While this is the first time a Wisconsin state budget has not been signed into law before the July 1st deadline, State Rep. Joel Kitchens and State Senator Andre Jacque hope the results you see will be worth the wait. Governor Tony Evers announced on Tuesday that he had reached a tentative deal on a new state budget with Republican leadership in the Wisconsin Legislature. Nearly $1.4 billion in spendable revenue for K-12 schools, large increases to special education reimbursement and UW System funding, over $330 million to support Wisconsin’s child care industry, and approximately $1.3 billion in tax cuts were some of the highlights of the bill that was still waiting for official Legislative approval and Evers’ signature as of Wednesday afternoon. The wait was certainly worth it for Jacque, who was happy that eliminating the sales tax on utility bills was finally included.
Jacque was not the only local legislator to record a win that took some waiting. Kitchens has tried to push a premier resort area tax (PRAT) in Sturgeon Bay across the finish line in Madison since city voters approved it in a 2018 referendum vote. The 0.5 percent increase in sales tax helps eligible communities fund infrastructure improvements with money collected through tourism dollars. Kitchens says many people thought the effort was dead.
Both Kitchens and Jacque were happy with how budget negotiations with the administration and the Legislature got them what they wanted. As an added bonus, neither Jacque nor Kitchens expected the veto pen to cancel out major pieces of the legislation as a result of the deal that was reached.