GOP Does It Again: No Legal Weed, Paid Family Leave, School Lunches & 500 More Budget Proposals, WI Gov Is Furious

Wisconsin GOP lawmakers killed more than 500 proposals including a cannabis legalization measure, proposals for paid family leave and funding for Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium renovations, reported SF Gate.

What happened: Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee removed more than 500 provisions from Governor Tony Evers’ (D) budget proposal, including suggestions to raise the minimum wage and free school lunches. GOP lawmakers slaughtered all these proposals in a single vote.

Why it matters: “These aren’t fringe ideas, controversial concepts, or Republican or Democratic priorities—they’re about doing the right thing,” Evers said in a Tweet after revealing 15 proposals that were dropped. “With a historic surplus comes historic responsibility, and today, when we can afford to do more, this vote is foolish and a wasted opportunity.”

In a follow-up video, Evers shared his frustration.

Today, Republicans voted to remove more than 540 provisions from my budget, including those below, that would've helped kids, working families, veterans, seniors, small business owners, and so many others in communities across our state. My reaction  https://t.co/hZvYr5ngrv pic.twitter.com/xwYE9w4NdI

— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) May 2, 2023

The action was anticipated considering that GOP lawmakers already killed Ever’s past two budgets. In February the GOP-co chairs of the JFC committee, Rep. Mark Born (R) and Sen. Howard and Sen. Howard Marklein (R) announced their plan to vote against most provisions in Evers’ two-year budget estimated at $104 billion.

“It is unfortunate that Republicans again chose to ignore the will of the majority and remove cannabis legalization from the state budget,” Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) told Marijuana Moment on Tuesday. “Beyond having an immense fiscal impact on our state, legalizing cannabis addresses Wisconsin’s egregious racial disparities, bolsters our agriculture and farming heritage, safely regulates the existing illicit market, and support entrepreneurships.”

Under Evers’ proposal, adults 21 and older would be allowed to buy and own up to two ounces of cannabis, and the Department of Revenue would be in charge of overseeing the market and issuing licenses. The governor’s office projected that the state would generate $44 million “segregated tax revenue” from legal cannabis, and a $10.2 million increase in state general fund tax revenue in fiscal 2025 in case of legal marijuana program.

What’s next: GOP lawmakers will rewrite the budget and should present it to the Legislature this summer. 

Photo: Benzinga edit with image by Wikimedia Commons and Shutterstock