GOVERNOR EVERS, THANKS FOR YOUR
TIME TODAY.
>> THANKS, ZAC.
>> ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS
SAYS HE, TOO, IS HOPING TO
IMPROVE LINES OF COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
GOVERNOR.
WE SPOKE WITH HIM RECENTLY ABOUT
THE BUDGET AND HIS LEGISLATIVE
PRIORITIES.
>> MR. SPEAKER, THANKS FOR YOUR
TIME.
>> ALWAYS HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THANKS, ZAC.
>> GIVE ME YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF
THE 2022 ELECTIONS AND WHAT ARE
YOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE RESULTS?
>> I WOULD SAY FIRST OF ALL, IT
SEEMED TO GO ALONG BETTER THAN
IT DID BEFORE.
I THINK WE HAD LESS CONCERNS
WITH THE CHALLENGES THAT
OCCURRED IN 2020.
I THINK IT STILL SHOWS THAT
THERE WERE ISSUES THAT WE HAD TO
DEAL WITH.
I STILL WOULD PREFER THAT WE HAD
THE MONDAY BILL ASSEMBLY -- I
THINK WE HAD SOME CHANGES TO THE
WAY THAT WE DID DIFFERENT
ELECTION LAWS THAT SHOULD HAVE
BECOME LAW.
I THINK THOSE ISSUES ARE STILL
OUT THERE.
BUT I THINK WE'VE ALSO REALIZED
THAT THERE IS A LOT OF PASSION
AROUND ELECTIONS.
ON BOTH SIDES IN WISCONSIN.
EVERYTHING IS SO CLOSE.
SO I WISH WE WOULD FOCUS MORE ON
TRYING TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS
CONFIDENCE FROM THE VERY FAR
RIGHT TO THE VERY FAR LEFT,
INSTEAD OF JUST HOPING THAT OUR
SIDE WINS AND THAT THE OTHER
SIDE JUST HAS TO DEAL WITH IT.
>> DO YOU THINK THE FACT THAT
THERE WAS KIND OF A SPLIT
ELECTION WITH RON JOHNSON AND
TONY EVERS WINNING GIVES PEOPLE
CONFIDENCE?
LIKE THERE'S NO WAY IT COULD BE
RIGGED IF THAT HAPPENED?
>> I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE SO.
LIKE I SAY, I STILL BELIEVE
THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE
TO DEAL WITH.
IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD
KIND OF TRY TO GENERATE MORE OF
A CONSENSUS THIS TIME AROUND,
WE'RE HEADING INTO WHAT IS
PROBABLY GOING TO BE A
CONTENTIOUS PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
I DON'T THINK WE JUST THROW
CAUTION TO THE WIND AND OVERHAUL
EVERYTHING BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT
PEOPLE ARE LEGITIMATELY BRINGING
UP.
I HOPE WE CAN HAVE A SERIOUS
CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
>> MILITARY B BALLOTS KIND OF CE
UP AT THE VERY END, THERE'S NOT
VERY ME MANY BUT DOES THAT NEEDO
BE LOOKED AT?
>> THERE'S A WAY IF WE DON'T
HAVE THE SAME SECURITY AROUND
PEOPLE WHO VOTE USING A MILITARY
SITUATION AS OPPOSED TO SOMEBODY
WHO LIVES IN LODI OR BURLINGTON,
I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO HAVE
US DO THAT.
MY GOAL IS ALWAYS TO HAVE THE
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF VOTES CAST
THAT ARE LEGAL AND PROPER.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE SECOND
PART THAT WE REALLY NEED TO
FOCUS ON.
YEAH, I WANT TO HAVE MASSIVE
TURNOUT IN WISCONSIN LIKE WE
ALWAYS HAVE BUT NOT DO IT IN A
WAY THAT ALLOWS FOR INDIVIDUALS
TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE FINAL
RESULTS BECAUSE SOMEBODY COULD,
YOU KNOW, WORK THEIR WAY THROUGH
THE PROCESS ILLEGALLY, WHETHER
IT HAPPENS A LOT OR NOT, NOBODY
SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WORRY THAT
IT DOES.
>> ARE THERE ANY NON-BUDGET
ISSUES THAT YOU THINK THAT THE
ASSEMBLY WILL LOOK TO ADDRESS
RIGHT AWAY I WHEN THE SESSION
STARTS?
>> BOY, THERE'S A LOT THAT'S
GOING TO GO ON.
A LOT OF IT IS THE BUDGET.
THAT'S PRIMARILY THE THING.
BUT AS I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THE
TOPICS WE CAN LOOK AT, I FEEL
LIKE ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS
ABOUT THE WAY THAT THE
LEGISLATURE WORKS IS WE HAVE THE
ABILITY TO KIND OF HIT THE RESET
BUTTON WITH EVERY SWEARING IN
CEREMONY THAT WE HAVE TWO
YEARS -- EVERY TWO YEARS, SO
PART OF ME LOOKS AND SAYS, OKAY,
THE PAST IS THE PAST, WE'VE GOT
TO LOOK IF HE FUTURE.
SO NUMBER ONE, I THINK WE HAVE A
REAL PROBLEM WITH LEARNING LOSS.
WE NOW SEE THAT TWO OUT OF THREE
KIDS SINCE 2019 ARE DOING WORSE
ON STANDARDIZED TESTS.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE ADEQUATE
LEVEL OF MATH OR READING FOR
THEIR GRADE LEVEL.
THAT'S WRONG.
WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE
DEAL WITH THAT.
WE ALSO KNOW WITH THE MASSIVE
AMOUNT OF FEDERAL MONEY THAT
CAME IN, MORE MONEY ISN'T THE
SIMPLE ANSWER, THERE'S A LOT OF
COMPLEX ISSUES.
SO I THINK THAT'S AN AREA WE
COULD FOCUS ON.
I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT GOVERNOR
EVERS VETOED OUR LEGISLATION TO
INCREASE LITERACY AND LEARNING,
HOPEFULLY WE CAN ADDRESS THE
CONCERNS AND GET THAT THROUGH.
SECOND THING IS WE KNOW WE HAVE
A DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE.
WE HAVE REAL ISSUES IN WISCONSIN
WITH A GRAYING POPULATION AND WE
NEED TO DO MORE TO KEEP PEOPLE
HERE IN WISCONSIN.
IMWHEN I LOOK AT OUR TAX CLIMATE
AND SEE WE HAVE A FLAT TAX IN
IOWA, MICHIGAN, ILLINOIS, A
REPUBLICAN STATE, A DEMOCRAT
STATE AND NEWLY TURNED DEMOCRAT
STATE, I THINK WE CAN CERTAINLY
HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR TAX
BURDEN.
IT'S NOT ABOUT REWARDING WEALTH
EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NOTHING
WRONG WITH THAT.
IT'S ABOUT SAYING IF YOU HAVE A
RETIRED COUPLE AND THEY DECIDE
WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO SPEND SIX
MONTHS AND A DAY, IT CERTAINLY
SHOULD BE WISCONSIN, NOT
FLORIDA, TEXAS, ARIZONA, 1
TENNESSEE, ALL PLACES
SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER TO RETIRE.
WE'VE GOT TO FIX THAT.
AND THE LAST THING THAT I REALLY
THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IS
MORE INNOVATION.
UNDER THE BEST CASE SCENARIO,
RIGHT NOW, WE SEE NOT NET IN
MIGRATION, WE HAVE TO KEEP MORE
COLLEGE GRADUATES AND PART OF
THE INNOVATION HAS TO BE ALL
THROUGH STATE GOVERNMENT AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
I THINK FOR THE MOST PART IN
WISCONSIN, WE DO EVERYTHING THE
WAY THAT WE DID 20 AND 30 YEARS
AGO.
AND RATHER THAN INNOVATING, WE
JUST ADD MORE TO THE TOP OF THE
PILE.
SO I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO USE
OUR BUDGET AND OUR OPPORTUNITY
TO LEGISLATE TO FOCUS ON
INNOVATING AND BEING IN A PLACE
WHERE NEW IDEAS THRIVE.
YOU KNOW, WE USED TO BE THE
INVENTION CAPITAL OF THE
COUNTRY, ERVEG FROM MALTED MILK
TO GARBAGE DISPOSALS WERE
INVENTED IN WISCONSIN.
WE'VE BEEN LESS INNOVATIVE IN
GOVERNMENT AND I THINK WE NEED
TO CHANGE THAT.
>> MOVING TO THE BUDGETS,
OBVIOUSLY THE BIGGEST FOCUS, TAX
CUTS ARE THE BIGGEST PRIORITY
FOR REPUBLICANS.
ARE YOU GOING TO PASS A BUDGET
WITH A FLAT TAX OR IS THAT STILL
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO
CHAMBERS AS TO WHETHER THAT
HAPPENS?
>> I ALWAYS START BY SAYING I
DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANY ABSOLUTE
BOTTOM LINES AT THIS POINT.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT I REALLY
WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.
I TALKED ABOUT THE LEARNING LOSS
THAT WE'RE SEEING IN WISCONSIN
AMONG ALMOST EVERY GRADE LEVEL.
WELL, WE NEED TO EDUCATE AND
DIFFERENTIATE WISCONSIN FROM
OTHER PLACES.
SO I WANT MORE SCHOOL CHOICE.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN ONLY A PRIVATE
SCHOOL.
IT COULD MEAN WHY DO WE HAVE IT
DIFFICULT BETWEEN TWO PUBLIC
SCHOOLS?
WHY DO WE GET TO HAVE PARENTS
NOT BE THE PRIMARY DECIDERS AND
BUREAUCRATS INSTEAD?
I THINK THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING
THAT I KNOW GOVERNOR EVERS CARES
ABOUT EDUCATION, SO YOU WOULD
THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE
COULD FIND COMMON GROUND ON.
I WOULD SAY IN MY MIND, YES, WE
NEED TO HAVE TAX REFORM.
I'VE TRIED TO BE GENEROUS IN
SAYING THAT, LOOK, GOVERNOR
EVERS SIGNED THE LAST BUDGET
WHERE WE HAD NOWHERE NEAR THE
SURPLUS WE HAD NOW WITH
$3.4 BILLION IN TAX CUTS, I
CAN'T IMAGINE UNDER ANY SCENARIO
WE HAVE LESS THAN THAT, WE
SHOULD HAVE MORE, BUT I HAVEN'T
DRAWN A LINE IN THE SAND SAYING
IT MUST BE DONE AT THIS LEVEL OR
THIS WAY BUT I WILL TELL YOU THE
ONLY BOTTOM LINE I HAVE IS WE
ARE NOT GOING TO USE THE SURPLUS
OR NEW REVENUES TO GROW THE SIZE
OF GOVERNMENT.
RIGHT?
INNOVATE, MAKE SURE WE HAVE OUR
PRIORITIES FUNDED, BUT TO CREATE
NEW BU BUREAUCRACES, TO CREATE W