Excerpts from Governor's 2019-2021 Biennial Budget Address place emphasis on people first.

MADISON - Below are excerpts from Governor Tony Evers' 2019-2021 Biennial Budget Address as prepared for delivery. Gov. Evers will give his address at 7:00 P.M. tonight in the Assembly Chambers of the Wisconsin State Capitol.

… I want everyone to understand how we arrived here. At the end of the day, our budget is about putting people first. It’s about creating a Wisconsin that works for everyone--a Wisconsin for us. This isn’t the Tony Evers budget, the Democratic budget, the Speaker’s budget, or the Republican budget--this is The People’s Budget. And it’s one that we crafted together.

We heard from people like Maryann who lives in Coleman in Senator Tiffany and Representative Mursau’s district and Nancy who lives in Amherst in Senator Testin and Representative Shankland’s district. Both Maryann and Nancy came to our listening sessions and talked to us about water quality and water pollution issues across our state.

Because of people like Maryann and Nancy, we announced we’re making safe drinking water a top priority in Wisconsin. We’re authorizing nearly $70 million in bonding to address water quality, from replacing lead service lines to addressing water contamination across our state. I know Representative Shankland has been working with us closely on this issue. Thank you, Representative Shankland, and to Maryann and Nancy, who are here with us in the gallery tonight, for advocating on this important issue.

We also heard from people like Tony who lives in Senator Petrowski and Representative Snyder’s district in Wausau. Tony not only has a great first name, but he also came to one of our listening sessions and talked about why we need driver’s licenses for immigrants and persons who are undocumented, especially in communities where there’s limited access to public transportation.

Because of people like Tony, we’re announcing tonight that undocumented folks will be eligible to receive driver’s licenses and ID cards. This makes our roads and our communities safer, and helps strengthen our economy and Wisconsin families. I know Representative Zamarripa has worked on this issue, and Tony is here with us in the gallery tonight--thank you both for your work on this issue.

And finally, I shared that tonight so that everybody understands what’s at stake in choosing to play politics with this budget.

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