CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE HEALTH CARE
MORE ACCESSIBLE WHILE SAVING
YOUR HARD-EARNED TAX DOLLARS.
DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WE
CAN'T AFFORD TO FULLY FUND OUR
PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHILE CUTTING
TAXES AT THE SAME TIME.
DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WE
CAN'T AFFORD TO SUPPORT OUR
FARMERS, OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES
AND OUR SMALL BUSINESSES WHILE
PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
AND INVESTING IN NEW, CLEAN JOBS
JOBS.
>> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS DELIVERED
HIS BUDGET ADDRESS THIS WEEK.
THE $91 BILLION TWO-YEAR PLAN
REPRESENTS AN INCREASE IN
OVERALL SPENDING BY NEARLY 10%,
WITH EDUCATION LEADING THE WAY.
IN HIS PLAN, K-12 SCHOOLS WOULD
SEE A BOOST OF MORE THAN $1.6
BILLION AND THE UW SYSTEM WOULD
SEE THE LARGEST INCREASE IN 20
YEARS.
TO HELP FUND THESE INCREASES,
EVERS' BUDGET CALLS FOR A NEARLY
$1 BILLION TAX INCREASE BY WAY
OF LIMITS ON MANUFACTURERS' TAX
CREDITS AND INCREASING THE
CAPITAL GAINS TAX FOR
HIGH-INCOME PEOPLE.
TAX CUTS OF NEARLY $600 MILLION
WOULD GO TO CAREGIVERS, PARENTS
AND LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS.
REPUBLICANS SAY THE GOVERNOR'S
BUDGET INCLUDES WHAT THEY CALL
POISON PILLS, LIKE EXPANDING
MEDICAID, ROLLING BACK ACT 10
AND LEGALIZING RECREATIONAL
MARIJUANA.
WE GET REPUBLICAN REACTION NOW
FROM CO-CHAIR OF THE
LEGISLATURE'S BUDGET-WRITING
COMMITTEE, REPRESENTATIVE MARK
BORN OF BEAVER DAM.
>> GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
>> WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL REACTION
TO THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET?
>> WELL, I MEAN, OVERALL IT'S
REALLY JUST A LIBERAL LIST.
IT HAS A TON OF POLICY IN IT,
TRYING TO REPEAL A LOT OF THINGS
THAT HAVE GONE INTO LAW IN THE
LAST PROBABLY TEN YEARS IN
WISCONSIN.
YOU MENTIONED SOME OF IT ON YOUR
LEAD N WITH-IN THERE, WITH THE ACT 10
THINGS.
ALSO MASSIVE TAX INCREASES, HUGE
SPENDING INCREASE AND JUST NOT
SOMETHING THAT'S A REALISTIC
BUDGET DOCUMENT MOVING FORWARD
FOR THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
>> SO WITH ALL OF THAT SAID, DO
YOU EXPECT TO THROW IT OUT AND
START ANEW?
>> WELL, WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK I
THINK IN THE COMING WEEKS.
CO-CHAIR AND I WILL SIT DOWN,
BUT I WILL IMAGINE WE'LL REMOVE
ALL THOSE POLICY ITEMS LIKE WE
DID LAST TIME.
THEY SHOULD HAVE A LEGISLATIVE
PROCESS, GO THROUGH THE PUBLIC
HEARINGS AND LET STAKEHOLDERS
WEIGH IN AND HAVE BIG
DISCUSSIONS ON THOSE TYPE OF
ISSUES.
AND CERTAINLY I THINK WHERE WE
ARE IS PROBABLY SOME OF WHERE WE
WERE LAST TIME, WHERE WE DID
WORK FROM A BASE BUDGET.
IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO WORK
WITH ALL THE MASSIVE SPENDING
AND TAX INCREASES IN THERE.
A LOT OF THAT IS GOING TO BE
NONSTARTERS.
>> SO WHAT WILL REPUBLICAN
PRIORITIES BE FOR THE BUDGET?
>> I THINK IT WILL BE A LOT OF
THE STUFF YOU'VE SEEN FROM US IN
THE PAST, FOCUS ON MAKING
INVESTMENTS IN K-12 EDUCATION,
BROADBAND, ROADS, ESPECIALLY
LOCAL ROADS, OUR TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM AND MAKING SURE WE'VE GOT
ACCESS TO OUR HIGH-QUALITY
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS HERE IN
WISCONSIN.
THOSE ARE THINGS WE 'DONE WE 'DONE HAVE DONE
THE LAST COUPLE BUDGETS.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE EDUCATION
SPENDING.
I DON'T THINK WE'LL SPEND AT THE
SAME LEVEL MAYBE IN THE SAME
WAY, BUT THERE'S ROOM FOR
COMPROMISE THERE.
BROADBAND IS ANOTHER ONE.
WE'VE INVESTED IN THE BROADBAND
THE LAST TWO BUDGETS.
THE GOVERNOR SAYS IT'S A
PRIORITY THIS TIME.
THERE'S ROOM TO WORK THERE AND
FOCUS ON THE ISSUE TOGETHER I
THINK.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WILL YOU APPROVE THE EXECUTIVE
BUDGET'S CALL FOR $95 MILLION TO
UPGRADE THE UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE SYSTEM?
>> I THINK THAT WE TOOK ACTION
THIS WEEK IN THE JOINT COMMITTEE
ON A BILL THAT THE SENATE PASSED
YESTERDAY AND WE'RE GOING TO
PASS NEXT WEEK IN THE ASSEMBLY
HOPEFULLY, TO GET THAT PROCESS
STARTED.
AND I THINK THAT PROCESS AS WE
OUTLINED IN THAT BILL WILL GIVE
US A BETTER IDEA ON THE COST.
AFTER THE RFP COMES BACK, IF WE
NEED TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR A
GOOD PLAN TO FIX THE SYSTEM, I
THINK THE LEGISLATURE WILL BE
OPEN TO TALKING ABOUT THAT,
DEFINITELY.
>> LET'S TAKE A LISTEN NOW TO
WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAD TO SAY
DIRECTLY TO YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES.
>> TO MY FRIENDS IN THE
LEGISLATURE, OUR OPPORTUNITY TO
BOUNCE BACK FROM THIS CRISIS
CALLS FOR YOU TO SUMMON THE WILL
TO GET THIS DONE.
THERE'S NO TIME FOR FALSE
PROMISES OF HOPE AND PROSPERITY
WITH EMPTY WORDS THAT YOU KNOW
FULL WELL WON'T MATCH YOUR
ACTIONS.
YOU CAN DISAGREE WITH ME IF YOU
WANT BUT DON'T PUNISH THE PEOPLE
WE SERVE SO YOU CAN SETTLE A
SCORE NO ONE BUT YOU IS KEEPING.
EACH TIME A BILL FAILS TO PASS,
EACH TIME A COMPROMISE ENDS UP
IN FLAMES, EACH TIME LEGISLATORS
LOSE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE WHO
SEND YOU WHOEVER, THE
DISAPPOINTMENT, THE RESENTMENT
AND THE DISPARITIES GROW.
>> SO WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO
THAT MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR
TO YOU?
>> YEAH.
WELL, I DON'T THINK THAT MYSELF
OR ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE
LOST SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE THAT
HAVE SENT US TO MADISON TO
REPRESENT THEM.
I THINK IT'S QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
WHEN WE'RE PUSHING BACK ON THE
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET THAT'S GOING
TO TAKE THIS STATE BACKWARDS AND
REPEAL A LOT OF THINGS WE PUT
INTO PLACE IN THE LAST DECADE,
WHEN HE'S LOOKING TO TAX
WISCONSIN RESIDENTS AT A TIME
WHEN WE'RE COMING OUT OF A
NATIONAL PANDEMIC AND GETTING
BACK ON OUR FEET, WE'RE
DEFINITELY REMEMBERING WHO SENT
US THERE AND WORKING TOGETHER IS
A TWO-WAY STREET.
SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
REPRESENT OUR CONSTITUENTS AND
WE'RE HOPING THAT THE GOVERNOR
WILL WORK WITH US ON THIS BUDGET
AND WE CAN ACCOMPLISH A BUDGET
LIKE WE DID TWO YEARS AGO.
BUT IT'S DEFINITELY A TWO-WAY
STREET AND I DON'T ACCEPT AT ALL
ANY IDEA THAT -- I BELIEVE THAT
I HAVE A LOT OF HOPE IN THIS
STATE AND MY CONSTITUENTS AND
I'M THERE TO REPRESENT THEM JUST
LIKE MY COLLEAGUES IN THE
LEGISLATURE ARE AND THAT'S WHAT
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO.
>> YOU SPOKE EARLIER TO THIS,
THAT YOU BELIEVE THERE ARE
DEFINITELY THINGS THAT YOU CAN
AGREE ON WITH THE EVERS' BUDGET,
LIKE MAYBE THIS ISN'T THE
NUMBER, BUT $200 MILLION FOR
BROADBAND.
BUT HE ALSO HAS IN THERE A $200
MILLION FOR BUSINESSES TO TRY TO
RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC.
I TRUST THAT THAT WOULD BE
SOMETHING THAT YOU'D BE LOOKING
AT AS WELL?
>> YEAH.
AGAIN, UNTIL WE HAVE CAUCUS
DISCUSSIONS AND THINGS AND SEE
HOW ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS FIT
TOGETHER, WE CAN'T COMMIT TO A
NUMBER.
DEFINITELY WE WILL WANT TO
INVEST IN BROADBAND.
I'M SURE WE WILL INVEST IN
BUSINESSES TO HELP THEM COME OUT
OF THE PANDEMIC.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING IS THE
NEEDS OF OUR WORKFORCE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE
RETIRING, FAMILIES AREN'T AS
LARGE AS THEY USED TO BE.
WE NEED TO HAVE THE HIGH-QUALITY
WORKFORCE WE'VE ALWAYS HAD IN
WISCONSIN.
WE NEED TO ATTRACT MORE TALENT
TO OUR WORK WORKFORCE.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.