REP. WARREN PETRYK’S

REPRESENTING WI STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 91

A one-year look back at the state budget

This time last year, the Legislature’s historic State Budget, on which I worked hard to assure it invested in the priorities of the hard-working people of the 93rd Assembly District, became law. This Bipartisan Budget included provisions to return much-needed income tax relief to our area while also providing funding for our local educational and healthcare options along with funding for local roads and towns. Moreover, the Legislature eliminated a number of the excessive spending and tax increases that the Governor, as well as other Eau Claire area Legislators, wanted to include, which would have been unsuitable for our area.

Since I started in the Legislature, one of my top priorities, and yours per my Annual Budget Survey, has been keeping taxes in line and decreasing them when and where needed. Since 2011, the Legislature has provided the energy and intensity behind tax reforms that have helped reduce the tax burden on our State by nearly $22 billion. This includes $13 billion in both State and local tax relief with another $9 billion in property tax relief. Thus, this Budget continued our momentum by cutting taxes by $3.4 billion overall, the largest cut in State history. In other words, the average family in Wisconsin will save $1,200 of their own money to keep in their own pockets.

Moreover, this Budget invested a record $13 billion in funding for our local K-12 schools. This $13 billion includes a $700 million increase in K-12 funding from the previous budget, which secured Wisconsin’s 2/3rds commitment in funding to help our students prosper. In addition to this increase, the Budget also secured additional Federal funding. Between the State and Federal funds, the Budget allocated around $48 million in new school money for our great schools of the 93rd Assembly District.

More so, in addition to investing in our students, the Budget made significant investments in our Healthcare System. We invested funding to help our Long-Term Care Industry by increasing nursing home reimbursement rates from the State while also providing funding to educate and expand the next wave of care providers. It also expanded Alzheimer’s and Dementia resources by increasing the number of specialists available throughout the State.

It is also worth mentioning that all of the proposals that were originally proposed by the Governor, which would have set our State financially backward, were eliminated. We removed his $1 billion tax increase. We also put more money into our Local Road Program while using $300 million less in new borrowing which will save the State money and can be used to repair more roads. Finally, the Governor’s proposals such as removing workforce training requirements and weakening our State’s Unemployment Insurance laws were eliminated from the Budget.

This current Budget that I helped craft will keep the Chippewa Valley 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 help position Wisconsin better for the future.