The GOP-authored state budget cleared the Senate Wednesday, sending the $87.5 billion two-year spending plan to Gov. Tony Evers, who has broad authority to make changes.
The Senate voted 23-9, with three Democrats â Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, of Mason, and Sens. Brad Pfaff, of Onalaska, and Jeff Smith, of Brunswick â joining with Republicans, in favor of the budget, which includes more than $3 billion in income and property tax cuts â fueled by an unprecedented $4.4 billion surplus. Four Democratic members of the Assembly joined Republicans in support of the budget on Tuesday.
The budget heading to Eversâ desk is a far cry from the Democratic governorâs $91.2 billion proposal unveiled in February. Over the course of the last two months, Republicans worked to strike hundreds of items from the measure, including marijuana legalization and Medicaid expansion, while also ending the University of Wisconsin Systemâs 8-year-old tuition freeze and providing an increase to school spending thatâs less than 10% of what Evers requested.