Gov. Tony Evers delivered his final State of the State address Tuesday, focusing on funding for education, tax cuts for the working-class family and his goal for bipartisan legislation in the upcoming election year.
“Folks, I know many of you are up for election, but here’s the deal: after years of delivering historic, bipartisan wins for our state, Wisconsinites have high expectations for the work we can do together over the next 10 months,” Evers said in his speech transcript.
Evers drew attention to bipartisan achievements in his seven years as governor, including improvements to the justice system, large additions to state circuit courts and workers’ compensation access for post-traumatic stress for firefighters and law enforcement officers, according to the speech transcript.
Evers also discussed the introduction of a day to honor Hmong-Lao Veterans and the inclusion of Hmong and Asian American history in school for Wisconsin students.
The governor’s efforts to protect education funding had impacts on the Universities of Wisconsin system. According to the speech transcript, Evers said republican lawmakers had planned to cut funding to the UW system by nearly $90 million. Instead, Evers’ budget included the largest increase for the UW system in nearly 20 years and over $1 billion for UW projects across the state, according to the speech transcript.
This budget increase had an impact on UW-Madison, according to a press release by university leaders, including Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin.
The 2025 budget set by Evers funded the renovation of historic Science Hall and allowed for compensation increases of 2-3% for UW-Madison employees. But university leaders reported that they were disappointed the capital budget did not give UW-Madison the ability to construct a “much-needed residence hall.”
Looking forward, Evers remains committed to the tenets which got him elected — funding for education, support for the working-class family and Wisconsinite pride, according to the speech transcript.
In the final lines of the speech, Evers concluded his address by declaring 2026 the Year of the Neighbor in Wisconsin.
“Wisconsinites are helpers by nature; it’s in our DNA,” Evers said in the speech transcript. “When things are tough, we roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
