Madison…Last week Governor Tony Evers’ issued his vetoes for the 2019-21 Biennial Budget. In response Representative Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls) issued the following statement:
“With a stroke of his pen, Gov. Evers’ pulled the rug out from underneath mental health professionals and law enforcement in western Wisconsin when he vetoed funding for regional mental health crisis centers. Under the budget the legislature approved, millions in funding would have been provided to begin working on regional mental health crisis centers. Currently, law enforcement in western Wisconsin must travel 8 hours round trip to Winnebago County when someone requires an evaluation pulling officers off duty. This is the first topic area law enforcement raises with me at each meeting, it is that critical. The budget I voted to approve would have supported law enforcement and mental health caregivers by funding regional crisis centers throughout the state. Gov. Evers’ has one of the strongest veto pens in the country and he used it to abandon western Wisconsin and send additional funding to Madison.”
“Despite the Governor’s attempts to concentrate funding in Madison and Milwaukee, this budget sends additional dollars to transportation, supports our schools, and continues to drive our economy forward. I am proud of my work as part of the Joint Finance Committee as we sent a budget to the Governor that he largely supported and signed into law. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on legislation that will transform Wisconsin’s workforce and address data privacy concerns.”
