Media contact: Peter Skopec, WISPIRG director, [email protected], (847) 687-7229 WISPIRG commends vital investments, but also calls for more action Gov. Tony Evers today signed Wisconsin’s 2019-21 biennial budget, which includes positive steps to accelerate the state’s transition to electric vehicles and invests in Wisconsin’s local transportation infrastructure, including public transit. The governor used his line-item veto power to direct $10 million from the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” settlement – the maximum allowable amount – towards electric vehicle charging infrastructure, while Wisconsin’s remaining $15 million in settlement funds can be used for replacing polluting school and transit buses. After VW was caught three

Contact: (715) 498-2905 For Immediate Release State Senator Kathy Bernier (Madison)…State Senator Kathy Bernier (R-Lake Hallie) issued the following statement on Governor Evers partial veto of the 2019-21 Wisconsin Budget: “While I am pleased that Governor Evers recognized just how good the Legislature’s budget is and signed the majority of it into law, I am deeply disappointed in his decision to remove funding for expanded mental health treatment in our part of the state. “The funding was meant for HSHS Sacred Heart and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospitals to provide critical mental health services for adolescents and adults in northern, central

Contact: [email protected] or 608-219-7443 MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today ordered the flags of the United States and the State of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect for Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs employee Nicholas Janz. On July 1, 2019, Nicholas Janz, a facility maintenance specialist at the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, tragically died while performing his duties at the base. The order is effective beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset on the day of interment. “Nicholas Janz was a diligent and dedicated Department of Military Affairs employee but

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul released the following statement in reaction to Governor Evers signing the 2019-21 biennial budget. “The budget signed today by Governor Evers will help make our system of justice more effective and our communities safer. This is the best budget for Wisconsin’s criminal justice system in a very long time—and perhaps ever. “With additional funding for Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) programs, communities will have access to additional resources to combat substance-use disorder. New positions at the Wisconsin State Crime Labs will help with turnaround times for the testing of evidence. And the

Contact: Representative Robyn Vining 608-266-9180 MADISON – Governor Tony Evers signed the state budget today, using his partial veto authority to adjust or remove 78 provisions in the budget passed through the Wisconsin State Legislature. State Representative Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) issued the following statement in response: “As is written on the ceiling of the Governor’s conference room, and was echoed by Governor Evers today, the will of the people is the law of the land. In signing the budget today, Gov. Evers has showed that he is willing to work together – we are willing to work together. In justice

Contact: Senator Alberta Darling 1-608-266-5830 Madison- On Wednesday, Governor Evers signed the Wisconsin budget put forward by the Republican Legislature. State Senator Alberta Darling, the Co-Chair of the budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance, issued the following statement. “Over the last eight years, Republicans made tough decisions to make sure our state is on solid fiscal footing. Because we were careful with the money provided by taxpayers, we are able to continue to make historic investments in the priorities of many Wisconsinites, including education, health care, and road repair. My job as the Senate Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today signed Assembly Bill 251, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 10. It defines a marketplace provider and requires them to collect and remit sales and use tax on taxable sales they facilitate online on behalf of third-party sellers, creating a more level playing field between brick and mortar stores and online retailers. This bipartisan legislation reduces taxes by cutting the tax rates of the first and second tax brackets, starting with the 2019 and 2020 tax years, and each tax year going forward. Therefore, tax rate cuts will benefit everyone, particularly those in the lower and

Before being elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, I worked in workforce development. One of the best parts of my duties was to assist youth with their first summer job.   At the most recent meeting of the Common Council’s Judiciary and Legislation Committee, it was disheartening to learn that members of the State Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee decided to effectively reduce funding for Milwaukee’s popular summer youth jobs programming – which I also participated in when I was younger.   Today with a stroke of his veto pen, Governor Tony Evers made sure that those critical funding dollars will