You saw something that has not happened a lot in the past four years: a compromise at the Wisconsin State Capitol between the Legislature and Governor Tony Evers. On Thursday, Evers announced that he had reached a tentative agreement with Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on a shared revenue plan that includes a 20 percent increase in funding for communities across the state. The plan also provides more money for K-12 education and keeps the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County from going bankrupt. Rep. Joel Kitchens says there are things he likes and does not like about the plan, but the fact they were able to reach a compromise was the biggest win.

With compromise in the air, Kitchens says it has made this budget cycle the busiest he has been involved in since he was inaugurated for the first time in 2015. That is partly because Republicans were in complete control with former Governor Scott Walker in office during his first few terms and neither side talked to each other over the last four years. He hopes it is a sign of better things to come as they approach their July deadline for the 2023-2025 budget.