact learning, success, and success
in the classroom every day. Folks, the obligation to help
address the challenges our kids are facing in the 80% of the
time, they're not in school, falls squarely at the feet of
elected officials, including myself, in this building. So
tonight I'm declaring 2025 the year of the kid in Wisconsin,
because I want everyone here to start talking or taking that
important responsibility seriously.
I will keep saying this until the folks in this building
finally hear me. If we want to
improve our kids outcomes, then we have to shorten the odds. If
we want our educators and schools to be able to do their
very best work in the hours our kids are with them, we have to
set them up for success, and we have to start by making sure our
kids can bring their full and best selves to our classrooms.
Kids in class should be focused on learning, not wondering when
and whether they'll eat next.
>> Our kids, our kids, our kids. >> Should never go hungry,
period. But especially not at school. In the year of the kid.
The budget I will introduce next month will again include my
healthy meals, Healthy Kids initiative. Let's end school
meal debt and make sure every kid has a healthy breakfast and
lunch at school with no stigma, at no cost.
>> And let's. mental health crisis with the
urgency it requires. Yes, for
everyone of every age, but especially for our kids, the
state of our kids mental health continues to be a concern for me
as governor, and also as a grandfather. A kid in crisis may
be distracted or disengaged, may not be able to focus on their
studies if they are able to get to school at all. I fought hard
to secure to secure $30 million in our last state budget to
support school based mental health services in schools
across Wisconsin, but that was just a fraction of what I asked
the legislature to approve. Tonight, I'm announcing my
budget proposal will invest nearly $300 million to provide
comprehensive mental mental health services and school
statewide, including support for peer to peer suicide prevention
programs and expanded mental health training.
Making sure our kids are health, physically and mentally is a
crucial part of improving
outcomes in our classrooms, but we have to connect the dots
between school achievement and the challenges our kids are
facing at home and in our communities. Take lack of access
to clean and safe drinking water. As an example, there is
no safe level of lead exposure for kids. None. According to the
CDC. Even the smallest exposure can lead to can have serious
long term consequences and can even, quote, reduce a child's
learning capacity, ability to pay attention, and academic
achievement. End quote A 2019 study of kids over several early
grade levels found that even low level lead exposure during early
childhood can affect kids achievement, including reading
and math scores. It also showed that even additional schooling
and physically maturing quote are not sufficient to offset the
damage caused by early childhood exposure. End quote my healthy
Meals Healthy Kids plan will also help moderate modernize
bubblers. We call them bubblers in Wisconsin. At schools across
Wisconsin to remove harmful contaminants. And as we kick off
the year of the kid, I'm also announcing we're going to invest
over $6 million in our biannual budget to support lead poisoning
intervention and response. And I'm announcing this week that
I'll approve a Department of Health Services emergency rule
strengthening Wisconsin's lead standards. So more kids and more
families will be eligible for these critical resources.
>> With each. harmful contaminants in our
water grows more and even more
expensive. So I'm announcing tonight that I've directed an
additional $5 million to continue our work getting
harmful contaminants out of water wells in 2025, the year of
the kid. It's about doing what's best for our kids and families.
Simple as that. If we want our kids to bring
their best and full selves to our classrooms, elected
officials have to start acknowledging how policy
decisions and investments, or lack thereof, here in this
building affect kids, families, schools and communities across
Wisconsin. Every day. Whether or not kids and families have
access to safe, reliable housing affects kids at school. Whether
or not kids and families have a way to safely and efficiently
travel to and from home and work affects kids at school, living
in a traumatic or unsafe home environment affects kids at
school. Lack of access to preventive health care and
dental care, and eye care affects kids in school. The
state cannot continue to shirk responsibility for the 80% of
time. Our kids are not in our classrooms. That 80% falls on u.
So folks, that means we have work to do. We can start with
the basics making sure our kids are safe at home, at school, in
our communities is an area where we have much room for
improvement. Last week I created our new Wisconsin Office for
Violence Prevention. We're going to work across law enforcement
agencies and local governments with school districts,
nonprofits, and firearm dealers to help keep our kids, families,
and communities safe. I also announced my budget will include
sustainable, ongoing funding to make the Wisconsin Office for
Violence Prevention permanent so that we can take a statewide
approach to preventing crime and violence across our state.
I will again be proposing next state budget to expand
access to mental and behavioral
health services across our state. Those investments should
receive bipartisan support. We also have to make sure crime
victims, survivors and their families have the support they
need to recover. I directed millions of dollars to keep the
Victims of Crime Act providers afloat. When the federal funds
were cut. Tonight, I'm announcing I'm investing $66
million to support services for crime victims in our next state
budget.
But these actions alone cannot be our only effort to reduce
crime and violence and keep our kids, families, and communities
safe. Addressing gun violence must be part of our work, folks.
In recent years, Wisconsin has seen about a 21% decrease in
homicide, nearly 30% decrease in burglary, and almost a 50%
decrease in motor vehicle theft. Major categories of violent
crime are going down statewide. And yet the rate of gun deaths
in Wisconsin is trending in the opposite direction, according to
every for gun safety, the rate of gun deaths increased in
Wisconsin by 54% between 2014 and 2023, compared to a 3,434%
increase nationwide over that same time period. 37 days ago. A
show a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison took
the lives of Erin and Rubi, a student and an educator who woke
up and went to school that morning, will never return home.
Six others were injured and countless lives will never be
the same. Folks. Wisconsinite Wisconsinites sent us here to
see big problems and fix them. We cannot let common sense get
lost in debates over whether basic policies could have
prevented the most recent shooting, or the one before
that, or the one before that. We aren't here in Madison to
quibble about the semantics of the last shooting. We are here
to do everything we can to prevent the next one.
>> Yes.
>> So we can do better than doing nothing. This legislature
must do better than doing nothing. For folks, this is.
This is Wisconsin. I get it. We hunt, we fish, we trap. And
generations have grown up learning to appreciate our
traditions. No one wants to change this proud part of our
heritage. And we won't. But we do not have to choose between
respecting the second, a second amendment or keeping kids,
schools and streets and communities safe. We can do
both. And the truth is this the vast majority of Wisconsinites,
including gun owners, agree. So let's start with two basic
policies we already know Wisconsin's support. We can take
easy, simple steps to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous
people. Let's ask everyone to play by the same set of rules.
Let's close the loophole. Loophole so that everyone goes
through a background check, no matter what kind of firearm they
are buying or where they are buying it.
And the second thing we can do is pass a red flag law to give
law enforcement and loved ones
the tools they need to get guns out of the home. When someone is
a dangerous risk to themselves or others. Just last month, we
saw how crucial red flag laws can be to prevent tragedy.
Shortly after the shooting at Abundant Life, law enforcement
discovered the shooter had potentially plotted with a man
in another state who was allegedly planning his own mass
shooting because he lives in a state with a red flag. Law. Law
enforcement was able to get an emergency protective order,
requiring him to surrender his firearms before he could move
forward with his plan. Their quick work almost certainly
saved lives without red flag laws, law enforcement in
Wisconsin are often unable to intervene unless a crime has
already been committed at that time. At that point, sometimes
it's too late. We have to change that. So let's do what an
overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites, including our gun
owners, believe we should. Let's give law enforcement and loved
ones the tools they need by passing a red flag law here in
Wisconsin.
And there are other easy steps we can take to keep our kids and
our communities safe and keep guns off the streets. We can
keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. We can help
make sure that guns and homes where there are kids or someone
prohibited from possessing a firearm are locked away or have
a trigger lock engaged, we can help make sure that firearms at
retailers are secured when their business is unattended. We can
help make sure that if a firearm is lost or stolen, law
enforcement is immediately notified. We should be able to
get this common sense stuff done with bipartisan support.
>> Folks.
>> A lot of our work is not just to prevent people from hurting
others, but to make sure people are safe from hurting
themselves. These next two policies are personal for me, as
I know they are. For folks who are here and tuning in at home,
please know that if you or that you or someone you know is
struggling, help is always available. You can call or text
988 or visit 988 lifeline.org to get free, confidential help any
24 over seven. Just three years ago, as I delivered my state of
the state address, State Representative Jonathan Brostoff
sat right there in one of these seats. Jonathan had a heart of
service. He was always working to make someone else's life just
a little bit better. As a fierce and advocate as Jonathan was, he
was still always eager to learn about and understand others in
order to bridge divides. At the end of last year, Jonathan died
by suicide. We are so deeply saddened, saddened that he is no
longer with us. Jonathan's wife Diana, and his parents, Phyllis
and Alan, are here with us in the gallery tonight. Please
stand and join me in recognizing.
>> For too many Wisconsinites, even if they did not know
Jonathan, the story of losing
him is their story too. Kathy and I share that story. The
families, friends, and coworkers of veterans, farmers,
construction workers, and law enforcement officers and so many
others share that story. Kids, classmates, parents,
grandparents, loved ones and friends in every corner of our
state. They shared that story. This heartache has become far
too often. Wisconsin in 2022 reported 932 deaths by suicide,
according to Department of Health Services report. Nearly
60% of which involved a firearm. These are statistics we cannot
change because there are those. Those are souls we cannot bring
back. But there is more we can do today to save lives.
Tomorrow. If you talk to someone who loved, whose loved one died
by suicide, many will tell you that their loss was not a
foregone conclusion, that maybe, just maybe, if the person they
loved had just made it through one more dark night to see with
certainty that the sun would rise again, things could have
ended up differently. Tonight I am asking this legislature to
give the family and the and the next one and the family after
that, hope for that same opportunity.
>> Thank you.
Studies show. >> Studies show that the time
between when someone decides to take their life and attempts to
do so is often left less than 24 hours and for about half less
than ten minutes. The window for intervention is really short.
Being able to purchase and possess a gun in minutes
significantly, significantly increases the risk of firearms
suicide and firearm homicide as well. A decade old decade a
decade ago today, Wisconsin had a had a waiting period law
requiring time between when a person purchased a firearm and
took possession of it. That policy was repealed. It's time
for Wisconsin to return that common sense to that common
sense policy. Tonight, I'm announcing I will be asking the
legislature to restore the 48 hour waiting period in Wisconsin
in our next state. >> Budget.
>> I am also announcing tonight a new Self-assigned firearm
exclusion program or Safe to
help reduce suicide by firearm. We can help make sure folks have
a plan to keep themselves safe when they are in a crisis. Our
Safe program will allow Wisconsinites to temporarily and
voluntarily registered to prevent themselves from
purchasing a firearm. Registering safe could make a
real difference and even save someone's life. Let's get this
done.
Folks in the legislature must start doing its part to take gun
violence seriously in the state. People don't expect us to be
perfect in this building, but they do expect us to be
pragmatic. People don't expect us to acquiesce. Acquiesce to
each concept of every policy put before us, but they do expect us
to at least have the courage to engage in a conversation. People
don't expect us to agree with each other 100% of the time, but
they do expect us to have the guts to give reasonable policies
a vote. Let's do better for Wisconsin than doing nothing.
Kathy and I raised three kids and in twins, we know that for
parents, nothing is more
important than our kids safety. No matter where they are. So
keeping our kids, families, schools, and communities safe by
reducing crime and gun violence should be a top priority for us
in this year of a kid. Kathy and I also remember working to make
ends meet so that our kids were not just safe, but had food on
the table and a warm bed to sleep in and clothes on their
back. So a critical part of our work doing what's best for our
kids in the year of the kid must be supporting the parents and
families who raised them. There are a lot of ways we can lower
everyday out of out of pocket costs to make sure Wisconsinites
and working families can afford basic needs. So I have good
news. The plan I'm announcing tonight will support our economy
and our workforce, lower out-of-pocket costs for working
families and Wisconsinites, and help give folks a little
breathing room in their household budgets.
>> So. >> No surprise child care is too
darn expensive. We have to make child care more affordable and
accessible. This is as much about doing what's best for our
kids as it is doing what's best for parents in our workplace, in
force, and our workforce and in our economy too. After years of
proposing similar efforts, I was proud last year to sign a
bipartisan bill to expand our child and dependent care credit.
That bill goes into effect this year. So parents and families,
be sure to look out for that when you file your taxes. Over
110,000 Wisconsin taxpayers will see an average benefit of over
$650 per filer, totaling nearly $73 million this year alone.
That's great news for Wisconsin's working families.
But we have to do more to lower the out of out of cost, out of
pocket costs. Working families are paying for child care every
day, 2023 report reports showed child care costs in Wisconsin
can consume 18 to 36% of a family's household income. Those
parents are under 25 and have two kids and child care. It's
closer to 70%. The cost of putting two young kids in
childcare costs more than the average rent or mortgage in
Wisconsin, and exceeds the annual cost of tuition to send
two students to the University of Wisconsin, Madison. And even
if folks can find and afford care, families may be waitlisted
for months. Child care providers across Wisconsin surveyed last
fall had 48,000 kids on waitlists, with nearly 60% of
providers having unutilized capacity, often because they
needed more workers. Child care providers are stuck, increasing
costs while keeping classrooms closed and serving fewer kids as
waitlist girl, getting providers up to full capacity would mean
serving another 33,000 kids. Wisconsin's child care crisis
affects not only our kids, families and childcare
providers, but our state employers, workforce and economy
too. I've repeatedly proposed plans to lower the cost of child
care, of which Republican lawmakers rejected. So I
directed $170 million in emergency funding to keep our
child care industry afloat. But folks, that was 15 months ago.
We must do better than nothing when it comes to making child
care more affordable. Our state budget will once again include
sustainable, ongoing funding to make sure our child care Counts
program permanent, including investing over $500 million
aimed at lowering child care costs. Supporting this critical
industry, investing in employer sponsored child care.
>> And. >> And when we're looking at
everyday out of pocket costs,
child care is not the only thing folks are struggling to afford.
The cost of prescriptions and life saving medication like
insulin, are also too darn high, according to a 2023 national
survey, more than a quarter of adults in America are having a
hard time affording their prescription drugs. I found 30%
are. It also found 30% of the adults aren't taking the
medications prescribed due to cost. No, Wisconsinites should
have to choose between paying bills and putting food on the
table and getting their life saving medication. Accessing
health care and picking up basic prescriptions or insulin should
not break the bank. Folks. >> So let's work to lower the.
>> Cost of prescriptions and protect consumers from price
gouging on life saving medication. Through my less for
our plan, I will again ask Republicans and Democrats to
work together to approve new state programs aimed at setting
price ceilings for prescriptions and improving oversight of drug
companies to make sure Wisconsinites are getting a fair
shake, let's remove the sales tax on over-the-counter
medications and cap the co-pay on insulin at $35. While we're
at it.
>> Thank you. >> Lowering everyday out of
pocket costs for Wisconsinites and working families must be a
priority for this session. Making child and everyday
are two easy ways we can help Wisconsinites afford basic need.
Help. Paychecks go a little further and give parents,
families, and seniors some breathing room in their
household budgets. And my plan allows us to lower costs by
supporting our workforce and our economy, too. In the coming
weeks, I will announce my comprehensive plan to lower
costs for Wisconsinites and working families, and this work
is especially timely. We've already seen steps taken in
Washington in recent days that could significantly increase
costs, hurt Wisconsinites and working families, and leave a
lot of uncertainty for our economy here in Wisconsin. A lot
has happened in Washington in the last 72 hours, and I know
there's a lot of angst, a lot of angst about what may happen in
these days, months and years ahead. I want to talk about what
it means for Wisconsin and how we move forward together. So
let's talk about immigration. These lands were inhabited by
indigenous peoples for millennia before people from France,
Greece, Great Britain, Norway, Holland, Sweden. They were.
>> Here first. >> They were they were here
before people from France, Great Britain, Norway, Holland, like
my wife's father, Sweden, Germany and regions the world
over. They came and settled here in a state, as we now know and
love it. Wisconsin began as a land of many people, of many
origins, each important and none any better than any other. And
that is still who we are. 177 years later. The state of
Wisconsin was born of immigrants, but today there are
those who would have us forget that fact. There are those who
would have us rewrite the story of ourselves, and they would ask
us to believe in a distorted and dishonest history. They would
have us abandon the values, the values, the values that made us
who we are as a people whose blood, love and labor make our
state great. We cannot, and we cannot, and we will not.
Wisconsinites are honest people. We tell the truth. So in this
building, let's do the same and let's move past Partizan
rhetoric. Let's agree to be honest about the fact that in
this state, some of our state's largest and most important
industries have. Companies have always welcomed the hard work of
immigrants. Let's agree to be honest.
Let's agree to be honest about the fact that the story of our
state's success today is told in
the labor of over 3 million Wisconsinites, including tens of
thousands of workers whose only transgression to date was not
having the good fortune of being born in this country.
>> Let's agree. Let's agree. >> That we can.
>> Continue. >> Let's agree that we can
continue to be a state that enforces our laws when and if
they are broken, but still embraces our shared history and
all those who have helped write our Wisconsin story from our
Native Native nations to the generations of immigrants who
came after. >> And let's agree. Let's agree
that. >> If you work, obey the law,
pay taxes, and contribute to our communities and play by the
rules just like everyone else, you should have a fair shot at
coming and continuing to pursue the American dream.
>> Our current system, our current system.
>> Is unworkable and unsustainable. There must be
bipartisan work towards a solution that builds upon the
strengths of our country. Without threatening our economic
economy's success. Wisconsin. We cannot allow reckless decisions
in Washington to stymie our Wisconsin economic momentum. We
cannot stall. We cannot stall our progress towards fixing the
problems that we have that have plagued our states state for
generations. We cannot afford to lose the prosperity for
posterity that we've worked hard to build together. I have always
been willing to work with anyone who is willing to do the right
thing for the people of Wisconsin, and that has not
changed. But I will not compromise on our Wisconsin
values. Treating people with kindness, dignity, empathy and
respect. And I will continue to deliver on my promise to fight
for the values and priorities that I have every day. As your
governor. Protecting. Protecting access to
affordable health care is one of them. The Affordable Care Act
ensures coverage for millions of Wisconsinites, including for
folks who have preexisting conditions. Women are no longer
charged more than men. We no longer have annual or lifetime
limits on the care patients receive. So I promise you this I
will fight every effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Just as I have done since day one. As governor.
I fought like hell to make sure Wisconsin women have the freedom
to make their own reproductive health care decisions without
interference from politics. Without without, without without
interference. Without interference from politicians in
this building who know nothing about their life, their faith or
their circumstances. And I fought like hell to restore
access to safe, legal abortion in Wisconsin. And on the 52nd
anniversary of Roe v Wade, I'll tell you tonight that I'll fight
like hell against every effort and veto any bill that makes
access to abortion, birth control, infertility treatments,
and any other part of reproductive health care any
less accessible than it is today. And that's a promise.
>> To. And.
>> Wisconsin will continue to be bold on clean energy, fight the
climate crisis and create good paying jobs and innovative
industries of the future. Because in Wisconsin we know we
can't afford to choose between mitigating climate change and
protecting our environment or creating jobs and economic
development. We must do both so we will continue our work to do
right by our kids, by leaving a world better place in a world
than the one we inherited. >> From.
>> And to our LGBTQ kids and Wisconsinites, you know the
promise I made to you. The promise I have always been proud
to keep. I will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less
safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place. And I will
never stop delivering on my promise to use every power
available to me to defend you, protect your rights, and keep
you safe.
>> My. >> My promise to the people of
Wisconsin has always been to be a governor who works for all
Wisconsinites, who does the right thing when it matters
most. That is a promise I will continue to keep. If everyone
here is more intent on doing more for others than themselves,
more focused on what we can accomplish together than what
they can gain on their own and committed to doing what's right
rather than what's best for their personal politics. We will
get a lot done for the people we are here to serve. We must
continue to make smart, strategic investments while
staying within our means. We must continue to invest in needs
long, now long neglected, while still finding ways to save where
we can. And we must continue to go as ever. Forward together. So
let's get good things done for the people of Wisconsin this
year, and let's get back to work. Thank you. And on
Wisconsin, UW Marching. >> Band, take it away.
>> And so the University of Wisconsin marching band
concludes. Governor Tony Evers,
seventh state of the state address before a joint session
of the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate.
who represents the parts of Racine and Walworth counties, is
making his way back to our location as we speak. He'll
provide this year's Republican response in just a few minutes.
>> So Governor Evers address was labeled the year of the kid. It
was an emotional speech. He was talking about mental health, gun
violence and suicide prevention to help children and other
people in the state of Wisconsin.
some parts of the speech where he let that emotion draw out. It
was not just a throwaway line where he talked about suicide
prevention. He told the story of State Representative Jonathan
Brostoff with his family in the gallery. He connected it to
policy. He called for a 48 hour waiting period for handgun
purchases. Also talked about the shooting at a Madison school in
December and calling for universal background checks and
red flag laws. So it felt like a different speech from some that
he's given where he just really let those kind of emotional
human angles carry out. >> Yeah, it definitely did. Did
you get the impression that this was a speech that sets him up to
run for a third term? I mean, it was really expansive. It had to
it had to do with children. It had to do with guns. It had to
do with federal policies happening right now.
>> And not a budget address, but a lot of budget material that
was in there that he talked about a $300 million mental
health program for schools. He talked about a 5 million, $500
million in investment in child care counts. As we hear the band
very loud in the background her. And so we're talking real money
there. At that point, we're up to nearly $1 billion in a
speech. That's just a hint at what the governor will be
talking about in his budget address in February.
>> I thought it was interesting, too. The number of elements that
he had around gun safety, as you said, the red flag laws, the
background checks, but also a safe program allowing people to
register to prevent themselves from buying a gun in in the
event of suicidal ideation. >> And sort of a an underlying
message that we have to do something people expect us to do
something. But I mean, as you can see in kind of the reaction
in the room. Easier said than done when it comes to issues
like these and so many others. You did hear some references
kind of broadly to costs. It's not very specific. He did get
into specifics on prescription drug costs, said he would be
rolling out more as he prepared to deliver his budget, but costs
in this inflationary period, that's something you heard
lawmakers who are on the campaign trail talk about last
year. It sounds like something the governor is going to use his
budget to talk about, to a large degree.
to that budget address. As you've said, next month,
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos leads the Republican controlled state
assembly. He is the 75th speaker of the Assembly and the longest
serving person ever to hold that position. Here is Assembly
Speaker Robin Vos, with tonight's Republican response.
>> Hello, I'm Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on behalf of the
legislature, it's my honor to give the Republican response to
tonight's state of the state address. This week has been
exciting as we watch the peaceful transfer of power in
our nation's capital. However, far too many Americans believe
the only place that policies are made is in Washington, D.C.
While I'm excited for the changes President Trump and his
administration will make to many federal policies, inflation,
rising rents, and increasing food prices have hurt our
families for the last four years, and elected officials in
Madison must also address the state policies that have created
the same challenges. The speech tonight was Governor Evers
seventh state of the state address, where he largely
delivered the same tired rhetoric he's presented the
other six times. He's given the same speech year after year. We
hear the same lip service about wanting to work together. And
then, unfortunately, he rarely follows through. My hope tonight
is that unlike the past seven times, Governor Evers is
actually serious about finding common ground with legislative
Republicans. First, let's talk about taxes. Cutting them
remains the primary objective for legislative Republicans. We
have the largest one time surplus in state history. And
instead of talking about how to return that money to working
families tonight, Governor Evers prioritized adding more spending
and growing the size of government. The fact is, a
surplus of this size only exists because over a year ago,
Governor Evers vetoed a tax cut that would that would have
returned around $1,000 to every family in Wisconsin. That tax
cut would have helped those families as they struggle to
keep up with rising costs. Instead, he alone decided it was
better for government to keep your money. Tonight, Republicans
stand united in returning that money to you, the taxpayers, and
we will give Governor Evers another chance to do the same.
We propose to return it to those who are hard working retirees in
need of a much needed income tax exemption. And we will also look
for ways to hold down your property taxes and help
struggling young families. Next. While we heard tonight about
another education plan to write a blank check to our schools,
Republicans will focus on increasing standards and
demanding accountability. Right now, only 48% of students in
Wisconsin are even reading at grade level. This is absolutely
unacceptable and it has to change. Our reading crisis is
not just limited to our biggest school districts, however, it
exists in districts all across the state, both large and small.
According to Wisconsin's Department of Public
Instructions. Own data, only 37% of students were proficient in
English. In 2022, there was little progress in the next
year, with only 39% of students testing proficient. DPI says
that we're doing better now, but it's only because they
significantly lowered the standards to inflate. The
results. Make no mistake, our education system is doing an
enormous disservice to our students. We will not allow the
Department of Public Instruction to shortchange our students by
lowering our standards. Republicans will enact
legislation to require the forward exam to be aligned with
the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This will
bring our standards back to the baseline before DPI artificially
inflated them. It will also allow parents to compare the
past with the present. Recently, Governor Evers even said in a
statement, quote, we need to have as high of standards as
possible, unquote. He's right. Hopefully this will be a place
where the legislature and Governor Evers can actually find
common ground to come together with a solution to this growing
failure in K-12 education. Finally, we will focus on
helping President Trump fix the broken immigration system. Every
state is a border state. When we deal with the challenges
presented by illegal immigration, disappointingly,
even tonight, Governor Evers has already said that he will not
allow our National Guard troops to help at the border, and his
administration has said they will not assist with the
deportation of violent criminals. There are too many
lawless bureaucrats and politicians pushing dangerous
sanctuary policies that jeopardize our public safety.
Here in Wisconsin. This has to stop. Our criminal justice
systems and our government programs are already stretched
too thin, and they need to focus resources on those who are here
legally. Surprising there is no current statutory requirement
for law enforcement to inquire with Ice when an individual's
legal status cannot be verified. In fact, some law enforcement
agencies, including Dane County, the City of Beloit, and
Milwaukee County have already announced they will not comply
with Ice in limited circumstances. Republicans will
pass legislation requiring all law enforcement in Wisconsin to
cooperate with the Immigration Service to deport those who
commit a serious crime and are being held in our jails or our
prisons. The ideas I've just discussed in this brief response
are common sense and have broad public support. Everyone,
whether you're a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent,
should be able to rally around the idea of fighting inflation,
better educational outcomes for our kids, and punishing violent
criminals. We heard from tonight, Governor Evers, a long
list of things Partizan demands in a way that doesn't bring
Wisconsin together. We all know Wisconsin is such a great place
to live, work, raise a family, and retire our commitment and
our promise to you is to keep working, to make it even better.
Thank you for joining me tonight. God bless you and your
family, and God bless the state of Wisconsin.
>> That was Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos with the
Republican response. >> If you would like to watch
tonight's speech from Governor Tony Evers or Assembly Speaker,
Speaker Robin Vos again, we will have it posted later tonight on
our website at PBS Wisconsin. Org, we will have continuing
coverage and reaction to the state of the state address this
Friday evening at 730 on here and now.
>> Wisconsin Public Radio will also continue to follow
developments from the state Capitol, both on the air and
online at npr.org. We want to thank you for joining us this
evening. Live from the state Capitol in Madison. I'm Shawn
Johnson with Wisconsin Public Radio.
>> And I'm Frederica Freyberg with PBS Wisconsin. This
concludes our coverage of Wisconsin's 2025 state of the
state address. Thanks for watching.