(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ partial veto to lower the daily cost of housing juvenile offenders for counties by $2,000 has created a “$34 million hole” in the state’s Department of Corrections budget, according to Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine.
While the Legislature had approved a provision in the 2025-27 biennial budget to raise the county cost of maximum-security, long-term juvenile housing to $2,501 per person in 2025-26 and $2,758 in 2026-27, Evers’ veto established a new rate of $501 per person in 2025-26 and $758 in 2026-27, cutting the Legislature’s costs by $2,000 exactly.
The lower rate would allow counties to pay less to house inmates, but would force the state to take up the remainder of the costs.
According to documents first released to The Center Square, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated the cost shift would force the state to pay $34.4 million from 2025-27, or 75% of the cost to incarcerate juvenile inmates.
No funds were allocated for the state to cover that cost.
“Evers’ veto of this provision is unsustainable and he knows it,” said Wanggaard, chairman of the state Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
According to Wanggaard, the statutory daily rate is “simple math,” determined by the total cost to operate juvenile facilities divided by the average population.
Wanggaard criticized Evers’ decision to “unilaterally” veto the county’s expenses and make the state pay up more without the Legislature’s approval.
“It flips the entire funding of juvenile corrections without debate or discussion,” Wanggaard said. “It’s irresponsible.”
However, Evers said the Legislature-approved rate of $2,501 and $2,578 over the biennium was too much for counties since it would have increased the current $1,268 daily rate by more than $1,000 per day.
“This increase and funding model is untenable, and counties have expressed that this unaffordable increase will have serious and detrimental effects on other county services,” Evers said in his veto message. “With this veto, I am establishing daily rates while still ensuring it is manageable for local partners.”
The veto came after the Legislature also approved more than $27 million to provide funding and staffing for a new maximum-security juvenile detention facility in Milwaukee.

(The Center Square) – A $34.5 million road reconstruction project for Milwaukee’s 6th Street has lost its funds under President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation bill, leaving the future of the project in jeopardy until the city can secure new funding.
The funds were originally awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s neighborhood access and equity grant program, but were rescinded by the bill signed into law by Trump on Friday.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat, criticized the rescission as “harmful.”
“This project would have made a high-injury traffic corridor safer, created over 450 good-paying jobs, and created tens-of-millions of dollars in local economic impacts,” Johnson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, congressional Republicans and the White House chose not to support improvements to public safety, good-paying jobs, and economic development.”
While the money was not yet legally obligated, it had been awarded by USDOT and announced by President Joe Biden during a March 2024 visit to the city.
Had the funds continued, a 2.6-mile stretch of the city from National Avenue to North Avenue would have tentatively been under reconstruction until 2031.
The project would have focused on reconnecting “displaced” neighborhoods, improving sidewalks, dedicating transit and bicycle lanes, adding tree canopies, and narrowing streets to remove “unwarranted” pavement and reduce vehicle speeds, according to a City of Milwaukee webpage.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s community maps portal indicates more than a dozen accidents directly related to speeding have occurred on that stretch of 6th Street since 2015.
Additionally, a Badger Institute report found the number of traffic fatalities in Milwaukee County increased by 77% from 2002 (52 deaths) to 2024 (94 deaths), while fatalities in all other Wisconsin counties decreased by 35%.
City engineer Kevin Muhs indicated to the Daily Reporter that while the city would continue the design and “some of” the engineering work, the project’s funds would have to come from a new federal grant or a combination of local and federal funds.

(The Center Square) – Resident undergraduate tuition in the University of Wisconsin System could increase by 5% at most of its universities if the plan is approved by the Board of Regents on Thursday.
The plan calls for a base 4% undergraduate tuition increase with an optional 1% increase that will be used by all of the schools except UW-Green Bay, University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said.
UW-River Falls, meanwhile, will see a 5.8% increase.
“Preserving quality while maintaining our ability to be a leader on tuition affordability in the Midwest is a top priority,” Rothman said. “After a decade of a tuition freeze and lagging state aid, we believe we have struck a balance for students and families with this proposal and the recent state investments in the UWs as part of the 2025-27 biennial budget.”
The new state budget included a two-year $256 million budget increase. That increase included $100 million for campuses statewide, $94 million to increase staff wages and $54 million to help retain and recruit faculty and staff in “high-demand fields of study.”
The school said that resident undergraduate tuition increased 7.7% from 2015 to 2025.
Resident undergraduate tuition and segregated fees would now be led by UW-Madison at $12,166 followed by UW-Milwaukee at $10,916, UW-La Crosse at $10,360, UW-Eau Claire at $10,067, UW-Stout at $9,859, UW-Stevens Point at $9,477, UW-Superior at $9,272 and UW-River Falls at $9,249.
That is followed by UW-Oshkosh at $8,993, UW-Green Bay at $8,985, UW-Whitewater at $8,819, UW-Platteville at $8,812 and UW-Parkside at $8,658.
State funding represents about one-fifth of the funding for the schools.
“Thankfully, the governor and legislature approved a significant budget increase, the largest in over two decades, which enables us to preserve access and affordability,” Rothman said. “Our public universities have become tuition-dependent due to lagging state funding in prior years, and the turnaround this budget cycle will help us continue providing educational opportunities to the next generation of Wisconsinites.”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Supreme Court determined that the state’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules cannot block rules from being enforced in a Tuesday ruling.
Four justices agreed with the ruling, Justice Brian Hagedorn concurred in part and dissented in part while two justices disagreed.
The case was brought by Gov. Tony Evers after he claimed the committee unlawfully blocked a pair of rules on building codes and a rule for therapists concerning conversion therapy.
Hagedorn wrote that the argument regarding therapists is now moot and the indefinite block of the building code rule is unconstitutional but that doesn’t make the entire statute allowing administrative blocks on rules is unconstitutional and believes that Evers did not make a thorough claim to justify a broad ruling.
“The majority’s rationale, which it neither supports nor explains, raises more questions than it answers,” Hagedorn wrote. “It attempts a narrow resolution to this case, but it does not recognize the hornet’s nest of constitutional issues implicated by its ill-considered solution.”
Evers claimed that Republican committee members overstepped their power and there needs to be a separation of powers after the required rule-making process is complete.
“Wisconsinites want to protect our constitutional checks and balances,” Evers said in a statement. “Today’s Wisconsin Supreme Court decision ensures that no small group of lawmakers has the sole power to stymie the work of state government and go unchecked. This is an incredibly important decision that will ensure state government can do our important work efficiently and effectively to serve Wisconsinites across our state.”
The committee had blocked the building code rule until the Legislature came up with a new law pertaining to it, which Hagedorn acknowledged could never occur.
“Before concluding we note that the Legislature retains power over the administrative rulemaking process regardless of our determination here,” the majority opinion from Justice Jill Karofsky said. “The Legislature created the current process. It alone maintains the ability to amend, expand, or limit the breadth of administrative rulemaking in the other branches—as long as it adheres to the constitution, including the provisions of bicameralism and presentment.”
Justice Annette Ziegler’s dissenting opinion, meanwhile, said that the ruling upended a pair of prior rulings on the topic from the Supreme Court without proper analysis of the Wisconsin Constitution.
“For over three decades, all three branches of government in Wisconsin have operated with the understanding that JCRAR may lawfully review rulemaking undertaken by the executive branch,” Ziegler wrote. “With the stroke of a pen, that practice is invalidated.”

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan’s case is moving forward, for now.
A federal magistrate judge said the case should not be dismissed and instead said her lawyers should pitch their immunity defense at trial.
Judge Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph delivered a 37-page report that argued against dismissing the case.
“Dugan disputes the government’s version of events, and the government will have the burden of proving its allegations beyond a reasonable doubt at trial,” Joseph wrote. “However, these contested facts cannot be resolved at this juncture.”
Dugan, who was arrested in May after federal prosecutors say she helped an illegal Mexican immigrant sneak out of her courtroom to avoid ICE agents, is planning to say she cannot be prosecuted because of judicial immunity.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Vice President Dan Lennington called the magistrate judge’s reading of the case “smart” and said it’s a big blow to Dugan’s defense.
“Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph notes the unavoidable fact: there is simply no judicial immunity doctrine that has been extended to criminal acts,” Lennington said on X.
Her lawyers said the report is not the final ruling in the case.
“We are disappointed in the magistrate judge’s non-binding recommendation, and we will appeal it,” attorney Steven Biskupic said in a statement. “This is only one step in what we expect will be a long journey to preserve the independence and integrity of our courts.”
The report will now go to the judge who is hearing the case, Judge Lynn Adleman, who will make the ultimate decision about dismissal.
Last month Adleman delayed Dugan’s trial, but he has not yet set a new date.
Dugan has pleaded not guilty to the two federal charges she is facing. She could spend up to six years in prison if convicted.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to veto a Brillion marsh dredging project from the 2025-27 Wisconsin biennial budget is under fire, as Republican lawmakers say the rural farmers they represent could now be at risk of flooding.
The Legislature’s budget originally required the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to give $70,000 towards dredging the Brillion marsh to assist more than 100 farmers and other residents along the Manitowoc River who face annual flooding due to river backup, according to Sen. Andre Jacque, R-New Franken, and Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison.
However, Evers vetoed the provision over lawmakers’ decision to discontinue the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program in the budget, according to his veto message.
“Gov. Evers approved funding in the budget for multiple similar DNR earmarks, including the Kewaunee Marsh within my district,” Jacque said in a statement. “The governor chose to play games at the expense of Brillion to score political points.”
The Stewardship program that Evers cited previously gave $500,000 annually toward facilities, recreation projects and habitat restoration projects.
Jacque said Evers is “targeting” Brillion specifically over the Stewardship program cut, citing the Browns Lake dredging, Green Lake Sediment Inactivation, and Echo Lake and Rothschild Dams as examples of other DNR projects Evers allowed to stay in the budget.
According to Jacque and Tusler, the veto leaves the original $70,000 in place with “no statutory guidance on how to use it.”
They said the provision would have gone to providing “long-overdue relief” to farmers along the Manitowoc River who suffer “thousands of dollars in crop damage each year.”
Additionally, the funds would have helped reopen the Brillion Marsh to kayakers and visitors.
Jacque and Tusler said this is the second budget they have submitted funding requests for this project.
Calumet County, where the Brillion marsh is, has reported five instances of property damage related to floods or flash floods since 2010, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture previously declared a disaster in Calumet County after flooding caused the county to lose 30% of its strawberry crop in 2017.

(The Center Square) – Politicos across Pennsylvania are reacting with a mix of triumph, anger and despair following the passage of the federal budget resolution.
Once enacted, the law will support a massive expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, make sweeping cuts to programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, offer huge tax breaks and, many say, fundamentally change the nation while increasing the national debt.
Ahead of yesterday’s vote, the commonwealth’s highest elected official, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, warned, “the bill Congressional Republicans are rushing to pass would have devastating impacts on Pennsylvania.”
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis shared his sentiment, calling the bill “absurdly cruel and unconscionable.”
The governor highlighted Republican-led districts, noting how many would lose health care coverage in each. In total, over 300,000 Pennsylvanians are expected to lose Medicaid and about half as many to lose SNAP.
In staunch Trump ally Rep. Scott Perry’s Central Pennsylvania district, the number exceeds 18,700. Perry did ultimately vote for the bill, despite initial misgivings about the increased debt it presents.
Perry’s fellow Republican House member Rep. Ryan Mackenzie issued a press release detailing the gains he saw for his constituents.
“As we began this term, we understood what the people of the Greater Lehigh Valley were counting on: lower costs, a stronger economy, secure borders, and policies that put America First,” said Mackenzie. “In the face of relentless opposition from those who advocated for the largest tax increase in American history and a return to open borders, we’ve passed a budget that holds firm and keeps our promise to the American people.”
Mackenzie’s colleague across the aisle, progressive Democrat Rep. Summer Lee of Pittsburgh, voted against the bill.
“This is a deliberate choice to make life harder for working families here in Western Pennsylvania and across the country, to strip dignity from our seniors, to push children and parents deeper into poverty and hunger,” wrote Lee. “I will continue doing everything in my power to mitigate the harm and fight back against this fascist regime.”
The state’s Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick posted to X, “Congratulations to @POTUS for putting his vision into action and to Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson for putting so much of that agenda in one bill.”
McCormick highlighted tax relief, border security, “energy dominance,” defense, and school choice as wins in the bill, saying, “These are the policies I promised to pass and they’ll make a real difference for the people of Pennsylvania.”
In terms of energy dominance, recent claims that China has pulled away from the U.S. to become the global leader have roiled the states. Some believe the best answer is to double down on the nation’s wealth of fossil fuel resources, while others insist that Biden-era clean energy incentives were key to keeping up with competitors.
Pennsylvania state representative and Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia posted to BlueSky, “The budget Republicans passed is a death knell to healthcare for 17 million Americans, will send kids to school hungry, hurt seniors, raise our energy prices and the list goes on. All to give a tax break to the ultra rich. And they are (expletive) celebrating it. VOTE THEM OUT!!!”
His account featured a screenshot of a since-deleted X post from Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden which seemed to cheer the loss of safety nets for millions.
Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, wrote, “I am disgusted that on the eve of our nation’s celebration of independence and triumph over tyranny, that Republicans in Congress have risked American freedom by thrusting us back under the control of an authoritarian leader; pledging their allegiance to Donald Trump and ignoring the people they represent.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Republican, posted a graphic on X from the White House celebrating the tax breaks, defense spending, clean energy rollbacks, and immigration enforcement afforded by the bill.
Of the Medicaid cuts, she wrote, “Don’t let the media gaslight you. PA’s Medicaid programs are spiraling out of control — and taxpayers are stuck with the bill. Enrollment has more than doubled to over 3 million residents, despite the state experiencing out-migration & population growth.”
Her Democratic colleague from Philadelphia, Sen. Nikil Saval, wrote that the bill “is a legislative abomination.”
“People who would do this to their neighbors and fellow Americans cannot meaningfully be said to be ‘public servants.’ The divorce between what the American people want, and what their representatives delivered, is total, wrote Saval. “Americans across the country are opposed to this bill, on every count and every measure.”
Outside of the legislature, Americans have had a mixed but largely negative response to the bill. One poll from KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation, showed a majority of Americans viewed the bill unfavorably, including most non-MAGA Republicans.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s new budget includes $5 million that will re-start the state’s film tax credits and create a state film office as part of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
Advocates, including Gov. Tony Evers, have pushed the tax credits as a way to have more movies and television shows film in the state, saying that will increase the amount of money spent by film production crews in Wisconsin.
But economists who have studied the tax credits believe they are simply a way to divert taxpayer funds to a specific industry.
Economist J.C. Bradbury of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University extensively studied Georgia’s larger film credit program, writing in a peer-reviewed paper that the state spent $230 per household on foregone tax revenue because of the initiative, which has cost taxpayers the equivalent of $110,000 per full-time job in the industry without bringing the promised benefits from the program.
The Wisconsin film tax credit would be applied to 25% of income paid to Wisconsin residents up to $250,000 apiece and for 25% of film-related expenses in the state and credits for acquiring or improving property that wasn’t owned before Dec. 31, 2025.
The budget inclusion was applauded by the advocacy group Action! Wisconsin, which pushed for the incentives and said that they will be crucial when production companies are deciding where to film.
“This budget provides a great start to growing Wisconsin’s film and tv industry, strengthening our overall economy, and showcasing our state on screens large and small across the country and the world,” said Katie Heil, founding member of Action! Wisconsin.
The tax credit excludes live sports productions, news, awards ceremonies and more.

(The Center Square) – Despite Republican Assembly leaders and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers having reached a budget deal to appropriate the interest earnings from unspent COVID-19 relief funds toward budget initiatives, Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, claims there is still $4 million unaccounted for.
The current 2025-27 Wisconsin biennial budget, signed into law by Evers early Thursday morning, accounts for only $171 million of the interest earnings, which Wimberger said has now ballooned up to $175 million.
While $170 million will fund key budget initiatives, with most of it dedicated to child care, the remaining $4 million will continue to accrue interest if left in Evers’ Department of Administration.
In other words, the budget deal, which Wimberger previously said “probably solves a potential constitutional crisis,” has not securely ended the months-long fight over the governor’s “slush fund.”
“State law makes it clear that the $175 million slush fund accrued by Governor Evers was illegal,” Wimberger said in a statement to The Center Square. “The legislature must be the body to appropriate these funds, and the Governor concedes this point in the budget agreement.”
As co-chair of the Audit Committee, Wimberger said he would continue to monitor the amount of interest accrued until all the federal COVID-19 relief money is spent.
Additionally, his office affirmed that he will continue to advance the legislation co-authored with Rep. Robert Wittke, R-Caledonia, to ensure that CSLFRF interest money left unspent gets transferred into the treasury.
In the budget, $115 million of the interest earnings went to fund child care initiatives, while another $50 million went to support a building commission grant program.
Also, $5 million goes to a food security grant program and another $1 million goes to a UW-Green Bay high school college credit program.
Joint Finance Committee co-chair Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, previously said in an interview with The Center Square that negotiating with Evers to put the money towards actual budget initiatives was better than leaving it up to Evers’ discretion or a court fight.
“In our discussions with the governor, we continued to find ways to make investments – preferably one-time investments – to get the money used for something so it didn’t just become a slush fund that he was just gonna try to control,” Born said.
The budget appropriations, in total, leave $171 million accounted for of the $175 million, the majority of which went to Evers’ highest child care priorities.
However, a growing $4 million in interest earnings remains with the DOA.
According to federal law, all CSLFRF funds most be expended by December 31, 2026.
That gives Evers until then to hand over or expend the remaining $4 million.
Additionally, Wimberger criticized Evers’ decision to veto four new auditors for the Legislative Audit Bureau from the budget, saying it underscores his “bad policies.”
“As Audit Committee co-chair, we’ve been able to uncover a $175 million slush fund, administrative bloat at the UW System, discriminatory DEI policies across state government, and major dysfunction at the Department of Public Instruction,” Wimberger said in a statement. “Vetoing funding for new auditors is simply the Governor’s attempt to stifle good government oversight of his bad policies.”
However, Evers stated his only reason for having vetoed the positions was that “the Legislative Audit Bureau currently has sufficient funding and position authority to fulfill its role,” according to the governor’s veto message.
Evers’ office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment at the time of publication.