Here & Now

From Baseball to State Employees and Tax Cuts to Appointees

Frederica Freyberg:

Turning to state Capitol news, it was a busy week in legislative business. The state Assembly passed a $545 million plan for renovation of the Milwaukee Brewers stadium to keep the team in the city through 2050.

Robin Vos:

This is a bipartisan deal that focuses on making sure that we are going to get more revenue coming into the state to spend on programs that people consider to be important than if the team left.

Frederica Freyberg:

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, as cochair of the legislature’s Employment Committee, also approved a pay raise for state employees, but not for UW staff because of its diversity, equity and inclusion positions.

Robin Vos:

I would love to outlaw DEI and be as aggressive as we possibly can be, but again, trying to find a middle ground, trying to make sure that the situation does not get worse than where it is now.

Frederica Freyberg:

On the Senate side, the Republican majority passed a $2 billion income tax cut and expanded childcare credits in answer to Governor Tony Evers’ call for a $1 billion workforce package. Evers is expected to veto the Republican proposal. Meanwhile, this week, the governor announced he would use $170 million in federal pandemic relief money to keep the Childcare Counts program until 2025. The Senate also voted to fire eight appointees Evers nominated to boards, including the majority of members on the natural resources board, an elections commissioner and the chair of the medical examining board. Evers called it insanity and immediately replaced those rejected with new appointees.