Four takeaways from Tony Evers' state of the state address

In a wide-ranging State of the State speech that refocused on Gov. Tony Evers’ top priorities, he prodded Republican legislators to address workforce challenges and vowed action to protect abortion rights in Wisconsin.

The address, Evers’ sixth in office, focused as much on past areas of emphasis that have been left untouched as new policy announcements, although the governor did unveil new efforts to preserve birth control access, conserve state forest land and address the state’s mental health challenges.

Here are four takeaways from his address, delivered Jan.  24 at the state Capitol.

'Year of the worker’

Dubbing 2024 “the year of the worker,” Evers urged legislators to come to the table on a plan to attract and retain qualified workers.

Republicans disregarded a plan from Evers to invest in child care, paid family leave and higher education during a special session the governor called for workforce needs last year. 

Instead they pursued their own plan for tax cuts, which Evers ultimately vetoed. He has not yet weighed in on a plan proposed by Republicans to target low- and middle-income earners, as well as retirees.

During his speech, Evers chided Republicans, saying “‘no’ isn’t a workforce plan.”

"These are not serious proposals to address generational, statewide issues,” Evers said.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, labeled the speech "typical Tony Evers" and said he was hopeful the governor would be open to the latest tax proposal from Republicans.

"My biggest disappointment is that with a record surplus in the till, we didn't hear him mention a single thing about giving relief back to the average taxpayer," Vos told reporters after the address.

While Evers touted past initiatives, such as directing $150 million in emergency aid to child care providers in the state, he argued that more work needs to be done and vowed he “will continue to pursue every pathway and seek every avenue to address our workforce challenges without legislative action.”

That includes new task forces to look at health care workforce needs and an office to monitor state employee retention and recruiting. But he said he awaited a more comprehensive, GOP-authored effort, especially to address the child care issue.

“I will work with any legislator, any partner, any stakeholder who’s willing to engage in meaningful conversations on these issues to do the right thing for Wisconsin,” Evers said.

The governor also renewed his call for legislators to release $125 million to help landowners tackle toxic chemicals known as PFAS in Wisconsin’s drinking water, and he announced a partnership with the federal government and a nonprofit to protect nearly 55,000 acres of a northern Wisconsin forest.

The acquisition, which Evers called the largest land conservation purchase in the state’s history, boosts the Pelican River Forest near Rhinelander. GOP legislators have not acted on Evers’ plan to use $4 million in state funding for the project.

More work on mental health

While Evers pointed to workforce development as a key area for improvement over the next year, the governor told the audience and reporters that his goals of addressing gaps in mental health care in Wisconsin are far from achieved.

“One year after declaring the Year of Mental Health, I’ll tell you tonight, as governor and as a grandfather my concerns have not changed, and my fears have not waned,” Evers said. “Much work remains."

With the goal of increasing cross-department collaboration, the governor announced the formation of the Governor’s Interagency Council on Mental Health — a board to be created via executive order later this week and tasked with addressing ongoing gaps in mental health services across the state. 

“We’re going to develop a statewide Mental Health Action Plan to address the root causes of our mental health crisis, increase awareness and reduce stigma, and build capacity for us to expand access to mental health services statewide,” Evers said. 

New legislative maps

Evers’ speech comes against the backdrop of an order from the Wisconsin Supreme Court to redraw the state’s legislative maps, a move that could strengthen the Democrats’ position in the Legislature and bolster the Democratic governor's hand in negotiations with lawmakers.

Without legislative action, the justices will pick from a set of maps submitted to the court earlier this month. The state Senate passed its own map proposal, although Democrats were skeptical of the lines and it may well be vetoed.

Highlighting the impending reality of new maps, Evers said the lines would have a seismic impact on policies ranging from BadgerCare expansion to extended paid family leave.

“I have never been more hopeful that when Wisconsinites head to the ballot box later this year, they will be voting under legislative maps that are fair, responsive, and finally reflect the will of the people of this state,” he said.

Evers said his office would roll out additional policies in the coming weeks to boost voting access for Wisconsinites ahead of the 2024 election, where the state will once again take center stage.

As part of that, he vowed to veto any bills that make it harder for residents to vote at a time when lawmakers are interested in changing the state’s election laws.

“We have important elections coming up this year, including one in November,” Evers said. “I’ve been clear that I believe we should be making it easier, not harder, for every eligible Wisconsinite to cast their ballot.”

Veto any anti-abortion bill

As Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris noted during a visit to Waukesha County last week, abortion access is sure to play a key role in the upcoming election. 

Evers followed promises to shore up voting access with vows to protect abortion rights. 

“I want to speak directly to women in Wisconsin tonight,” Evers said. “I will veto any bill that takes away your reproductive freedom or makes reproductive health care any less accessible in Wisconsin than it is today. Period.”

The governor slammed Republican lawmakers over the recent proposal of a new bill that, if passed by the Legislature, would trigger a ballot referendum to ban abortion after 14 weeks of pregnancy. 

“Republicans are advancing a bill that would ask Wisconsinites to strip themselves of some of the basic reproductive freedoms that were just recently restored to them,” Evers said, nodding to a decision late last year from a Dane County judge who ruled that current state law allows abortion up to 20 weeks. 

Vos said his chamber would forge ahead with the abortion referendum on Thursday and noted that an Assembly committee added in exceptions to the 14-week ban that would allow abortions in cases of rape and incest.

"We want to ask the people of Wisconsin and let them be the ones to make the decision," Vos said. "Not a bunch of politicians in Madison thinking that they know better."

Beyond ongoing pushes for secure abortion access, Evers announced during his speech a new order that will allow state residents with BadgerCare Plus to more easily access over-the-counter birth control and emergency contraception like Plan B without a prescription. 

“Every Wisconsinite should be able to access the healthcare they need when they need it. And, yes, that includes contraception,” Evers said. 

While the governor’s address overflowed with reflections on progress and promises for the future, the speech to a Legislature made up primarily of Republicans was delivered under the shadow of a deep partisan divide. What of the governor’s new goals and measures will be achieved remains to be seen.