The top man in the Wisconsin Assembly expects some politics in Gov. Tony Evers State of the State speech. He just hopes it’s not too political.
Evers is set to address the full Wisconsin legislature Wednesday night at the statehouse in Madison.
Speaker Robin Vos said he wants to see the governor look forward, and bring solutions.
“We continue to look for things that are bipartisan,” Vos told reporters at a statehouse news conference Tuesday afternoon. “We are looking at issues that bring us together, and hopefully show people that government is not broken.”
Government at the Wisconsin Capitol may not be broken, but it is divided. And the relationship between Vos, Senate Republican Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and the governor is tense.
“I hope he doesn’t choose to make it a partisan exercise, where he focuses on things that make political points but never actually help bridge the divide,” Vos said.
The governor is not offering much of a preview of what will be in his State of the State speech.
Over the weekend, Evers unveiled a plan to get tougher on vaping in Wisconsin. That is expected to be included in Wednesday night’s speech.
Vos said he’s hoping to hear more about Wisconsin’s economy, and the areas where Republicans and Democrats can agree on solutions.
“We hope he addresses the problem with rising unemployment. We see that in certain parts of Wisconsin,” Vos said. “But we also hope that he focuses on issues that could bring people together, that are serious topics. We have clean water, we have our adoption bills, we have suicide prevention. There are a lot of things we can focus on.”
Evers’ speech is set to begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The speech can be viewed online or through the legislature’s social media accounts.
Benjamin Yount reports on Illinois and Wisconsin statewide issues for The Center Square. Reposted with permission.
