MADISON, WI (WSAU) — Governor Tony Evers has signed the next two-year state budget into law with several line-item vetoes.
“We have gotten to work these last four years making smart, strategic investments—and our economy shows it. So, we began this biennial budget process with historic opportunity, and with it, historic responsibility—not to be careless or reckless, but to save where we can and stay well within our means while still investing in needs that have long been neglected to protect the future we are working hard to build together,” said Governor Evers in a press release following the signing.
Evers credited the Legislature with investments in several areas including pay hikes for those in the criminal justice system such as correctional officers and public defenders. He also applauded investments in tourism and marketing.
Among the items that saw the line-item veto pen were per-pupil funding for schools and funding for the University of Wisconsin system. Additionally, the Governor took action on the Republican tax plan by reducing income tax rates for the bottom two tax brackets.
Evers also noted that every taxpayer in the state would receive a tax cut as part of the budget.
Republicans criticized the Governor’s action on taxes, saying his partial veto of their plan “hurts taxpayers, hinders Wisconsin’s ability to attract new talent, and stifles our potential for growth. Evers politically-motivated actions will have real-life consequences for our future,” according to State Senator Patrick Testin of Stevens Point.
