Press Release: Gov. Evers Urges Bipartisan Support for New 2026 Legislative Agenda

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 01/13/2026 05:00 AM CST
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Urges Bipartisan Support for New 2026 Legislative Agenda 
Governor urges bipartisan support to pass massive $1 billion property tax relief plan, increase K-12 school funding, lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors and families, cut red tape to help speed up affordable housing projects, support Wisconsin veterans and farmers, and fight PFAS statewide and renew the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, among other key priorities 
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced his legislative agenda for the remaining 11 months of 2026 and the current 2025-27 Legislative Session. The governor, in a letter to members of the Wisconsin State Legislature, today urged legislators to continue building upon the historic bipartisan accomplishments of 2025, which included negotiating and passing a bipartisan state budget, and to work across the aisle on several key priorities, including a massive property tax relief plan that would prevent property tax increases for average Wisconsin homeowners, increases to K-12 school funding, plans to lower out-of-pocket costs for working families and seniors, including eliminating the sales tax on several household goods and over-the-counter medications, capping the cost of insulin copays at $35, cutting red tape to speed up affordable housing projects, among other key priorities. The Legislature is set to return today with the Wisconsin State Assembly meeting for its first time in 2026.

Gov. Evers and Republican leaders last year negotiated and passed a bipartisan budget that made meaningful investments in Wisconsin’s kids at every age, from early childhood to K-12 to the state’s higher education institutions. Despite these bipartisan investments, the final budget sent to the governor’s desk was drastically different than the one that he had proposed, and Republican lawmakers who control the state’s budget committee refused to approve several of the governor’s funding requests aimed at addressing statewide issues, as outlined in the governor’s letter.

The governor’s letter comes as Wisconsin closed the last fiscal year with nearly $4 billion in the state’s general fund, which is like the state’s checking account, and $2 billion in the ‘rainy day’ fund. Additionally, the Department of Revenue expects that new projections will soon be released showing state revenue will be much higher than previous estimates expected.

The governor’s letter to members of the Wisconsin State Legislature urges bipartisan support for commonsense plans to:
  • Provide property tax relief and prevent property tax increases for Wisconsin homeowners 
  • Deliver on the governor’s promise to do what’s best for our kids 
    • Invest the necessary funding to achieve agreed-upon percentages for special education funding of 42 percent in 2025-26 and 45 percent in 2026-27 are met or, alternatively, to make the appropriation sum sufficient as Gov. Evers has repeatedly proposed. 
  • Lower out-of-pocket costs for working families and seniors 
    • Cut healthcare costs and crack down on health insurance companies and price gouging; 
    • Lowering prescription drug prices; 
    • Eliminating the sales tax on everyday household items; and 
    • Provide postpartum coverage for moms to improve infant-maternal health. 
  • Support Wisconsin farmers and veterans in the midst of chaos in Washington 
    • Ensure homeless veterans have access to the housing resources they need; and 
    • Support farmers and processors as trade wars and tariffs wreak havoc. 
  • Ensure access to safe and clean drinking water and protect Wisconsin’s natural resources 
    • Comprehensively address PFAS contamination to ensure clean, safe drinking water across the state; and 
    • Reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and protect the state’s natural spaces and resources. 
  • Cut red tape, save taxpayer dollars, and improve services for Wisconsinites 
    • Invest in quality, accessible, and affordable housing to continue building the 21st-century workforce Wisconsin needs to support a 21st-century economy; 
    • Support Wisconsin’s workforce by restoring resources for license and credential processing; 
    • Eliminate restrictions to enable retired and experienced workers to rejoin the state’s workforce; 
    • Reduce FoodShare payment errors to save Wisconsin taxpayers from hundreds of millions in future costs; and 
    • Address outstanding 2025-27 state budget needs and changes for implementation. 
  • Reform Wisconsin’s justice system and keep kids, families, and communities safer 
    • Resolve longstanding barriers to safety and security in Wisconsin’s correctional institutions by realigning the state’s adult correctional system; 
    • Ensure individuals reentering communities have the skills to join the workforce; 
    • Invest in combating domestic and intimate partner violence and support survivors; and 
    • Keeps kids, families, and communities safer by reducing crimes involving guns. 
“While I am proud of the work we did together in 2025, let’s be clear—the final budget I signed looked drastically different than the budget I proposed, which was designed to respond to real and pressing challenges facing our state,” wrote Gov. Evers. “Despite a bipartisan agreement and commitment to increase the special education reimbursement rate to 42 percent, available funding will not cover that percentage. Additionally, for example, Republican lawmakers rejected my proposed investments to further lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors and working families, prevent property taxes from going up, crack down on health insurers and Big Pharma, ensure homeless veterans have access to housing, support our farmers and producers in the midst of economic chaos and uncertainty, ensure kids with higher needs have the support they need in our classrooms, clean up water contaminants like PFAS, and make sweeping reforms to our justice system and corrections, among hundreds of others.

“Further, with more chaos being created every day in Washington, new challenges continue to emerge and evolve that deserve our immediate focus and attention,” continued Gov. Evers. “This includes responding to President Donald Trump’s and Republicans in Congress’ ongoing efforts to shift hundreds of millions of dollars in federal program costs to Wisconsin taxpayers and our state’s future budgets. 

“Today, as we begin the New Year and the Wisconsin State Legislature returns to work, I write today to lay out our legislative priorities for 2026. We have proven time and time again that, despite these divisive times, we still believe in working together to get good things done for the people we serve. I am hopeful that we can continue doing so throughout the next 11 months during the remainder of the current legislative session,” concluded Gov. Evers.

A copy of the governor’s legislative agenda and letter to the Wisconsin State Legislature is available here. 
 
An online version of this release is available here.
###