Contact: Rep. Sondy Pope, 608-266-3520

MADISON, Wis. – Governor Tony Evers delivered his first State of the State address since winning the election last November. Governor Evers highlighted his priorities for the state budget with a focus on K-12 education funding, increases in special education and mental health funding and expanding access to healthcare. Representative Sondy Pope (D-Mt. Horeb) released the following statement in response:

“It’s energizing to see a Governor who has laid out a clear vision for the future of our state. This new vision resets our state’s priorities and is centered on an approach of putting people over politics and investing more in our children and their futures. Sensible investments now will pay huge dividends in education, healthcare and infrastructure.”

“I applaud the Governor for setting realistic, commonsense goals for our state that will make a real difference in people’s lives. Increases in special education and mental health funding in schools are long overdue and will provide relief to hard-working professionals and the children they serve. The Governor has also taken steps that seek to expand healthcare access and protect existing coverage. These are the types of policies that were asked for by the people, which will work for the people.”

In the address the Governor highlighted his longstanding commitment to restore Wisconsin’s two-thirds funding promise for public schools, which surprisingly has broad Republican support.

“For years, Governor Evers and I have called for this funding restoration to keep Wisconsin’s schools strong,” said Rep. Pope. “Now that Republican leadership has finally seen the light, we must ensure that these resources are not only passed through the budget, but that local school districts are given the ability to put them directly into the classrooms through increases in their revenue limits.”

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