Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed the bipartisan 2025-27 Biennial Budget agreement early Thursday morning after months of negotiations with the State Legislature. 

Evers vetoed certain parts of the budget that he said were outside of bipartisan guidelines. He said in his veto message that the agreement is a compromise between himself and Republican leaders. 

“This bipartisan budget proves that, despite these divisive times, … we still believe in being able to work together with the collaborative and innovative spirit that Wisconsinites have embraced for generations,” Evers said in the message. 

The budget designates over $250 million to the Universities of Wisconsin including $100 million to help with recent campus closures and employee and program cuts. Further, $7 million was allocated to support telehealth mental health services, $54 million to help retain faculty and staff in high-demand fields, $90 million to increase employee wages and $1 million for UW-Green Bay’s Rising Phoenix early college high school program, according to the press release. 

The increase in investment is a jump from the $32 million budget cut to the UWs included in the 2023-2025 Biennial Budget agreement.

The 2025-27 Capital Budget — which is incorporated in the biennial budget — invests around $1.2 billion in building projects on university campuses including UW-Madison, according to the press release.

In a Tuesday statement, UW system President Jay Rothman commended Evers as a champion for the universities. 

“Today’s budget agreement marks the largest overall increase in investment in the UWs in over two decades,” Rothman said in the statement. “… With these new investments, the UWs can do more to provide the educational opportunities students deserve and parents expect.”