MADISON, Wis. — Several advocacy groups from across the state with different missions made their way to Madison on Tuesday for a shared goal: Demand a budget that meets the needs of Wisconsinites.
With new legislative maps in place and margins that are tighter than they have been in a long time, those who came to the Capitol hoped the governor would threaten a veto and force further negotiations in a way he hasn’t been able to in the past.
“It’s getting hacked to pieces,” Timothy Faust, who serves as Healthcare Campaign Coordinator for Citizen Action Wisconsin, described what has happened to the budget Gov. Tony Evers put forth earlier this year.
Faust and about 100 others made their way to the Capitol on Tuesday with what they called four simple, common-sense requests.
“We’re encouraging the governor to stand firm in his budget and veto any budget which does not include BadgerCare expansion, funding for public schools, no new prisons and funded child care,” Faust added.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin co-sponsored the “Lobby Day” with the Wisconsin Public Education Network, Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN), Planned Parenthood and WISDOM.
For Dustin Johnson of Sturtevant, who recently received a letter stating he no longer qualified for Medicaid in three categories, it was a chance to talk about the importance of supportive services.
“I was scared, and very, very — felt like I was going to be homeless, and that’s about it,” Johnson said.
While Johnson was able to work out the error, he and his mom, Chris Gordon, came to the Capitol to be a voice for others.
“The support he gets through Medicaid has been critical to his success, and we are here to advocate so that people who need those supports get them,” Gordon added.
Others who attended the “Day of Action” hope the governor will put an end to sending kids to school with less than they need, as many communities scramble to get support for referenda.
“That’s not just our opinion. That’s what [lawmakers] heard at every single one of the budget hearings,” Wisconsin Public Education Network Executive Director Heather DuBois Bourenane said. “All of this red testimony is testimony that has to do with meeting the needs of our kids.”
For educators, public school funding is the number one issue — specifically, more spendable aid, including a minimum 60% reimbursement for special education.
“Our working conditions are our kids’ learning conditions, and when it is adequately funded, our kids thrive,” Madison Teachers Inc. President Michael Jones said. “When it’s not adequately funded, like it hasn’t been for decades, our kids suffer, and we see that play out in all sorts of ways.”
Organizers said citizens from around the state had roughly 45 meetings with lawmakers in the building scheduled for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Gov. Evers spent his Tuesday patching roads as part of his annual “Pothole Patrol” tour. When asked about budget negotiations with Republican leaders, he expressed optimism.
“We’re meeting, and we’re talking, and things are pleasant,” Evers told Spectrum News at a stop near downtown Waukesha Tuesday. “Hopefully, we’ll have a budget in time that everybody can agree on. This is a good example; transportation issues are Republican and Democratic issues. Frankly, I think our school districts are Republican and Democratic [issues], just kind of figuring out where each side wants to stand, and hopefully we’ll get something done. I feel confident that we will.”
The goal is to get the budget done by the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
If, for some reason, lawmakers can’t come to an agreement and that doesn’t happen, current funding levels will stay the same with no government shutdown.
