For communities where some schools fail to meet expectations, we include an expansion of the parental choice program in this budget. Since wealthy families have a choice because they can pay to send their children to a private school, we give low income and middle class families an opportunity to also choose a viable alternative for their sons and daughters.
Interestingly, some communities have both high-performing schools, as well as some that fail to meet expectations. Green Bay is a good example. Keller Elementary in Green Bay is a school where more than 70 percent of students are economically disadvantaged, yet Keller Elementary exceeds expectations. In this budget, schools like this will be eligible for a performance reward. At the same time, in that same district, there are other schools that fail to meet expectations. Other districts like Madison, Beloit, Sheboygan, and West Allis/West Milwaukee have similar situations.
Our budget plan rewards high-performing schools, like Keller Elementary in Green Bay. At the same time, our budget gives financial assistance to turn around schools that fail to meet expectations. While we work to improve underperforming schools, our children can't afford to wait. This is why we provide new choices for parents in areas where schools are failing to meet expectations.
In the end, our goal is simple: ensure every child – regardless of where they are from or what their family income is – has access to a great education.
In this budget, we also include new funding for reading screeners to help prepare our young students, a new partnership for improving reading and math skills through the Boys and Girls Club and additional support for Teach for America staff. We tap multiple sources to improve educational performance.
Working with Dr. Tony Evers and the state Department of Public Instruction, we include resources for educator effectiveness and new professional tools for our teachers. We support ACT testing for all of our students—that goes beyond just the college bound. And we fund academic and career assessments to help students prepare for their future place in the workforce.
In higher education, we provide additional funding for our technical colleges and give their board the tools to move towards a performance-based system. We want them to work towards matching students with the skills needed to fill the jobs of today—and, more importantly, tomorrow.
We give more resources to the University of Wisconsin and we give them the flexibility to use those resources wisely. Plus, the new UW FlexOption will open the door to more affordable options in higher education. And we continue our support for financial aid to students in our many fine public and private colleges and universities in Wisconsin.
In addition to education, we include changes to improve performance in other areas too. Working with Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen, I included new resources to fight internet crimes against children, to improve GPS monitoring of people on restraining orders in domestic violence cases, and to expand the number of DNA samples we collect to solve and to prevent crimes.
With the provisions in our budget, Wisconsin will expand the number of samples in the DNA database by more than 50,000 in the first year. I want to thank Senator Sheila Harsdorf for her steadfast work on this program. And I particularly want to thank Jean and Kevin Zimmermann of Marshfield.
In 2008, their daughter Brittany was killed here in Madison. The Zimmermanns have been vigilant in their fight to find her killer and to expand the use of DNA. Their hard work will not only help families like theirs, but will ultimately help prevent other families from having to go through what they went through—Jean and Kevin, thank you for being here tonight.
Even though much of the attention on health-related subjects is focused on the federal government, we make some significant investments to improve performance in our state. Our support in this budget for the Wisconsin Health Information Organization will help create a more transparent system for all of us as health care consumers. More objective and clear information will allow us to better manage our health and wellness—and not just our health care costs.
We improve our ability to treat and cure cancer by our support of the UW Carbone Cancer Center. They will create a new Wisconsin Oncology Network of Imaging Excellence to share their cutting edge work with health care providers across the state.
The problems of domestic violence and child abuse affect families all across the nation and, unfortunately, in our state. Our budget invests in a first-of-its-kind Family Justice Center directly connected with a Child Advocacy Center. The center will provide shelter and care for victims of domestic violence, as well as a coordinating center for child abuse prevention efforts across Wisconsin.
More than the convenience of having all the different services in one place is the importance of protecting victims from their abusers. A survivor of domestic violence at the Sojourner Family Peace Center reminded me of that during a recent visit. Victims need a safe place to go. Our budget supports shelters in Milwaukee and Madison, as well as services all across the state.
And if people are going to perform well in our state, they should be able to improve their mental health as well as their physical health. Nationally, serious mental illness costs at least $193 billion a year in lost earnings. In Wisconsin, only half of all the adults with serious psychological distress received mental health treatment or medication.
With this in mind, our budget includes the largest commitment to mental health services in 30 years. This investment in community-based services will increase the independence of people living with mental health needs and maximize their ability to be contributing members of our state.
Our investments are focused on improving performance in Wisconsin.
Now, I will share how our budget will reform state government.
I dare say that I don't think any of us grew up with the dream that someday we would be dependent on the government. It almost seems foreign to the American Dream.
But sadly, it seems some folks in Washington measure success in government by how many people are dependent on the government. In contrast, I measure success by just the opposite—by how many people are no longer dependent on the government.
No, we’re not talking about pushing people out on to the streets. Instead, we are talking about empowering people to control their own destiny with a job in the private sector where they can pursue their dreams. This is what truly leads to freedom and prosperity.
It is why our budget is built on a plan to reform a broken system and transition people from government dependence to true independence.
A major part of the plan is what we do with Medicaid and how it relates to the federal health care mandate. Specifically, our actions allow us to reduce the number of uninsured in our state by 224,580.
We also reduce the net number of people who are on government-run Medicaid. Some 87,000 people living above poverty will transition into the private or exchange markets, where they can get a premium for as low as $19 per month.
At the same time, we are able to add 82,000 people currently living in poverty. Many of these individuals were not covered by Medicaid in the past because of a cap put on the program by the previous governor. Going forward, everyone living in poverty will be covered under Medicaid.
This also prevents putting the state at risk of the federal government not being able to fulfill the enormous new financial obligation under the Affordable Care Act. Of the current $644 million cost to continue Medicaid in Wisconsin, about 39 percent of it comes from changes made by the federal government. If they cannot fulfill their current obligations, what makes us think the Congress and Administration can cover even bigger costs in the future when they are sitting on a $16.5 trillion debt?
Our budget proposes to reform entitlements in other ways, too.
Like most states, Wisconsin sought a waiver in the past from requiring job training to people on food stamps. Only a few have taken advantage of the voluntary program.
One of them is Elizabeth from Milwaukee. Last spring, she completed the Smart Path Program and got into the Milwaukee Area Technical College. While there, she completed the certified nursing assistant program and got a job as a CNA. Now, she is working to become a nurse.
Alan is another example. He started in the program last year and got help preparing for a job. Today, he has a full-time job with benefits. Alan is employed as a welder at a steel company in Milwaukee.
My budget changes the food stamp program so non-elderly, able-bodied adults will be required to be enrolled in employment training to receive food stamps. More than 75,000 people will benefit from getting extra help with job skills.
I’m all for providing a temporary hand up, but for those who are able-bodied, it should not be a permanent hand out. I care for the people of this state too much to force them to live a life of dependence on the government. I want those who are able to be prepared so they are ready to fill a job when one is found—so they can have the same type of success that Elizabeth and Alan have had with our program.
These reforms will help transition people from government dependence to true independence.
There is a reason we celebrate the 4th of July instead of April 15th. It is because we celebrate our independence as free men and women and not our dependence on the government. Our reforms move people to true independence.
This is the American Dream and our budget shows it is alive and well in Wisconsin. Our ancestors came to this country to embrace it—and we work hard each day—so our children can live it still today.
Many generations ago, my family came from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and Germany to live this dream. Tonette’s family came from Italy. Just a generation ago, my brother’s in-laws came from Mexico. Each came to live the dream of more freedom and prosperity for future generations.
This is the same dream that Sgt. Cortes-Avila’s parents envisioned when they came to America. Now, their son is an American citizen and a veteran of this great country. Our budget puts in place reforms and performance measures to ensure that his and future generations have access to even more freedom and more prosperity for years to come.
So tonight, I ask for your help. Tonight, I ask the members of this state legislature to review, improve, and then pass this budget. Working together, we can continue to move Wisconsin forward.
Thank you, and may God richly bless each and every one of you.”
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Adjournment
The Joint Convention arose.
7:52 P.M.
