Last week, we received the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) 2017-19 budget proposal outlining their key transportation priorities for our state over the course of the next two years.

Here’s what you need to know. This budget proposal includes greater funding at all levels of local government for roads and bridges, and it renews our focus on traffic safety and road maintenance.

It also includes the largest year-to-year change in local aids since 1999, including a 25 percent increase in the Local Road Improvement Program and a 30 percent increase to the state funding portion of the Local Bridge Program.

The proposal provides more than $672 million in general transportation aid for our municipalities, which represents an increase of nearly 5 percent, as well as $212 million for our counties, which represents an increase of over 8 percent.

Additionally, it provides $1.7 billion in funding for the State Highway Rehabilitation Program, which, if approved, would mark the largest level of funding in the program’s history.

The proposal put forth by DOT includes $605 million in total funding for maintenance, which covers all programs. This funding represents a nearly 40 percent increase over Governor Doyle’s last transportation budget.

This is great news for the citizens and businesses of our state. What’s even better news is this budget proposal keeps borrowing at historically low levels and does not increase taxes or fees for the citizens of Wisconsin.

DOT’s proposal puts the people of Wisconsin first and proves that you don’t have to raise taxes or fees to maintain a safe and strong transportation network.

Check out our transportation funding fact sheets here and here for more information about the DOT budget proposal.

On Monday, we joined the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) in announcing the expansion of our state’s popular Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) Grant program, which helps public school districts build or expand Fab Labs that provide students with important job skills.

Fab Labs are workshops that are equipped with high-tech technology, such as 3-D printers, laser engravers, and computer numerical control routers. All this technology provides students with unique experiences and opportunities they might not otherwise receive.

The Fabrication Laboratory Grant Program support hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, education by helping public school districts with the cost of equipment used for instructional and educational purposes in Fab Labs.

We first introduced the grant program in our 2015-17 state budget, which included $500,000 to fund the initial round of Fab Lab grants. The response we received was overwhelming, which prompted WEDC to provide an additional $100,000 for the program in May.

To make this announcement, we visited a school that already directly benefits from the Fabrication Laboratory Grant Program – St. Croix Central High School in Hammond, Wisconsin. While there, we had the opportunity to tour their Fab Lab and witness firsthand the tremendous impact this resource has on the students of our state.

The expansion we announced on Monday includes an additional $500,000 in funding for this fiscal year from WEDC, who plans to award 20 grants and will begin accepting applications from public school districts on October 10, 2016.

When we first launched this program last year, we heard loud and clear from school districts across the state that this is exactly the kind of initiative we need in Wisconsin to ensure the future success of our students upon graduation.

The Fabrication Laboratory Grant Program expansion is great news because it means more students will have the opportunity to receive hands-on training using the latest equipment technology.