Gov. Evers Letter Lays Out Legislative Priorities

On Jan. 9, Gov. Tony Evers laid out his priorities to the Legislature for the remainder of the 2019-20 session. In a letter to legislative leadership, Evers assigned them “homework” of several bills to pass before adjournment.

The letter asks the legislature to act on:

  • Capping insulin prices.
  • “Dark store” legislation that failed to pass last session. Opponents argue the legislation could significantly increase property taxes on Wisconsin businesses.
  • PFAS also known as the “CLEAR Act.” The bill would circumvent current rulemaking processes and give the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) broad authority to regulate thousands of PFAS chemicals for drinking water, groundwater, surface water, air, solid waste, beds of navigable waters, and soil and sediment if DNR deems it harmful to human health or the environment. Read the latest on PFAS regulation in Wisconsin.
  • Combating sex trafficking.
  • Tracking, processing and storage of sexual assault kits.
  • A package of bills to address homelessness in Wisconsin.
  • Reimbursing municipalities for special election costs.
  • Surprise medical billing.
  • Water quality.
  • Mental health in schools.

The letter also highlighted some Republican priorities where the governor believes the state has made progress in the past year. The governor recognized bipartisan progress in:

  • Income tax reductions in the 2019-21 state budget.
  • Expansion of broadband access in the budget and separate legislation on 5G technology.
  • Education funding in the budget.
  • Transportation and infrastructure funding in the budget.

The letter was not well received by Republicans in the Legislature, many of whom characterized its tone as condescending.