Three times, show the bill be
passed, represented from the 61st.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd be remiss if I didn't thank
the Republican leadership
and Governor Evers
for putting together this
compromise.
I think it's a good one,
and I am proud to support
this bill.
I had to
take a second take yesterday
when I was listening to some of the
talk show individuals saying,
oh, this is a back room deal,
a back-room deal, heaven forbid.
How the hell, Mr.
Speaker, do they think things get
done?
Whether it's the back room or
the front room, who
gives a damn?
This is a good compromise when
both sides, opposite sides
I might add, came together
and addressed many
of the concerns that
I certainly hear from my
constituents.
This bill helps address property
taxes.
This bill help address special
education.
This bill gives the money
back to the
people that we got it from
in the first place.
There's a lot of good in
this bill.
Is it perfect?
Heaven forbid, no.
It's not perfect.
Nothing in this world is
perfect, but this is a
good compromise bill.
And I hear from
some of my colleagues on the other
side a lot wishful thinking.
Oh, I wish
that the bill included this,
or I wish the bill included that.
We all wish a lot of
things. Hell, Mr. Speaker,
I wish rainwater was
beer!
But it's not.
What we have to do here
today is deal
with reality as it's
placed before us.
Let's not vote against
this because it's
no good enough.
Let's vote for it because
it moves us in the right
direction and hopefully
next session
we can move it even
further.
So the vote is green Mr. Speaker.
Thank you.
Represent the 53rd.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, a lot of
notes here.
Thank you for the opportunity to
speak on this, probably the
last time also where you're going to
have to listen to me.
I've been around here a long time,
because I'm old, and
I've seen just about everything.
And then something else comes up and
you kind of go, wow, I didn't see
that one coming.
So some of the stuff I'm hearing
today, I don't see coming,
but I've here for two-thirds
school funding. I was here when
Molly Kanicki was standing right in
the minority leader sits right now
and says, hey, why don't we fund
schools at two-thirds?
Boy, the Republicans, we went
to caucus and said, hey, let's take
them up on that.
So we spent two-thirds school
funding back then.
I was here for Act 10.
I was hear when Governor Doyle
took a whole bunch of money from the
transportation fund that
a lot of Republicans and Democrats
regretted.
I wasn't here for the 400-year veto,
but I'm here now and so we're seeing
the effects of that.
I've worked with a lot of great
people around here.
There's good people over there now,
there's great people, good people
here, and people
are trying to do the right thing.
But I've seen how this building's
changed, I've listened to the
rhetoric, and the people change.
I've had the great opportunity to
work with you know so many
Good People, Marlon Schneider,
Wally Konicki, Joel Ian, Mary
Hubler, Joe Andrea,
John Antramian, Tammy Baldwin,
Mike Ellis,
Mickey Forty,
Representative Sunicky, still here,
so David Prosser.
And times have changed.
So I've worked for some great
governors.
I've been in the minority, the
majority, back to the minority and
back to majority.
I was chair of joint finance when
Jim Doyle was governor.
We did a lot of good things
in a bipartisan
way, in compromise
and working together.
And lots of times I wish we
could get back to that.
So when we have things like this
happen, where everyone
in this room knew that there were
negotiations going on
between the governor and
between the Republican legislature,
you can't say you didn't know that
these things were going on.
If you don't know what was in it,
that's not our problem, that's our
fault.
Somebody should have informed you
that these negotiations were going
on.
That's what the people of Wisconsin
want.
I'm a bar owner, too.
And I listen to the people.
And Monday night, when this hit the
airwaves, people were
saying, I listen the people at the
bar.
And they were Republicans and
Democrats.
And they saying, hey, this is good
stuff.
You're finally getting something
done together.
They didn't know the details.
They didn't know what was in it.
They did hear they were going to get
a $600 check,
and they were pretty excited about
that.
They said, hey, it'll help when
I'm paying four bucks for
gas, it will help.
They heard about more money for
schools, and then they were excited
about What was that?
And I'm a pragmatic guy,
and when I hear these people
say that they want us
to work together,
they want to find solutions to our
problem, we're not going to have a,
we've never had a bill here that
satisfied everybody.
So those of you who are bringing up
these red herrings of, oh it doesn't
include this, it doesn' t include
that, there isn't
any bill in 28 years that
has done that.
It never fixes
all our problems.
Been around here long enough to
know.
Sometimes you gotta take two-thirds
of a loaf of bread and
then come back next time and work on
the rest of the problem.
And so when I see what's going on
here today, I'm kinda shocked.
$862 million are gonna go back
in checks.
I was here when we sent checks back
one time.
It didn't go that well.
Checks were really small, forgot
what they were, $137 or
something.
Administrative costs were very high,
but I listened to the governor, I
listened to the
revenue secretary who said they now
have technology in
a system where you can do this for
very little cost.
And the fact that
millionaires or people who make a
lot of money are going to get 300
bucks and people that
are just working class people
are going get 300 bucks.
It's harder to fix
that, so we're doing this
and we're going to help a lot of
people. 300 more million
dollars. We put 563
million dollars into special
education and it wasn't
enough.
So here we are.
We're putting another 300 million
dollars in the special education.
It was a mistake to
not put any money in
general schoolings.
Because those schools were going to
get their money regardless,
they were going to get it from the
taxpayer.
So now here we are.
We're going to put money into
the schools to
hopefully help them.
It's helping my district, Appleton,
Menasha, Nina.
They're getting some pretty good
increases.
So, while the names
change, all of us change
and people come after, the
rhetoric's still the same.
Lloyd Kincaid, all those people
with, you know, things
you could write a book about.
But sometimes, you just
gotta do what's right.
And you gotta accept the
fact that people want us
to work together.
They know they're not gonna get
everything they want, Republicans,
Democrats. And so,
compromise.
Be civil to each other,
and try and get things done that
help all Wisconsinites,
whether they're rich or poor.
And I'm one of those guys who have
always said consistently when
people on my side were saying, we're
not giving Milwaukee any more money.
And as chair of finance, I would
say, as Milwaukee goes,
the state of Wisconsin goes.
So we've got to help Milwaukee just
like we have to help Superior, just
like We have to have a green bed.
The formulas are what they are.
Somebody came up with these
formulas.
Every time we try to change a
formula, there's winners and there's
losers.
And if you're a loser on the
formula, you
don't like it. You don't vote, no.
But social media,
politics, money in
politics has changed this
chamber, and not for the better.
So sometimes you gotta check that at
the door and just do what's
right.
So I hope that people
can do what right today.
Vote for this bill, get this
money out of here.
I was here when there was a huge
structural deficit.
I was a couple years when we
had negative growth.
Because of the economy.
Can you imagine us putting together
the last budget with
negative growth when
you got medical assistance costs or
you got school costs?
Jim Doyle was here when we had
negative growth and
we got it done with a split
legislature and
so Thanks for everything,
but this is the best
we got going out the door and
I think it's going to make a
difference, a small difference in
a lot of people's lives.
We need to pass it, we need to
send a message that we're
not going to sit on 2.8
billion dollars, over 2
billion dollars in the rainy day
fund.
We had $31.17
in the rainy day fund at
one time when we started.
Said, enough's enough, we've got to
get that up.
But there's good people here on both
sides of the aisle.
It's time to continue that.
You know, elections are going to
happen, and the stuff during
elections is not pretty.
But when you get here,
sometimes you just got to check it
out the door and say, you know what?
I got to give a little to get a
little. And this will be a much
better place.
And the state of Wisconsin will have
a much better state.
Thank you.
Question is, May 2026 Special
Session, Assembly Bill 1 and the Ben
Retsky Times, so the bill will be
passed, representative from the
67th.
Mr. Speaker, I
have not drained for 38 years,
and I am grateful that rain was
not a fear for me.
Gotta start that out that way.
The way I've operated since I've
been here is,
I think in a bipartisan fashion.
I like working with folks
on the left.
They're not happy sometimes
with the end result
of the bill, and that's mainly
because of the process, all right?
The process for a bill,
we write a bill.
I introduce it.
All right? First thing I've got to
do is I've gotta go back to
my leadership.
Will this bill work with
my leadership?
I tweak.
Then I immediately go to the state
agency, because I need the
state agency on this or else
pretty much guarantee the governor
is going to veto it.
So I work with the state agency,
more tweaks.
Ultimately go to the governor's
office.
Are you good with this?
That will lead to more tweaks."
I got all my bills that
made to the governor's this
sands one pass.
So I got a lot of pens this year.
I lost.
Good year.
But again, that's the process that's
got to work.
For bills to get signed at least
for me.
In this bill,
we've been discussing this since
first of the year.
It's been going on forever.
And based on, for example, my
last 24 hours of travel,
I wish this would have got done in
April as well.
Okay, it's been a mess.
But when I look at what's with
this, of SPED, for example,
Special Education Funding.
We were given estimates of, all
right, this is how much money was
needed for 42 and 45,
the estimates were low.
We're off.
We funded it to 42, 45.
Estimates are low.
We're off. Now we're back.
Should we fund it to
what we promised?
Absolutely.
Well, in the negotiations that have
gone on between leadership
of the different houses,
the governor's got it up to 50%.
Fine. I talk to my school districts
typically every month.
In fact, I've got one of my
school districts on my board of
directors for the other every month.
All of them are happy to get this
extra money.
One district's price late's
getting a little over $600,000 or
getting it, okay?
So, SPED absolutely should
be done.
Hourly workers, overtime
tax and tips.
That's kind of all of our bread and
butter.
That's who support both
sides of this.
Absolutely, these folks should
be included in this.
Um, property tax,
as I've been out doing doors, that
is the number one
thing I'm hearing from everybody.
Is there a shot to see 20,
25%, in some cases 30%
increases of property tax.
We're addressing it now.
Somehow we're going to have to
address it somewhere down the
line with 400-year veto because
this is not an issue
that's going to wait.
It's going to be here
long after him does, okay?
The one thing I've heard of is...
These bills were dropped
to our friends on the left on
Monday.
Do you not talk to your government?
It's your government.
That's where I don't understand
the dysfunction or
the rift
that exists if
that's the first time you've seen
these bills.
That bothers me.
That needs to be looked at.
Maybe the media can look at.
Why weren't they not talking before
this? I just don't know.
But for me, when I look at this,
again, compromise is kind of key to
everything that you do in life.
This is the compromise we're
dealing with today, and I'm
a yes on this.
Repeat that from the 68.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for a temporary
leave of absence for the gentleman
from the 34th and gentleman
from 63rd.
Representative from the 68,
ask for a temporary name of absence
for the representative from the 34th
and 63rd.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
Representative from 79.
I ask unanimous
consent for a temporary leave of
absence for the representative from
the 95th.
Representative from the 79th House,
we now have some time for a group of
accents for the representative from
the 90th.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
The question is, may in 2026,
special session, Assembly Bill 1,
have a member and three times shall
the bill be passed.
Representative, vote with us.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
We've heard,
we are willing to compromise,
but yet the only compromise
that they're ever willing to make is
if they get everything they want and
our side gets nothing.
That's not a compromise,
just so they know, because
we've heard the definition of
compromise.
We can give another one.
An agreement or settlement reached
through mutual concession.
All sides give, all sides
get, that's a compromise.
And this.
A compromise.
And just so you know, people outside
of the dome here,
people that are disconnected
from the, you know political bubble
that we like to live in, they don't
care who put this deal together.
They care about getting their money
back, they care about
their schools being funded, they
care about property taxes going
down, they care about putting
food on the table and gas in the
car.
So it's like completely disingenuous
to sit here and complain about
process when an agreement
was reached by the legislative
and executive branches for
the benefit of Wisconsin taxpayers.
Mr. Speaker, we've
also heard, we had no
idea this was happening.
Do you guys ever come out from under
your rock?
Permission to speak from a printed
document, please.
Without objection.
Thank you so much.
Back in February, Wisconsin Public
Radio put out an article titled,
Assembly Speaker Robin Voss says,
the money is there for tax rebates
and special education funding.
Voss remains open to permanent tax
relief and general school aid as
negotiations with the governor
continue.
Continue, meaning we already
knew that it was happening at that
time. So...
Your leadership didn't say,
hey, Tony, what are you negotiating?
What are you working on?
Can we be part of that?
Can we have some say in it?
Because
Everybody knew what was happening.
You gotta come out and maybe ask
some questions.
I would think you have a good
relationship with your governor that
you could ask them what's going on.
When you have to explain the
process, you've already lost.
If you want to make the point that
the governor didn't invite Democrat
leadership to the table, that's on
the governor, and it's an
internal issue with your leadership.
So, hopefully you can work on
that, but the rest of the
state doesn't need to suffer.
We worked on this in good faith.
It's a good plan.
It's good compromise for Wisconsin.
Thank you so much.
Represented by the second.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There's a lot to consider
as I've been hearing the speeches
here, but I guess what I'd like to
start with is the fact that anyone
in my caucus could probably
attest to this, that I've
been a little bit frustrated in
several of our caucuses thinking we
weren't doing enough for
those who are working the hardest in
the state of Wisconsin as it relates
to tax cuts.
I think some of you could even
remember the time that I
threw some papers and stormed out
because I was so angry that we
weren't doing enough to
help the people who are working the
hardest in the state of
Wisconsin.
That's what this bill does.
It gives the people that are putting
in the overtime a
tax cut. It's giving our servers
a tax-cut.
It's given everybody a
relief on property taxes.
That's what this bill does.
And...
It is mind boggling to
me that they're saying that somehow
they weren't aware of what was going
on, even though, as the lady from
the Vip just said, I mean, it's
literally been in the media.
But secondly, did anyone
ever think, hey, maybe I should go
talk to the governor?
Anyone ever think maybe you should
do your job and actually talk
to the governor's office at some
point?
Maybe have your leadership talk
to the governors office at a point
and say, hey, what's going on?
What are we working on?
Maybe we need
to work on something here.
If you weren't aware of it...
You know, maybe you should talk to
the governor because I've worked
with the governor's office on a
number of proposals.
The representative from
67 mentioned,
he's worked with governor's offices
on a number of proposal.
He will talk to you, his office will
talk to you if you actually make the
effort, if you actually do the work.
But see, that's the biggest thing I
think that's going on here.
There's a difference between what
the
and what they do.
They say they are working,
but they just put out statements.
They say that they support the
working class, but they're going to
vote against overtime tax cuts.
They say their willing to work on
compromise.
And yet, if you look for every
budget that has been passed in
a compromise in over the last eight
years with Governor Evers, since
I've been in office, I've worked
with GovernorEvers every single
time, because he's the only governor
I've ever worked with.
Every single time,
the Republicans work with Democrat
Governor Evers to pass a budget,
and the other side of the aisle
votes no!
Almost exclusively.
I think there's one or two of these
that have voted here and there on
some sort of compromise.
But that side of the aisle at this
level has been so
captured by the fringe of
their parties, of their party,
that they can't even conceive of the
idea of compromise.
To see Tony Ebers represents the
Democrat party of
10 years ago or 20 years
ago that was willing to actually
talk to Republicans and work
together to get something done.
The modern Democrat representative
elected bodies, those
people are so far to the left.
That they are calling out their own
Democrat governor.
This is incredible to me and
as the representative from
the Appleton area mentioned before,
at 56 I think,
they're gonna have to help Tony
E. Resetti and pull the knife out of
his back after he's been betrayed
by people and that's the outside of
the aisle who didn't even
do the effort to go talk to him and
find out what was happening because
apparently that's too much
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Representing number 69.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today, I've heard so many things,
and some of them we hear all the
time, especially in
the media.
That is...
It's beyond hyperbole.
It goes into gaslighting.
I heard a comment from the other
side of the aisle during this debate
that we
broke our promise on
special ed, that we
said that we would give 42%
in the last budget we passed
in July 2025,
and we broke our promise.
When we say those type of things
to the public, the legislature,
the republicans have broken their
promise.
We really need to be more active,
because otherwise that's called
gaslighting.
Because the public hears, they've
broken their promises.
No, we didn't.
We promised a half a billion
dollars to special ed, and
we're giving a half of a billion.
But what we do is because each
school district is different,
the needs, the special needs of
each school district and the number
of children is different.
We come up with a percentage of
what this would be like.
And our fiscal bureau, the governor,
also came up with it.
They came up, this would about 42%.
But when all the numbers came back
in, when the students came back this
year, in September this year and
they count the number students, and
the numbers students that need
special aid, and the amount
of help that these children will
need, well then the number changes.
And so the estimate of the percent
is not what we thought it
was. It wasn't a mistake,
it wasn't promise that was
broken.
This is the way we project and
use as a budgeting tool for our
school district to say, we think
it's going to be around this
percent, but we don't know until we
get there.
So what we say, that you've
broken your promises,
well, that's guess-like.
We just need to be accurate in
what's really happening.
I've heard some more guess-lining
today.
From the other side of the aisle,
the people in Wisconsin are
getting nothing.
Quote, they are getting nothing.
Now, to be fair to the person
who said that, they were
specifically, I believe,
referencing the income
tax rebate.
There are some in the state
of Wisconsin that did not
pay any income tax.
They are our lower wage
earners.
We are giving them a
tax break. They didn't pay anything
in, so it is correct.
Those that didn't any income taxes,
they won't be getting anything
back.
If they paid a little bit more,
maybe some of them are only going to
get 74 cents back, but
they never put anything in.
And so there's a difference.
And then what we gaslight, we say
they get nothing.
And we're talking about our lower
income people.
That is not true.
Our lower income are the
servers in the restaurant.
They are the people
that are receiving tips.
We are taking care of them also
by giving them no tax
on tips.
And what about the hard-working
Wisconsinites that are pulling two
ships or two jobs
and they're working overtime.
We're not going to tax their
overtime.
I also heard it
said here today that
that maybe there is some
appreciation for what we have done
in lowering the profit tax
and buying that back down and
increasing the special ed.
I need people here to know that I
represent the 69th District Assembly
and I have had my school districts
all of them contact me and say,
thank you, thank you thank you.
Thank you for this wonderful deal
that you have worked.
This is going to help us so much.
It will help all of Wisconsin,
not just the 69.
Today, I've also heard that
we didn't get to
be a part of the compromise.
I don't know who we is,
because in my caucus...
We have been on board
all the entire
time, since we knew in January
that we would have a surplus.
We have given guidance to
our leadership of what are
our borders, where we
would not go, where,
where we could compromise.
We've been a part of this the entire
time.
So, if there's people
in this chamber that haven't been a
part of this, I'm not sure why
you haven't. I don't know if that's
because of the splintering in your
party or schisms or what's
going on. I'm no a part in that
party, but I know that we
have been a party to that
discussion.
Mr. Speaker, permission to read from
a printed document.
Without objection.
Thank you.
This is from the journal SIPMOL,
and it was in response to
the criticism Governor Evers told
the SIPMO, quote,
Compromise is never perfect.
That's how compromise works.
Everyone gets something they want,
and no one gets everything they
want.
And I think most Wisconsinites would
say that's how government's supposed
to work. Everywhere
I go...
I hear from families,
and teachers, and principals
who are worried about local
schools going belly up.
I hear it from Wisconsinites who are
getting priced out of their homes
and can't afford to raise their
property taxes even higher
to keep their school doors open.
And I hear for working families who
are struggling to keep up with
rising costs on gas and
groceries as it is
while the state sits on
a multi-billion dollar surplus.
Governor Evers went on,
some legislators may be fine
doing nothing about
any of that, but I
am not.
It's my job as governor to get
things done and to help people
however I can.
I am NOT going to tell Wisconsinites
to sit tight and hold
out for another year or longer in
hopes that they may eventually get
the help they need right now.
There have been many times that I've
disagreed with Governor Evers,
but I will have to say thank
you, Governor Ebers.
Thank you for thinking about the
people of Wisconsin.
Thank you, for compromise
so that we can take care of
those people that live in our state
and that are looking to this
legislature, this governmental
body to not have
partisan bickering,
but to do something for the people
in Wisconsin.
And this bill
does it.
We all want to be at a certain
place in time and
in our efforts, but we're
over here.
And we would like to just leapfrog
to that place, but that's not
reality.
Reality is we take a step
in the right direction, and
then so we can come back and take
another step in right direction.
This is a step...
In the Right Direction.
There are several attitudes that
actually are true today from
this discussion I have heard thus
far.
One is, don't look a gift horse
in the mouth.
We know what that means.
The other is, if I don't get
my way, then I'm going to take my
ball and go home.
Let's not let that happen today.
Let's do what's good for
the state of Wisconsin.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Represent from the 87th.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There was a comment in one of the
speeches earlier this morning that
as a statue throughout the morning
has bothered me, and it
couldn't be further from the truth,
and that was a comment to the effect
of we are boarding
up a window that
we on the side of the aisle broken.
Mr. Speaker,
when Republicans came into
this building in January
of 2011, they had
to rebuild a demolished
house that the Democrats
took apart board by board
in a matter of just two
years.
I think there's
a lapse in memory as to
all the things over
that time frame, up until today,
that those on this side of the aisle
have done to help property
taxpayers.
How about shared revenue increases?
Historic share revenue increases
a couple budgets ago.
How about Act 10 itself
that has saved property
taxpayers billions
and billions of dollars since
its inception?
How about the last budget that
made historic investments in K-12
education?
And now this today that is going
to return money
sitting here in Madison into
the pockets of hard-working
property taxpayers.
Now, what have those on the other
side of the aisle done for
property taxpayers in
the last decade or so?
Well, they fought
Act 10 with their liberal
lawyers in court and continue to
do so today.
They voted against every budget,
most of them did.
They refuse to ask Governor
Evers' 400-year veto
that is breaking the backs of
property taxpayers,
and now this.
And I ask myself,
why?
How could you not support
the bill before us today?
And the answer is clear.
Because they live in the moment,
Mr. Speaker.
They live in a moment.
And they think more about themselves
than Wisconsinites.
Because they want to go back out
at the doors this fall.
And they hope to tell people.
Two.
Billion plus dollars sitting
in the Hill of Madison,
and Republicans won't
do anything about it,
because they won't compromise with
us.
They want nothing more than for that
money to stay sitting here in
Madison, because it's
selfish, as you speak,
and it's living in the moment.
So I would hope, and I would ask,
that some of you...
Think long and hard about that,
and join us on this side of the
aisle in voting three today
on this bill.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative...
Thank you Mr. Speaker,
a great day today, excited to work
on my partisan bill for
several months.
Bring this to the floor today and
we'll feel good to the
Democratic governor of the bill
signing this bill.
I just want to address one item that
hasn't been addressed except for
the very opening remarks
of the minority.
The very first argument she made
against this bill is
there's nothing in this bill
for low-income and
middle-class seniors.
You don't see it here.
More monarchy.
What are you doing for that?
Do you have like a?
Apparently, she's forgot that
in previous legislation,
previous legislatures,
we made Social Security tax-free
here in Wisconsin,
and during this particular budget,
this particular session,
$695 million
was invested
in our seniors so they could
have a tax- free
retirement.
Every senior is
going to have that opportunity up to
$48,000 tax-free retirement.
So, and,
let's be honest with all this,
they all voted against it.
So today, they will say, where
are your support,
your thoughts, your money, your
language relating to the seniors?
When every single one of them,
when they have the option to support
the seniors in our state,
to give them a tax-free retirement,
said no, you don't deserve it.
Thankfully,
we had a thoughtful
governor who
was willing to put politics
aside for the benefit of
the state.
I'm hopeful that my colleagues on
the other side of the aisle may
choose that same option
today. Thank you.
The question is, may in
2026, special session assembly
bill one, have the member at three
times show the bill be passed,
representative or needy?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We've heard a lot of great comments
today.
A lot of experienced legislators
talking, some newer legislators
talking. So I'd just like to share a
little bit of experience from a
legislator who is in the second year
of his first term, and
how I see this bill.
And I am in support of this.
I do want to say one thing real
quick, though.
I think that sometimes some of the
arguments that I am hearing from the
other side of the aisle, People need
to remember we are not congressmen,
we are not U.S.
Senators, we're state
representatives and the focus should
maintain on the state of Wisconsin
what we're doing here.
So that being said, I'm going to
take a trip down memory road.
Last year, I was campaigning for the
very first time in the 80th
assembly district.
One thing that I heard over and
over and over again
is can you guys just work
together to get things done
for Wisconsin?
And we've done that this session.
So one thing that I want my
constituents to know, if they're not
already aware, we had significant
impact results from
our recent binding budget that we
passed at the start of this session,
over $50 million of
infrastructure projects were put
into the state budget with
one time money that saved the local
taxpayers of Brown County, where I
represent,
saved them money.
That is significant for that area.
We were able to get 10 bills
signed into law by our Democratic
governor as a Republican
representative. That doesn't happen
by accident.
That happens by hard work.
That happens by working across the
aisle. That
compromising where you must in
order to get a good bill done with
the focus on our future here in
Wisconsin.
Four of those bills were geared
toward veterans, a couple of
them were geared toward currently
serving garden service, a couple
of those were geared towards
protecting our children and looking
out for our future rights and
generation.
These are important issues that
we are fighting for here in
Wisconsin. What we have before us
today, this bill,
is no different.
It gives us an opportunity
to take action on something that was
done on a bipartisan basis
with a Democratic governor.
And I do acknowledge the
work that was by his office on this,
and I thank them for that.
And I acknowledge the works that
were done by their leadership here
on the Republican side as well,
in the state assembly and in the
Senate.
Just to quickly highlight a couple
of these things and why I think this
is too big of an
opportunity for us to pass up.
This is number one about delivering
results to Wisconsinites
in a difficult economy,
different things that we see going
on.
We are investing into our kids,
investing into schools,
over 600 million dollars,
over $600 million going
into the K-12 education system.
$300 million to special ed,
$300,000,000 to the generally.
Just like everything, there's things
that I don't like in this.
I don't particularly care for the
technical college provision in it.
But again, that's part of the
compromise.
And I look forward to working with
our technical college and our
leadership here in the caucus and
the governor's office of what we can
do to make that provision right.
But there are too many good things
in this one to just simply be
a note on it.
Another thing, tax relief for our
families, over $350
million.
And tax relief,
$350 billion.
Thanks.
Elimination of income tax
on tips,
on overtime, those people that are
working hard.
I have navigated that ever since
leaving the African Indian military
and serving in the privatized
sector.
I have navigating with that.
I've worked with these employees.
I've managed over 700 employees
that this directly benefits
here in the state.
This all makes a difference.
You look at my point number three,
inflation, relief, issues,
$850 million going directly to
taxpayers, 300 individuals,
$300 to individuals,
up to $600 for married family
jointly.
All these things stacked up is
a signal that, yes,
you pay more than your fair share in
taxes. We are doing what we can
to get it back to you because you
know how to spend your money better
than the government does how to
spending your money.
So the arguments that I hear that
this isn't enough or whatever,
I have knocked hundreds of doors
again already this
year and I hear the same thing
that I which
was...
Can you all work together to get
this done?
This addresses some of the major
issues that I am hearing about
from my constituents here in
Wisconsin.
Not federal level stuff, but here in
WIsconson, the vote is ringing.
Representing the 15th.
Thank you Mr. Speaker,
today our vote returns
roughly $1.5
billion back to
taxpayers who earned it.
Income tax rebates,
property tax relief, no
tax on tips and overtime.
And while, like we've heard, this is
big for the service industry, big
for our state.
The no tax on
overtime has brought support
over many industries.
In fact, we sat down with members of
our law enforcement community
recently on both
sides of the aisle, who actually
advocated for this provision
of the bill and said it would help
with recruitment, retention,
and their support of that piece.
To those that want structural change
or permanent tax relief,
we hear you.
We do too.
But we are constrained by both
the size of our
surplus and
by divided government.
When we sat down to negotiate what
the surplus would look like,
everyone had their own of what they
want to see.
The governor, clearly, he had
prioritized education.
Education spending,
special education spending.
Our side, what we prioritized
was returning as much of that money
back to the taxpayer as
we could.
We prioritized tax relief,
and we met somewhere
in the middle.
This is a moment where we should
be proud of.
Things that we can explain to
kids when they come on school
visits.
Hey, we all love Wisconsin.
We all have different priorities,
different perspectives, but there
are moments where we're able to come
together, work together,
and get big important things done.
The income tax rebates
that are going back to people in
the form of checks at
a time where cost of living is
rising and people are looking for
that helping hand.
That's money that's going directly
to taxpayers.
They were overcharged and
they earned that money.
And yet we have heard from the other
side that sending checks
to Wisconsin taxpayers from
our surplus is
actually a redistribution
of wealth.
They say it's not your money.
If Democrats don't
think the surplus belongs
to you, the taxpayer,
who do they think it belongs to?
We're choosing you, taxpayer,
and by voting yes, it's sending
the money back to taxpayers
and also honoring our commitment
to prioritize special education
in the budget.
Represent from the 25th.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Of all the bills that I've
been hearing in my seventh term
now, I think this is probably
one of the most impactful.
And it's going to impact a lot of
different people, especially
seniors.
And I think of this guy that,
and many of you probably have heard
this story before,
but he was a man I knocked on
his door in Manitoulac.
He had since passed on to be with
the Lord.
He was telling me one-third of his
income had to go to pay for his
property taxes on his house.
One-third.
Now, he didn't live in a very
expensive house, if anything,
probably at the time. It valued
about $150,000.
Can you imagine that?
One- third of his had to pay to
live in his own home.
I think that's a disgrace.
I want, I can't wait to
go out to dinner with my colleagues
from the other side of the aisle,
Mr. Speaker.
Because I want to make sure
that their
waiter or waitress
understands that they voted to tax
their tips.
That's what I would like to do.
I would to make sure that everybody
knows that we
voted to not
tax you, tips and overtime.
Think of all the people,
think of that the next time you call
that plumber, that electrician.
The guy that's got his name on the
side of his truck.
That guy works overtime generally
and
I would tell you tell
him that you voted to taxes
overtime.
I bet you won't do that Mr. Speaker
but I know you Mr. Speaker you're
probably going to vote the right
way. The vote is green.
Step in the ninth.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask unanimous consent to lift the
leave for the representative
from the 95th.
Represented through the 70-90,
passed the dam consent with a
temporary leave of absence for the
representative in the 90-50, hearing
no objection, so ordered.
Question is, May 2026 Special
Session Assembly Bill 1, have it
read read three times, should the
bill be passed, representative from
the 30-second.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
This will be brief.
What we're actually seeing here
today is a temper
tantrum.
The real reason the Democrats will
be voting no today is because
they're upset that their own
Democrat governor thinks they are
so incapable of governing.
And that is why he iced them out of
the negotiations once again.
I don't know how you go back to your
district and look hardworking people
in the face and
tell them I voted
against you.
What a selfish and
nasty slap in the face.
The inactitude is astounding, Mr.
Speaker, but thankfully the grownups
are still in charge.
And we're going to pass this bill
today, and we are going to get the
people of Wisconsin the relief
that they have been asking for.
The vote is green.
Represented from the 41st.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
It does amaze me when
we're in this beautiful chamber,
just the rhetoric that we hear from
the other side.
We're either spending too much, or
we're not spending enough.
That's what we hear.
Not spending enough, oh my god, no,
you're spending too.
Or, we haven't had time
to look at this.
Well, first of all, we voted on
no tax on tips and no
tax over time in this chamber.
Last year we worked on a state
budget with the government.
Part of that state budget was
a historic increase in special
education.
And then I know one of our
colleagues talked about that somehow
we knowingly
cheated that.
First of all, it
was good negotiations with the
governor. We all came up with a
four percent increase.
Everybody was going to get that for
special education, the
budget was signed on July 3rd.
Some of you voted for it, some of
you didn't.
And then, shortly thereafter, DPI
comes out and says, oh, by the way,
it's going to be a 9% increase.
So I don't know how that is
disingenuous.
And now,
be in good faith.
We're going to fulfill that promise,
and then so.
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of
being down in Ithaca, Wisconsin,
went to the flower sale at Ithica
High School and bought some
beautiful flowers from my wife.
Ran into one of the school board
members, Marty and Terry,
and I said, Marty, you're going to
really like what you're going to
hear on Monday.
We're going get special education up
to 50%.
His eyes were like, what?
That is huge for our school
district.
Monday, I was in the driveway
of the
school board president of Reesburg,
Wisconsin.
Gary, a wonderful person.
I said, Gary, pay attention
to the news on Monday.
We're going to get you up to 50%.
That's over a million dollars for
the Reesberg School District.
And today, what astonishes
me is you're going to vote no
against that because
it's not enough.
One thing about special education
and why personally I am
so
Ficially looking at it because once
we put dollars there no
matter what the economy does
We can't pull that money
back with the mainest veteran of
the choir on the federal level Once
you get that dollar, you're going to
keep that
That's why during the budget
process, which I know a lot
of people forget about that, that
was the number one
thing superintendents across
the state asked for.
And if you think about it, it was
really brilliant on their part,
because they know if you get special
education dollars,
we can't pull that back.
And now that's up to, once again,
over a $300 million
commitment to get
that to over 50%.
We will be at two-thirds funding.
That's the other thing.
That was a gold standard that Tommy
Thompson worked out with Democrats
back in the day.
And we are at two thirds funding.
But once again, it's never
enough.
It will never be enough.
To my colleagues on my side
of the aisle, I hope if you are
in your first term or your second
term, realize this.
It is never enough."
Just like my colleague mentioned, we
want to get $1.5
billion back to our taxpayers.
I have a very good friend of mine,
his name's Brad.
He works for a brewery.
A couple years ago we were sitting
there having one of his beverages
that his brewery produces.
And he said, yeah, you know,
they want me to ask to work a bunch
of overtime. I don't want to do it
because I get taxed
too much.
And so what are we going to do
today? What did we vote on a couple
of months ago?
No tax on overtime.
That's going to help Brad.
That's gonna help Larry.
That's gotta help Jill in
all the factories in Richland
Center, in Reedsburg.
It's huge, and you're gonna vote no
against that?
Well, some of you did vote yes for
that.
My daughter just graduated from
pharmacy school, I'm so proud of
her. We went out to dinner on
Friday.
A wonderful waitress in Wisconsin
Dells.
Very proud to represent that
district.
If anybody's been to Wisconsin
Dills, it's the water capital of the
world, by the way.
But go up there.
You're going to run into a lot of
wonderful service people.
Allison was our waitress.
She was fantastic.
Guess what Allison's going to be
able to do?
Keep a lot more for money because
we're not going to tax or tips
them.
And once again, you're going to vote
against folks like Allison,
folks like Brad, because,
oh, we didn't have enough time to
look at it,
or you're overspending, or it's not
enough, yaddy,
yadda, yadddy, excuse after excuse
after excuses.
This is a great bill
for Wisconsin.
Saturday of Walter and Richland
County talked to a lot of my
constituents and they are great.
I can fully admit it, the gas prices
are taking a toll.
And to give some money back to help
our constituents, just like
Governor Evers says,
that is a no-brainer.
Representative for the 68th,
Mr. Speaker, I ask that lift the
temporary leave of absence for the
gentlemen from the 34th
and 63rd.
Representative for 68th dash
unanimous and sent the temporary
relief of absence from the
representative from the 34th in the
representative for the 63rd,
hearing no objection, so ordered.
The Wisconsin State Assembly stands
informal.
Thank you.
Or be around, yeah.
Stay in the building, you know,
just, and be ready.
And have your speaker on.