I have been talking with constituents, crunching the numbers and making Wisconsin’s new budget better for the folks in my district and our state. It’s important to remember that in a bill of this size it is easy to poke holes, but with every good meal you sometimes have to eat some broccoli. However, this bill will have many positive effects for our community. That is why when the 2017-19 budget comes to the Assembly floor on Wednesday, I will be voting yes.
When I looked at each policy item in the budget I asked myself three questions:
1.) Is it good for Northeast Wisconsin?
2.) Does is promote effective and efficient government in Madison?
3.) Can we afford it?
I believe the overall answer to these questions is a resounding YES!
I’ve personally seen to it that this budget will bring dynamic positive changes to workers, businesses and education. As a result this budget includes:
- $5 Million for a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Center on the Campus of the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (UWGB).
- The establishment of an Engineering School at UWGB.
- The maintenance of the long standing agreement of funds from the Oneida Nation to UWGB.
- An increase of funding for programming through the Boys and Girls Club that will also be expanded statewide!
And for the first time we eliminate two full taxes without cutting the programs those taxes support. This bill also includes significant investment in k-12 education and new ways to fund our transportation infrastructure.
If a budget reflects the priorities of the state, then this budget shows we are prioritizing educational investment and innovation, long term tax reform, and efficient and effective government for the citizens of our great state.
We still have work to do. We need substantial tax reform, streamlining of bureaucracy and cutting of red tape. But this budget brings the state in a direction best described by our state motto: Forward!
