MADISON, Wis. – For the 12th time the Republican-controlled Legislature has refused a call from Democratic Governor Tony Evers to meet in a special session. This time Evers wanted $1 billion to:
> Continue a child care program dating to the CoVid crisis, $365 million.
> Build as new engineering building at UW-Madison, $300 million.
> Create a paid family leave program, $243 million.
> Offset the Legislature’s earlier cuts to the University of Wisconsin budget, $66 million.
> Fund budgets of the Wisconsin Technical College System, $40 million.
> Set up health-care grants related to the worker shortage, $60 million.
> Address the teacher shortage, $16 million.
Republicans dismissed the governor’s call for the new funding as frills. Evers called Republican intransigence as sign that that the GOP is out of touch with Wisconsin values.