Gov. Evers Unveils $91 Billion Budget
Budget would boost school funding, direct funds to small businesses, repeal part of Act 10 and legalize marijuana, but faces an uphill battle. //end headline wrapper ?>Democratic Gov. Tony Evers delivers his 2021 budget address. Screenshot from YouTube
Promising to help Wisconsin “bounce back” from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov.
Tony Evers proposed a $91 billion state budget on Tuesday, an ambitious plan that would boost overall spending by almost 10 percent, infuse hundreds of millions of dollars in Wisconsin schools and reinstate some of the union bargaining rights lost by public sector workers a decade ago.
The two-year budget, which would lay the foundation for Evers’ reelection should he seek a second term, includes a wide array of policies many Republicans who run the Legislature are likely to resist from the legalization of recreational marijuana to the expansion of Medicaid.
Chief among the vetoes that Democrats plan to override is a measure called the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. It sets out a 10-year plan for implementing and paying for a series of programs designed to return the state's public schools to among the best in the nation.
Some of the prescription drug measures Evers is proposing were included in the Democratic governor s 2019-2021 budget, but ended up being pulled by state Republicans. Back in the upcoming budget will be removing prescription copays from the state s Medicaid program, BadgerCare, and creating a state program to reduce the costs of prescription drugs while importing low-cost replacement options.
Evers latest proposal largely follows recommendations made last fall by the the Governor s Task Force on Reducing Prescription Drug Prices. The task force submitted a report detailing several policy ideas aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs, expanding access to medications for residents and increasing transparency in the supply chain.
Bipartisan group of state leaders urges House to override drug price board funding veto Shawna De La Rosa | Feb 2, 2021
Share this:
Several county executives, associations and the mayor of Baltimore are urging the Maryland General Assembly to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of HB 1095, which would establish a funding source for the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board. The effort will include a radio ad campaign, sponsored by Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative and AARP Maryland.
In mid-January, the Maryland Senate voted to override Hogan’s veto of a measure that would fund the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. The measure, SB 669, passed the Senate unanimously and with a nearly bipartisan split in the House of Delegates in March. The bill would fund the board by charging drug manufacturers, insurers, wholesalers and pharmaceutical managers a fee.