Yesterday Gov. Evers addressed the State of Wisconsin with his annual State of the State address. Here are our key takeaways based on his remarks.
Governor Evers delivered an ambitious State of the State speech on Tuesday night, laying out his policy objectives for the next four years. The Governor highlighted the progress Wisconsin has made in recent years, and acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead. He emphasized the need for collaboration, partnership, and self-sacrifice to address these challenges and move the state forward.
Economic Opportunities, Job Training & More
One of the key areas Governor Evers focused on was economic recovery and job creation. The Main Street Bounce Back program, which began during Covid, has invested more than $800 million in small businesses. Evers announced an additional $50 million continued funding of that program. Main Street Bounce Back helps small businesses with building repairs and improvements, lease and mortgage payments, and other expenses that might be barriers to success. Job training is also a priority of his. Evers’ administration announced a $5 million investment in providing technical assistance, mentorships, and educational training for small business owners. The Workforce Innovation Grant program is proposed to receive a $100 million investment. This will allow Wisconsin to keep developing new, local projects that can support workforce and economic development into the future.
Healthcare and Childcare
The state will add a historic $50 million investment to bolster Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce. This investment expands support for long-term care providers by increasing the number of mental health providers and psychiatrists. It also provides more resources for the Wisconsin nurse education program. Evers announced a $10 million investment in expanding clean energy job training and reducing barriers for folks joining the clean energy workforce.
Another major focus of Governor Evers’ speech was childcare. He acknowledged that 54% of Wisconsinites today live in a childcare desert, with few to no high-quality options for childcare in their neighborhoods or communities. Additionally, he promised to expand the child independent care credit, which will provide nearly $30 million to 100,000 Wisconsinites through the Partner Up program. The state will provide more than $340 million for childcare accounts. This funding allows providers the financial stability they need to keep the lights on, pay their workers fair competitive wages and continue to provide high-quality care to kids across the state.
Governor Evers touched on other important issues such as education, water contamination (via PFAS), transportation, and criminal justice reform.
You can read more about the Wisconsin gubernatorial or legislative schedules on our blog post here.