‘It’s not about throwing money away’

State Sen. Jeff Smith shared his thoughts on Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed biennial budget last week in Arcadia, and the senator told two residents in attendance that he believes a rare surplus brings an opportunity.

The approximately 1,300 page budget, coined “Doing the Right Thing” by the Governor, was proposed in February and usually seeks legislature approval by July 1. 

This biennial budget comes with additional questions and proposals due to a rare $7 billion surplus in part due to pandemic relief funds, more jobs and more purchasing revenues from sales tax, the democratic senator said last Tuesday.

“We have a surplus, and I don’t think there’s very many people who are going to say, ‘Oh yeah, I want that money returned to me. I want $130 because its gonna make a difference in my life’ rather than saying, ‘Jeez, you got $7 billion? Fix my roads or finish this broadband extension.’

“It’s not about throwing money away,” Smith said.

Smith said the budget focuses on tax relief for the middle class and builds off the 2021 budget, which he called a good “middle ground” budget for republicans and democrats.

Education, health care would see half of general spending

Smith told those in attendance last Tuesday in the Wanek Center that 37% of the state general fund would be spent on K-12 education, and another 16% would go to healthcare.

Education is one area that needs more emphasis, the senator said, especially in a time when child care centers are dwindling in the state and child poverty is on the rise. 

Part of the budget includes an extension for the state’s Child Care Counts program, which gave financial assistance and support to child care providers in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The lack of childcare is a spiraling problem,” Smith said. “Less childcare of course means more people quit their jobs to take care of kids, less people in the workforce lowers the labor pool, drives up wages and less people can afford childcare. This is a crisis that needs to be addressed.”

Smith called the proposal a “huge opportunity” to strengthen child care and early development.

Evers has coined 2023 as the “year of mental health”, and the budget includes more spending on the issue as well as Medicaid expansion and paid family leave.

The budget also includes considering the legalization of marijuana, which is “supported by an overwhelming amount of people in Wisconsin,” Smith said, pointing to advisory referendums in the state. Legalizing recreational or medicinal marijuana would help revenue and healthcare, Smith said. 

“Not only is this idea popular in Wisconsin, but it could benefit from a legal and safe marijuana industry. I truly believe that,” Smith said. “It’s better to have something that is inspected, following the rules.”

Other proposals in the budget include:

• More spending on public education to help districts that have to rely on public referenda, which were seen at a record high in 2022.

• A tuition promise extension that could give more educational aid to families that make less than $60,000 per year.

• A broadband internet expansion grant program that would spend $754 million on installing fiber internet for homes and businesses.

• Paying down transportation debt that has been spent on roads/construction.

• Shared revenue plans to give more of state revenues back to local municipalities and schools.

Smith said the most important part of the budget in his mind for county residents is the school funding formula being outdated.

“We were just talking about what a beautiful facility this is, but because you have in Arcadia a billionaire who is willing to invest in his community, you shouldn’t have to rely on that because a lot of communities don’t have that,” Smith said.  

“It’s supposed to be constitutionally equal opportunity in education for every child in the state, and right now I don’t think we’re doing that.”