As we wait for the Governor’s Budget address which will take place this month, we should mention that the Governor did give his “State of the State” address in January. As expected, the reviews are mixed. Some people loved the address and some people hated it. One of the themes of the address, and thereafter, was gun safety, including access to guns, and the usual discussion points from both sides of the aisle.
The Governor and his party point out that gun violence remains a problem while the Republicans in the legislature point out that infringements on the second amendment is a non-starter.
Here is what is being offered so far. We expect many other measures to be introduced as the legislative session moves along.
- A bill that eliminates sales tax on gun safes.
- A bill that would allow school districts to hire Conceal Carry permit holders for security.
- A bill that would expand school safety grants across the state.
Education is also going to be heavily debated in the upcoming months. We’ve already mentioned that the DPI race is going to happen on February 18 with three candidates vying for the job of superintendent. The top two vote getters will move on to the April 1st election. The budget negotiations will still be ongoing, and the outcome of that race may affect the negotiations. Things to watch during the education portion of the budget debate will include accountability for test scores, how our schools are graded (school report cards) and the curriculum. The curriculum will enter around whether students receive a traditional education that concentrates on reading, writing and arithmetic or whether social engineering programs such as (what some would call) Critical Race Theory is to be included. School safety will overlap the discussions as well.
Tax policy is always a core subject of discussions during the budget process, and with billions of dollars of surplus available, the subject will be contentious. The government in Madison is split between those who would want to provide tax relief and those who would like the money spent on additional programs. We suspect middle class tax cuts will be heavily discussed. We should see something getting voted on by mid-summer.
