Contact: Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (608) 266-1526

(Madison) Today, Representative Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls) voted to pass the Biennial Budget out of the State Assembly to on a vote of 60-39.

“In the private sector, real economy, we compromise. I am proud of the compromised budget we produced, with Governor Evers himself noting ‘look how far this Legislature has moved” said Rep. Zimmerman. “We took the Governor’s proposal to raise $1 billion in taxes and expand welfare, and instead cut $500 million in taxes while still investing in education, healthcare workers, and local road aids.”

Some highlights of the budget include:

– $500 million more for K-12 education, plus a 22% increase to special education funding: River Falls gets a $2.4 million increase, Hudson gets a nearly $4 million increase, and Saint Croix Central gets a $1.2 million increase.

– Over $100 million to UW System; provides UW River Falls $2 million to plan new Science and Innovation Center; UWRF will also be one of three campuses of new UW Dairy Innovation Hub to research new uses for Wisconsin dairy

– $25 million more for technical colleges statewide to help bolster our workforce

– $150 million in new healthcare worker spending, including: $74 million more for nursing homes, $90.4 million more for personal care workers, and $66.6 million funding for FamilyCare direct care workers

– $30.5 million more for Child Protective Services overburdened by the opioid crisis

– $150 million more in local road aids, along with funding for highways around the state

– $500 million in tax cuts, including a middle class tax cut

“Prudent budgeting and a roaring economy have given us these surpluses, and the budget we produced continues the conservative fiscal discipline that has given us this spending flexibility”, said Zimmerman. “Wisconsinites expect their elected officials to get results, and this is a budget that delivers for not just part, but all of Wisconsin.”

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