Wisconsin Republicans kill marijuana legalization and tax increases for millionaires

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans who power the Wisconsin Legislature voted Thursday to termination astir of the top spending priorities of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, including legalizing marijuana, adjacent arsenic some sides negociate a taxation cut.

The Legislature's Republican-controlled fund committee voted on enactment lines to termination much than 600 fund proposals enactment guardant by Evers, including spending much authorities wealth connected kid attraction providers, expanding Medicaid and raising taxes connected associated taxation filers those who gain much than $1 million.

Republicans did the aforesaid thing successful each of Evers' erstwhile 3 budgets and had said they were going to bash it again. Some of the killed ideas, similar allowing absentee ballots to beryllium processed earlier polls unfastened connected Election Day, person had bipartisan enactment successful the past and could instrumentality successful different form.

The cuts travel amid uncertainty astir however overmuch national wealth the authorities volition get arsenic President Donald Trump's medication moves to drastically trim authorities spending. Evers' fund arsenic introduced would person spent astir $119 cardinal wealth implicit 2 years, a 20% summation successful spending.

Evers and Republicans person been talking astir a taxation chopped program they some could enactment but person not released details. Republicans reason that astir of the state's astir $4 cardinal surplus should beryllium returned arsenic taxation cuts alternatively than utilized to enactment spending connected K-12 schools, the University of Wisconsin and different authorities programs.

Evers proposals stripped from the fund connected Thursday include: eliminating the taxation connected tips; expanding backing to combat what immoderate radical telephone everlastingly chemicals oregon PFAS; targeted spot taxation cuts for veterans, seniors and radical with disabilities; spending $128 cardinal connected caller fiscal assistance targeting low-income assemblage students and adding gender-neutral connection specified arsenic “person inseminated” to authorities law.

“Republicans speech a batch astir what they’re against, but not what they’re for," Evers said successful a statement. “There are pressing challenges facing our state. Wisconsinites are sick and bushed of having a do-nothing Legislature. Republicans indispensable get superior astir getting things done.”

Republican Sen. Howard Marklein, co-chair of the fund committee, said “popular items” could instrumentality arsenic abstracted bills. Co-chair Rep. Mark Born said conscionable due to the fact that the committee was rejecting Evers' attack to assorted issues facing the authorities doesn't mean they won't beryllium addressed successful different ways.

The ballot gutting the governor's spending program marks the archetypal measurement successful what volition beryllium a weekslong process of dilatory rebuilding the two-year fund to see much Republican priorities. Evers tin marque much changes with his wide veto powerfulness erstwhile the Legislature passes a budget, which typically happens successful precocious June oregon aboriginal July.

However, Republicans person talked astir taking longer to walk a fund this year, oregon passing lone definite apical precedence spending bills, successful absorption to a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling upholding a line-item fund veto Evers made successful 2023 that extended a K-12 spending summation for 400 years.

That ruling affirmed the governor's powerfulness to veto digits from a fund bill, allowing him to make caller amounts and years not envisioned by lawmakers.

The tribunal noted successful its ruling, however, that the Legislature could rein successful the governor's veto powers successful respective ways. That includes passing a law amendment that’s under consideration curbing a governor’s veto powerfulness and drafting fund bills successful a mode to forestall a politician from making specified a sweeping veto.