STATE OF WISCONSIN
Assembly Journal
One-Hundred and Sixth Regular Session
  FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date:
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Chief Clerk Reports
The Chief Clerk records:
hist195012Assembly Bill 377
Presented to the Governor on Friday, March 29.
EDWARD A. BLAZEL
Assembly Chief Clerk
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Executive Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
Madison
March 29, 2024
To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
The following bills, originating in the Assembly, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Bill Number   Act Number   Date Approved
hist194996Assembly Bill 1096   255   March 29, 2024
hist194998Assembly Bill 1097   256   March 29, 2024
hist194994Assembly Bill 1098   257   March 29, 2024
hist195000Assembly Bill 1099   258   March 29, 2024
hist195002Assembly Bill 1100   259   March 29, 2024
hist195004Assembly Bill 1101   260   March 29, 2024
hist195006Assembly Bill 1102   261   March 29, 2024
hist195008Assembly Bill 1103   262   March 29, 2024
hist195010Assembly Bill 1105   263   March 29, 2024
Respectfully submitted,
TONY EVERS
Governor
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Pursuant to s. 35.095 (1)(b), Wisconsin Statutes, the following 2023 Acts have been published:
Act Number   Bill Number   Publication Date
hist194997Wisconsin Act 255   Assembly Bill 1096   March 30, 2024
hist194999Wisconsin Act 256   Assembly Bill 1097   March 30, 2024
hist194995Wisconsin Act 257   Assembly Bill 1098   March 30, 2024
hist195001Wisconsin Act 258   Assembly Bill 1099   March 30, 2024
hist195003Wisconsin Act 259   Assembly Bill 1100   March 30, 2024
hist195005Wisconsin Act 260   Assembly Bill 1101   March 30, 2024
hist195007Wisconsin Act 261   Assembly Bill 1102   March 30, 2024
hist195009Wisconsin Act 262   Assembly Bill 1103   March 30, 2024
hist195011Wisconsin Act 263   Assembly Bill 1105   March 30, 2024
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Governor’s Veto Message
March 29, 2024
To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
The following bills, originating in the Assembly, have been vetoed in their entirety, and were returned to their house of origin, together with the objections in writing:
Bill Number   Date of Veto
hist194977Assembly Bill 34   March 29, 2024
hist194978Assembly Bill 386   March 29, 2024
hist194979Assembly Bill 388   March 29, 2024
hist194980Assembly Bill 395   March 29, 2024
hist194981Assembly Bill 398   March 29, 2024
hist194982Assembly Bill 480   March 29, 2024
hist194983Assembly Bill 510   March 29, 2024
hist194984Assembly Bill 512   March 29, 2024
hist194985Assembly Bill 541   March 29, 2024
hist194986Assembly Bill 545   March 29, 2024
hist194987Assembly Bill 603   March 29, 2024
hist194988Assembly Bill 610   March 29, 2024
hist194989Assembly Bill 669   March 29, 2024
hist194990Assembly Bill 957   March 29, 2024
hist194991Assembly Bill 1030   March 29, 2024
hist194992Assembly Bill 1065   March 29, 2024
hist194993Assembly Bill 1089   March 29, 2024
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I am vetoing Assembly Bill 34 in its entirety.
This bill requires county feeding bans issued by the Department of Natural Resources be issued based on confirmed positive tests for chronic wasting disease or bovine tuberculosis in free-roaming wild animals only. Currently, the department may issue these bans based on positive tests in both free­roaming and captive animals.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to limiting the ability of the department to reduce the spread of chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis in Wisconsin. This bill disregards scientific research that suggests that chronic wasting disease can be transmitted between captive and free-roaming deer. Given that baiting and feeding are known risk factors in the transmission of chronic wasting disease, this bill would limit the departments ability to effectively respond to new positive cases in captive deer.
In 2023, chronic wasting disease was found for the first time in wild deer in Jackson, Trempealeau, Winnebago, and Polk counties. Additionally, five captive deer facilities in Dodge, Sauk, Washburn, Rock, and Oneida Counties had deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease. We need to provide more resources to prevent the spread of this disease into new areas of the state rather than limiting an effective management tool and unnecessarily puts Wisconsin wildlife and captive deer at risk.
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I am vetoing Assembly Bill 386 in its entirety.
This bill reduces the tax rate for the third individual income tax bracket from 5.3 percent to 4.4 percent beginning with tax year 2023. Additionally, the bill expands the current retirement income exclusion to subtract from taxable income, for individuals 67 or older, payments or distributions from qualified retirement plans and certain individual retirement accounts up to $100,000 for single filers and $150,000 for married-joint filers beginning in tax year 2023. The bill would reduce revenues in fiscal year 2023-24 by $1.845 billion and by $1.4 billion annually beginning in fiscal year 2024-25.
I have been proud to sign several income tax cuts during my time in office, including keeping–and, in fact, well exceedingmy promise to provide a ten percent, middle-class tax cut targeted to Wisconsins working families. During my first term in office, I proudly signed one of the largest tax cuts in Wisconsin state history, which provided $2 billion in individual income tax relief over the biennium and approximately $1 billion annually going forward. Through this historic tax cut, combined with the tax cuts I signed during my first year in office alone, 86 percent of Wisconsin taxpayers have seen an income tax cut of 15 percent or more, with 2.4 million taxpayers receiving relief. Through the income tax cuts I have already signed into law during my time in office, Wisconsin taxpayers will see $1.5 billion in tax relief annually, primarily targeted to the middle class. I was also recently proud to sign legislation to reduce annual child care costs for working families. Under that proposalsimilar versions of which I have introduced for yearsmore than 110,000 Wisconsin taxpayers will see an average benefit of $656 per filer, providing nearly $73 million in annual tax relief.
The bipartisan effort to help reduce the tax burden for families working to afford child care by expanding the child and dependent care tax credit from 50 percent to 100 percent of the federal credit is a great example of meaningful, important work to provide tax relief to the middle class. I believe, as I have often said, when we deliver tax relief for the people of Wisconsinjust as we haveit should be real relief aimed at helping Wisconsin’s working families afford rising costs, and it should be responsible and sustainable, ensuring we can keep taxes low now and into the future without causing devastating cuts to priorities like public schools and public safety down the road. Unfortunately, this bill, similar to many before it, fails to balance these important obligations.
Making sound financial decisions and being prudent with Wisconsin taxpayer dollars remains a top priority and always will for me. I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to fiscally irresponsible measures that would leave the State of Wisconsin unable to meet its basic obligations to adequately fund education, health care, public safety and aid to local governments in the 2025-27 biennium and beyond. This bill would reduce revenues by such a margin that it would likely force the state, even with ordinary revenue growth, to partially or fully drain the Budget Stabilization Fund just to provide bare minimum inflationary adjustments to key programs in the 2025-27 biennium.
Moreover, this bill could result in the state having to repay billions of dollars it received under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, completely reversing even under the best projected economic circumstances the progress we have made toward improving our states fiscal condition.
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I am vetoing Assembly Bill 388 in its entirety.
This bill establishes a child care center renovations revolving loan fund and program at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, to be funded with the $15,000,000 GPR reserved in the Joint Committee on Finances supplemental appropriation during the 2023-25 biennial budget. Under the program, the corporation would award interest-free loans to licensed or certified child care providers or to those individuals who demonstrate that they will be licensed or certified within one year, for renovations of child care facilities. The child care provider must submit a business plan and 3-year financial forecast demonstrating that they will be able to repay the loan. If enrollment is not established or maintained after the loan is received, the corporation must terminate the loan agreement, and the child care provider must immediately repay the outstanding loan balance. The bill requires the corporation to award 60 percent of the funds to in-home child care providers, in awards not to exceed $30,000, and 40 percent to child care providers that are not in-home child care providers, in awards not to exceed $95,000.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Wisconsin State Legislatures failure to address the looming child care industry fiscal cliff that, if unaddressed, will have serious consequences for our states workforce and economy, including thousands of projected child care programs closures, child care job losses, tens of thousands kids without child care, and half a billion dollars in economic impacts between parents leaving the workforce and reduced employer productivity. The state must make the meaningful, sustainable investments necessary to stabilize the crucial child care industry and prevent its collapse.
I also further object to limiting the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s flexibility in disbursing these funds to child care providers given the Legislatures refusal to make substantial investments to bolster our state’s child care industry and help keep child care providers open to support our states workforce.
Finally, I believe that the funding that was made available in the 2023-25 biennial budget should be distributed as grants to child care providers instead of loans. As a loan balance would have to be immediately repaid if a child care provider is unable to maintain enrollment, even based upon factors beyond their control, many providers, especially new providers, may be hesitant to accept these loans.
Making critical, long-term investments in our child care industry to maintain and expand access to child care in Wisconsin and reduce out-of-pocket child care costs for working families is about doing what is best for our kids, our families, and our economy. I remain hopeful the Legislature will join me in this important work.
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