Press Release: Excerpts from Governor Evers' 2020 State of the State Address

Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2020
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov or 608-219-7443
 
Excerpts from Governor Evers' 2020 State of the State Address
 

MADISON — Below are excerpts from Gov. Tony Evers' 2020 State of the State Address as prepared for delivery. Gov. Evers will give his address at 7:00 P.M. today in the Assembly Chambers of the Wisconsin State Capitol:

… As I reflect on my first year in office, although there were setbacks and occasional political posturingwhat I call ‘huffing and puffing’we also had a lot of success, and I am proud of everything we accomplished in just a year’s time.

One of the best parts of my job is getting out of the Capitol and visiting with people all across our state. And holy mackerel, that’s what we did. Lieutenant Governor Barnes and I both visited all 72 Wisconsin counties this past year.

I was also proud to sign executive orders affirming equity, inclusion, respect, and dignity for state workers in Wisconsin. Last year, I visited every single one of our agencies to thank our employees and hear about the good work they’re doing for our state.

This past year, I also made good on my campaign promise to reinstate the pardon review board. We granted the first pardons in our state in nine years, offering forgiveness and a second chance to folks who’ve made amends in their lives and communities.

In my last State of the State Address, I asked the legislature to set politics aside so we could work together on the issues facing our state. I said I expected bills to be passed with broad support and in the spirit of bipartisanship. So one of the things I’m most proud of is that more than 95 percent of the bills I signed my first year in office had bipartisan support.

We have to work on making higher education available to more folks in our state. We have to understand how education-related debt affects not just our students, but their families, too. And we have to address the fact that student debt is preventing folks from buying a car, starting a business, saving for retirement, and starting a family.

From nonpartisan redistricting and investing in our rural communities, to addressing youth vaping and capping the cost of insulin, to closing the dark store loophole and getting PFAS out of our water, we’ve got work to do. There’s no rest for the elected, folks, and we’ve got a lot to get done before anyone takes a vacation.

 
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