So will Evers veto? And how much should he veto?

Legislative leaders officially sent the budget to Evers’ desk on Friday, and he has a calendar week to sign it, which means Friday the 5th is when we will likely find out what Evers chooses to do (or not do). That’s nice timing, as it comes out during the 4th of July weekend, and many people will likely be concentrating on other, less weighty things.

So what might Evers do? Longtime Capitol reporter Steven Walters figures that he will sign the budget in some form, because it would allow for some wins and added investments that he wanted.

Evers can’t simply issue an executive order to increase spending on his top priorities – health care, highways and K-12 schools. This requires legislation and if he scraps the Legislature’s budget, he must wait for legislators to send him a new one.

While Evers waits for that second budget, spending continues at current levels – levels that Evers says are inadequate. In February, he recommended an 8 percent increase in state spending. The GOP budget doesn’t get him all the way there, but gets him much more than nothing. And he still has the option of looking for ways to improve this budget with strategic partial vetoes.

So, bet on the first-term governor not vetoing the entire budget.

I agree on that as well. The budget is far from everything Evers and many of us wanted to see, but it does at least stop the bleeding that we’ve seen in these investments during the Age of Fitzwalkerstan.

And if Evers tosses the whole thing out, I’d expect the GOP to delay for months, causing the state to fall further behind and schools to be underfunded to start their school year, and would likely make Evers more unpopular as low-info voters ask “Why do both sides keep arguing?” While I think Evers is wining the policy arguments, I don’t see much upside from trying to press further at this time with a full veto, and it would likely backfire.

To me, the real drama is not whether Evers will approve of much of the budget – I think he will. But what might be subject to partial vetoes?

Here's one that came up in the last couple of days, after Wisconsin Association of School Boards top lobbyist Dan Rossmiller wrote a letter to Evers asking him to use his veto pen to add money to schools.

We are concerned that the 2019-21 state budget bill, as passed by the Legislature, may not provide public school districts with an inflationary increase in spendable resources, particularly in the first year of the upcoming biennium (2019-20). This is due in part to the Legislature’s action to dramatically scale back the increases you proposed with respect to special education categorical aid.

To ameliorate this situation, I am writing to encourage you to use your partial veto authority to increase per pupil categorical aid payments to public school districts by $25 in 2019-20. This change to Section 1459 of the bill (described below) would help to ensure that public schools receive an increase in spendable resources that better keeps pace with inflation in both years of the 2019-21 biennium without any impact on property tax levies.

A one-year increase of $25 in per pupil aid payments above the level specified in the enrolled bill would provide an additional $17,459,200 to school districts in 2019-20 compared to the base funding level, according to estimates prepared by the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. I note that per pupil categorical aid is funded from a sum sufficient appropriation (under s. 20.255 (2)(aq), Stats.) wherein the agency—in this case the Department of Public Instruction—may expend whatever funds are necessary to accomplish the particular statutorily-specified program purpose.

Basically, this would make the per-pupil increase to schools be $704 in both years of the budget (a $50 increase vs 2018-19), instead of a $25-$50 progression.

That made Senate GOP Leader Scott Fitzgerald do some harrumphing over Rossmiller's letter.

It’s amazing to me that a coalition group like the Wisconsin Association of School Boards – that wants to be perceived as non-partisan in the Capitol – is encouraging the governor to skirt legislative intent with a veto.

— Scott Fitzgerald (@SenFitzgerald) July 2, 2019

We'll see if Evers follows through with this. It may be more trouble than it's worth and is a bit seamy, but it's also a nice way for Evers to use an opening to add resources for K-12 education, which was one of his top goals.

Molly Beck and Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel had some theories, and I will follow with my thoughts.

1. Income tax cuts – I say doubtful, as they were targeted to the lower-working classes, and the budget is still pretty balanced with them, which was the main problem when Evers vetoed the tax cut GOPs tried to slam through before the budget and new revenue figures came out.

2. Child welfare cut for Milwaukee County – This item that GOPs inserted into the budget happened at Joint Finance without a public hearing. And it seems to be another "stick it to THOSE PEOPLE" in Milwaukee measure.

Joint Finance: Modify Milwaukee County's contribution for child welfare services provided by DMCPS as follows. Under current law, Milwaukee County contributes $58,893,500 per fiscal year for the provision of DMCPS services, primarily through the reduction from state aid and shared revenue payments to the county. Modify Milwaukee's contribution from $58,893,500 to the greater of that amount or the amount in the schedule of appropriations for the child welfare services aids appropriation for services to children and families in a county having a population of 750,000 or more (Milwaukee County). Based on the funding provided under the bill for DMPCS child welfare services aids, the amounts in that appropriation would exceed the prior contribution amount of $58,893,500, thereby reducing shared revenue payments, by $6,824,500 in 2020 and by $7,599,100 in 2021.

Basically, this gives some extra state aid for the Milwaukee County child services, in the form of $6.1 million in state funds…then takes away $14.4 million in shared revenues for a state aid LOSS of $8.3 million.

In looking at the budget in the form that passed the Legislature, it looks like Evers could knock out the language of this, and allow Milwaukee County to only have their shared aid reduced by $58.9 million a year instead of $66.4 mil by 2021.

3. Allowing Tesla to sell vehicles directly to consumers instead of using dealers – This definitely needs to be vetoed. Not necessarily because it’s bad policv (it might work), but it was done as a last-minute kickback to State Sen. Chris (Integrity Motorsports) Kapenga to allow the budget to get through the Senate. It also allows for Evers to land an easy cheap shot on GOP corruption, and Evers can suggest that the bill be reintroduced as a standalone, regular item during this session.

4. Various funding moves on state prisons – Could be worth striking out a bit of money-moving that GOPs did, as well as a $5 million expense to start planning for a replacement at the Green Bay state prison, but that’s about it. Evers already signed a bill on Monday allowing for the Lincoln Hills facility to stay open through July 1, 2021.

5. Extra money to implement work requirements for FoodShare and other assistance. Could be worth the veto to ask the question, “is this poor-bashing really worth the cost?” But could allow for GOPs to race-bait more and stir up AM radio and their rube listeners. Tough call here.

6. Limiting the ability of local governments to regulate quarries - Definitely veto. In fact, Evers should highlight this one as an example of how the ALEC crew constantly pre-empts local control, and how the GOP is owned by mining interests that wrote this garbage provision.

7. Security expenses.GOPs tried a cheap shot in the DOT part of the budget where they would limit the security costs for Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes, and that should be vetoed out of hand (although the Lt Gov needs to tell the public why these expenses may be needed, or reduce the costs on his own. Mandela Barnes isn't allowed leeway that Robbin' Vos gets for his self-dealing. The rules are different whether we like that or not).

On the flip side, the GOPs threw in a study on security at the state Capitol building, but left out the Madison Police Department in those discussions. I’d veto it and order the DOA to do its own study that includes the Madison police, who should have a say in the coordination of response and delineation of services.

8. Vehicle registration fees. I don't necessarily have a huge problem with putting in slightly higher registration fees, even though it should also apply to heavy trucks and I do think a higher gas tax should play in because tourists and other out-of-staters should pay something toward the roads we use. But there is one part I’d veto, and it includes the changing of registration fees for various light trucks and other vehicles that are heavier than everyday cars

See that cut in fees for 4-5 ton dump trucks and construction vehicles? That’s an absurd giveaway for a type of vehicle that batters local streets. Those cuts should be given the boot, which would allow for $7 million more to be banked into the Transportation Fund for later needs.

9. There’s one other veto that Evers can pull, but it requires a bit of finesse. The GOP is throwing an additional $31.7 million next year and $33.1 million in Fiscal Year 2021 in tax dollars to the Wisconsin Lottery. This is being done entirely so the GOP has a talking point of “fewer property taxes than Evers”…by a total of $1 this year and $4 next year.

At the very least, Evers should veto the last minute addition of $6.2 million of those dollars, which were done entirely to With the veto, it allows Evers to showcase how petty and wasteful the GOP is being, and add “If you want to use $6.2 million of tax dollars and cut property taxes, put them in our schools/roads.” Make the public aware of the GOP’s games, and make them defend this foolishness.

Perhaps a veto here could be combined with the veto WASB wants, which could allow for no net change to property taxes compared to what WisGOP passed, but also more funding for K-12.

I'm not entirely satisfied with where the budget stands. There is a long road back to repair all of the damage that hit this state during Scott Walker’s Reign of Error, and his GOP friends in the gerrymandered Legislature are still obstructing many items that would improve our quality of life and economic competitiveness. Failing to expand Medicaid and putting all of the burdens of new fees for the DOT entirely onto the backs of Wisconsinites instead of tourists are two areas that especially anger me.

But there is plenty of time between now and November 2020 to hit the GOP for their idiotic policies, and show that electing Tony Evers as
governor is but one of many steps that need to be taken to returning Wisconsin to the state that we used to know and love. Might as well keep adding chips to the pile as GOPs fold instead of going all-in on a gamble of vetoing the entire budget and possibly having the tables turn when it’s not necessary.