Quick Links

• The Governor’s Abysmal Budget
• Hortonville Elementary Principal Visits
• Senate Hears Return-to-Work Bill
• In the Capitol
• State Capitol Tours

The Governor’s Abysmal Budget

As I sat in the Assembly Chamber Tuesday night I was disappointed as Governor Evers delivered his budget address.  He presented a budget filled – again – with unrealistic spending proposals and policy initiatives that don’t belong in a budget bill.

First, when it comes to K-12 education we can’t just keep throwing more money at the problem without expecting results.  State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly even dumbed-down the standards to try and hide how horrible test scores were, but everyone saw right through that.  The Governor’s reckless veto in the last budget that created a 400-year spending increase doesn’t help the problem, either.  That gimmick was nothing more than misuse of executive authority.  Finally, the dismal audit of the Milwaukee Public School System, ordered by the Governor himself, demonstrates to me that the system needs to be broken up into smaller, more accountable districts.

Schools can’t expect increased funding without expecting to show increased achievement.  And by that I mean real achievement, not dumbed-down achievement.  We’re all in favor of spending to fund success, but when so many kids in our state can’t read or do math at grade level that’s not acceptable.

At the Universities of Wisconsin, the system is asking for a spending increase of over $850 million when they didn’t live up to the bargain they struck with the legislature in the last budget.  In 2023, they promised to endow a conservative chair at UW-Madison in exchange for the release of $32 million.  Well, they got their $32 million and have now dragged their feet for almost two years on funding the conservative chair.  This time around I’m not going to vote for the UW-System having their cake and eating it, too.

These aren’t just Milwaukee and Madison, issues.  They affect you and your wallet, too.  Every time the State has to dump more money into grossly mismanaged Milwaukee schools those tax dollars come out of your pocket.  When the Universities of Wisconsin system asks for almost a billion dollar increase (without saying what they’re actually going to do with it) a large chunk of that money also comes out of your pocket.

While Republicans have built a large budget surplus, we also need to watch out for using one-time money to fund ongoing costs.  Beyond that, we need to fund programs that work, not programs that are failing.

As a final though, I would really like to work toward a flatter tax system so Wisconsin can be more competitive with other states.  Our tax system needs to incentivize people to come to Wisconsin.

Hortonville Elementary Principal Visits

David Harris, principal at Hortonville Elementary, stopped by my office for a visit. He was the principal when our intern, Emma Ryan, was a student there.

Senate Hears Return-to-Work Bill

Last week, the Senate Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs held a public hearing on Senate Bill 27.  The bill, which I am a co-sponsor of, was introduced by Representative Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie) and Senator Corey Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) to get employees back to work to improve efficiency and fill the office buildings that taxpayers pay for.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau audited our state agencies in 2023 and found that the highest percentage of workstations being used was at the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance at 34.5%.  Meanwhile, the lowest was the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) at just 5.3% of workstations being used.  The correlation between the productivity of the department and the percentage of workstations being used is obvious.

At the federal level, President Trump recently signed an executive order to require all federal employees to return to work in person on a full-time basis because he knows it improves productivity from his years in the private sector.  The Wisconsin DPI has overseen the worst decline in reading scores in the history of Wisconsin over the last five years.  They cannot be allowed to continue repeating the same failures.  It’s time to get back to work.

In the Capitol

Constituents Cory Ihde, Chad Even and Stephanie Senst came in on Wednesday as part of the American Council of Engineering Companies legislative day in Madison.

Heather Allen and Erin Runk from Wisconsin United for Freedom stopped in to say hi.

State Capitol Tours

The best way to experience the beauty and grandeur of Wisconsin’s Capitol building (located at 2 East Main Street, Madison, WI 53702) is to see it for yourself. It is open to the public weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Free tours are offered daily, year round except on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. Tours start at the information desk Monday through Saturday at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 a.m. and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 p.m. A 4:00 p.m. tour is offered weekdays (Monday – Friday), excluding holidays, during Memorial Day through Labor Day. Plan on spending 45-55 minutes for a tour. The sixth floor museum and observation deck are open during the summer months. Groups of ten or more can make an on-line reservation for a tour of the State Capitol or call (608)266-0382.