Rep. Warren Petryk

It’s been one year since the governor signed your state budget into law. This budget represented the priorities of the 93rd Assembly District which included keeping taxes under control, fixing our roads, and investing in workforce development for western Wisconsin. We also eliminated a number of excessive tax increases on our local small businesses and families. Now that the budget has been in law for a year, it is worthwhile to revisit these successes.

Taxes

In my 2023 spring survey, over 60% of people said cutting taxes was one of their top priorities. And it’s understandable given the record levels of inflation that our area has seen. That is why the budget crafted by the Legislature put families first by sending more of the surplus back to you. But because of the line item veto, instead of $573 in relief as originally proposed, that amount was cut down to $36 by the governor. Despite further efforts to get this surplus back to you, Legislative Democrats continue to roadblock this needed relief.

But thankfully, despite this veto, families continue to see the benefit of the tax cuts I have voted for since 2010. In fact, the average family in Wisconsin with two kids will pay $3,089 less in taxes this year because of the Legislature’s bold tax reforms since 2011. This is money that you control how to spend on such things as a family vacation, home improvements, or on gas and groceries. The point is that you, not Madison bureaucrats, should decide how to use your money most effectively.

Roads

Fixing our roads was also a major priority of my constituents. For this reason, I supported the $1.5 billion additional funding for road maintenance that was approved this year. Furthermore, less borrowing was done to add these monies, thus there are now more resources accessible without relying on the state credit card. Right now, the Chippewa Valley's roads are being fixed with the help of this money.

Additionally, the legislature's recently launched farm road development program is underway, with local municipalities already submitting grant applications for road repairs. With the help of these investments, our local government will have a dedicated financial source available to maintain and improve the local roads that are essential to the transportation of agricultural goods from the fields to our kitchen tables.

Growing our local workforce

Although our region is still negatively impacted by the labor shortage, we are making progress because of the $1.4 billion in workforce expenditures authorized in budget. This included a significant expansion of our state's youth apprentice program, which will equip our children with skills for the future. Approximately 10,000 kids participated in this program last year, with more on the way. Also not to be overlooked is the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Science Hall at the UW Eau Claire campus, which will assist in preparing students for future employment in the health sciences.

This budget will help keep western Wisconsin moving forward. Making sure that the state continues to allow taxpayers, such as yourself, to keep more of your hard-earned money while also investing in local priorities will continue to help position the people of Wisconsin better for the future.