Tony Evers

Governor Evers submitted a letter to President Trump requesting a federal disaster declaration for Wisconsin following severe spring storms in April 2026 that caused approximately $27 million in damages across 19 counties and the Oneida Nation. The storms produced hail, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that resulted in $9.8 million in residential losses and $17.7 million in public sector damages according to joint assessments by Wisconsin Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Evers stated that federal support was necessary for affected communities to rebuild and recover from the widespread destruction.

Governor Evers criticized the Trump administration's proposed rollback of Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), calling the action "reckless and a huge step backward" in protecting public health and safety. The EPA announced plans to maintain limits for PFOA and PFOS while removing standards for four additional PFAS chemicals, a move that may expose Wisconsin's recently adopted state regulations to legal challenges from water utilities or chemical companies. Evers has previously signed legislation authorizing $133 million in spending from a PFAS trust fund to address chemical contamination in the state.

Evers granted his 2,000th pardon in May 2026, bringing his total to 2,027 pardons since taking office and establishing a state record for pardons issued by a single governor. The majority of Evers' pardons have been granted to individuals convicted of nonviolent drug offenses such as marijuana possession or selling a controlled substance. Evers also signed two executive orders the previous month to reinstate Wisconsin's commutation process.

Gov. Evers brokered a deal with Republican legislative leaders on tax relief and school funding that included an estimated price tag of $1.8 billion for direct income tax checks, general school aid increases, enhanced special education reimbursement, and elimination of state income tax on overtime and tipped wages. The proposal failed in the Senate after a coalition of Democrats and some Republicans voted against it. A Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis released after the failed deal found that the proposal combined with existing expenditures would have created a $2.95 billion deficit over four years.

Governor Evers created the Workforce Innovation Grant program in 2022 as part of a $128 million effort to prepare Wisconsin workers for future economic needs, with grants administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. A $5.7 million grant from this program funded the UW-Madison Prison Education Initiative, a partnership between the Universities of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections that provides educational opportunities to incarcerated individuals. Since its launch, the initiative has helped more than 200 students earn associate's degrees or UW credentials, with the first bachelor's degrees awarded to incarcerated individuals by any UW institution since 1975 being conferred in 2026.

Evers negotiated a $1.8 billion deal with Republican legislative leaders that included $315 million for special education and $300 million for general school aid, along with $870 million in tax cuts including direct payments to income taxpayers. The Wisconsin state Senate rejected the deal on Wednesday, with three Republican senators and all Democrats voting against it. Evers stated that school leaders were distressed by the failure and attributed the rejection to Democratic state senators and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Governor Evers negotiated a bipartisan tax relief and school funding package that would have distributed rebate checks to taxpayers, eliminated taxes on tips and overtime, and allocated millions to schools using $1.8 billion of the state's projected surplus. The legislation passed the Wisconsin Assembly with some Democratic support but failed in the state Senate when three Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it. Evers subsequently criticized both Democratic senators and Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany for their opposition to the measure.

Governor Evers announced a bipartisan spending package in May 2026 that included a provision to shift nearly $50 million in funding for Wisconsin's technical colleges from property tax levies to direct state funding, representing approximately 20 percent of their annual property tax revenue. The state Assembly passed the bill on Wednesday, but the Senate voted it down on the same day. The heads of all 16 Wisconsin technical colleges issued an open letter opposing the proposal, stating that it would merely shift funding between sources without providing meaningful additional support and could increase reliance on unpredictable state funding.

Wisconsin became the 36th state to enact legislation limiting cellphone use in K-12 schools when Governor Evers signed Act 42, which passed with bipartisan support. The law requires all school districts to establish policies restricting student cellphone use during instructional time, with implementation required by July 1. Evers stated that cellphones function as distractions from learning, sources of bullying, and barriers to children's development.

Evers granted a pardon in February to Noel Quintana Gonzalez, the co-owner of Señor Machetes Mexican Grill, for a 20-year-old drug conviction. Despite the pardon and Quintana Gonzalez's release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention after 85 days in custody, federal immigration officials continued to pursue deportation proceedings. The case had drawn support from Madison community members and local leaders.

Governor Evers and Republican legislative leadership announced a $1.8 billion agreement in May 2026 to allocate a portion of the state's projected $2.5 billion budget surplus. The deal included tax rebate checks of $600 for married joint filers and $300 for single filers, along with provisions for property tax relief, elimination of state income taxes on tips and overtime pay, and increased K-12 education funding. The proposal advanced through the state budget committee and required passage in both the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly before becoming law.

A conservative law firm filed suit in federal court challenging Wisconsin's administrative rule banning conversion therapy, naming Governor Tony Evers, Department of Safety and Professional Services Secretary Dan Hereth, and members of the state examining board as defendants. Evers responded to the law firm's initial demand by letter, arguing the challenge relied on a misreading of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and stating that youth should be protected from conversion therapy practices. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the state rule that declares it unprofessional conduct for licensed therapists to promote interventions intended to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Governor Evers reached a bipartisan agreement with Republican legislative leaders that allocates more than $600 million to Wisconsin K-12 education funding. The proposal includes raising the state's special education reimbursement rate to 50 percent, representing the highest increase in state history. The agreement marks a rare moment of bipartisan cooperation on education funding in Wisconsin.

Evers negotiated a school funding deal with Republican legislative leaders that allocated approximately $610 million toward schools through general state aids and increased special education reimbursement rates. The agreement drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who contended the funding did not sufficiently address long-term structural problems in Wisconsin schools and represented a compromise that fell short of needed resources. The bill passed the legislative budget committee on party lines, with all Democratic members voting against it.

Governor Evers announced a tax rebate and school spending deal with legislative Republicans that would allocate more than $600 million between general school aids and special education reimbursement. The deal was scheduled for a legislative vote on the day of this report. Some Democratic legislators, including state Senator Calder Royce, criticized the agreement as insufficient to address long-term structural problems in school funding, while Republicans characterized it as a compromise to address rising property tax rates.

Governor Evers issued a pardon on February 13, 2026, for Noel Quintana Gonzalez's 2006 felony conviction for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, making Quintana Gonzalez eligible for bond release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. Quintana Gonzalez, a Madison restaurant owner and lawful permanent resident, had been detained at a Chicago airport after returning from a trip to Mexico based on his prior conviction. The Department of Homeland Security announced it would appeal the case in an attempt to proceed with removal proceedings against Quintana Gonzalez.

Evers and Republican legislative leaders announced a bipartisan agreement in May 2026 to allocate Wisconsin's $2.5 billion budget surplus through tax relief and education spending. The package allocated over $600 million to K-12 schools, with half designated for special education reimbursement and half for general school aids to reduce property taxes, along with $50 million for the Wisconsin Technical College System. The agreement also eliminated state income tax on tips and overtime, provided $300 refunds to individual taxpayers and $600 to married couples filing jointly, and directed over $850 million in direct support to Wisconsin families.

Governor Evers announced a deal with Republican legislative leaders in May 2026 to allocate approximately $1.8 billion of the state's budget surplus toward tax relief and education spending. The agreement included $850 million in direct payments to taxpayers, elimination of state income tax on overtime pay and tipped earnings, and $600 million in increased K-12 education funding. The proposal faced criticism from some Democratic lawmakers before proceeding to a legislative vote.

Evers won a legal ruling from Dane County Circuit Court Judge Nia Trammell stating that state agencies can publish new administrative rules without waiting for Republican-led legislative committees to complete their reviews. The decision upheld a previous Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling from July 2024 that struck down a GOP-implemented process allowing lawmakers to indefinitely suspend rule changes. Judge Trammell concluded that applying review delays to standing committees would be unconstitutional under the same reasoning as the earlier Supreme Court decision.

In late March, Governor Evers signed a bipartisan bill that made it illegal for people from outside Wisconsin to collect signatures for recall elections or for state and local candidates on the ballot, with an exception for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The law was enacted in response to out-of-state signature collection efforts in failed recall attempts against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. On April 29, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a lawsuit on behalf of Americans for Citizen Voting PAC challenging the residency requirement as unconstitutional under the First Amendment, and the case was moved to federal court on the grounds of the constitutional claim.

Evers created the Governor's Interagency Council on Mental Health in 2024, which released a statewide action plan on Tuesday identifying current efforts and future goals to improve mental health access across Wisconsin state agencies. The plan calls for a streamlined digital platform to help residents locate mental health resources across departments, increased mental health support investments for state employees in high-risk roles, and exploration of workforce extenders such as peer recovery centers and expanded Medicaid reimbursement for community health workers. The council, comprising heads of ten state departments including Health Services, Workforce Development, and Veterans Affairs, aims to address Wisconsin's shortage of healthcare providers through expanded access to mental health services.

Evers filed a lawsuit on April 7 in Dane County Circuit Court challenging a 2018 lame-duck law that requires the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee to approve certain civil settlements by the state Department of Justice. The suit argues that the law's requirement for JFC approval before the DOJ can resolve litigation against federal agency rules and before drafting settlement agreements with injunctive relief violates the Wisconsin Constitution's separation of powers. The legal challenge follows a June 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that unanimously struck down other JFC approval requirements, finding that the attorney general, not the Legislature, should hold authority over settlements involving core executive powers.

Following severe storms and flooding across Wisconsin during April 13-23, 2026, Governor Evers initiated joint damage assessments conducted by federal, state, and local officials to determine eligibility for federal assistance. The assessments reviewed impacts to homes, residents, and public infrastructure across 18 counties, the Oneida Nation, and state agencies through sampling methods and data analysis rather than comprehensive individual inspections. Evers stated that the priority was collaborative coordination across government levels, with the state required to submit a federal disaster declaration request by May 23, 2026, following FEMA's desk review of the collected information.

Evers signed an executive order on Friday directing flags to be flown at half-staff on Sunday in observance of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. The order also directs flags to be lowered to half-staff on September 26 for the Wisconsin Fire & EMS Memorial's Final Alarm Ceremony and on October 10 for Wisconsin Firefighters Memorial Day. These commemorations honor firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

The Department of Public Instruction announced that literacy coaches will be placed in 54 Wisconsin schools, including 50 public and four private schools, beginning in the fall of 2026 as part of the implementation of 2023 Act 20. The coaches will be funded through more than $9 million released by the Joint Committee on Finance in June following a legal dispute, and schools were selected based on third-grade state reading test results, geographic distribution, and demonstrated commitment to literacy improvement. The literacy coaches will work alongside educators to improve reading instruction with the goal of increasing the number of Wisconsin students who meet or exceed grade-level reading by the end of third grade.

Governor Evers appointed Judge Pedro Colón to the 1st District Court of Appeals in 2023. Colón announced his campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 28, 2026, to replace retiring Justice Annette Ziegler. Colón's appointment followed his previous service in the Wisconsin State Legislature and on the Milwaukee Circuit Court.

In the 2023-25 state budget approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Evers, Wisconsin granted a sales tax exemption to hyperscale data centers constructed by companies including Microsoft and Meta. The exemption exempts data center facilities from paying the 5 percent state sales tax and local sales taxes on purchases for construction and equipment, with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau projecting the state will forgo $1.5 billion in sales tax revenue during construction phases and $369 million annually once facilities become operational. The exemption applies to data centers under construction or planned in Beaver Dam, Mount Pleasant, Port Washington, and Verona.

Evers declared a state of emergency in response to severe storms that occurred the previous week. He sent a letter to Wisconsin's representatives in Congress indicating that the state could prepare a request for federal assistance. The Wisconsin Emergency Management administrator subsequently addressed questions regarding the current status of federal aid eligibility and the process for obtaining assistance.

Gov. Evers responded to animal activists' demands regarding Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding facility in the Town of Blue Mounds that faced 311 violations from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Evers stated on Earth Day that he wanted the legal process to proceed as established, noting that a judge had made recommendations and set requirements to be completed by July. Evers indicated that the governor could not unilaterally intervene in the matter, characterizing the settlement terms and judicial oversight as the appropriate mechanism for addressing the situation.

Evers declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin due to severe storms and sent a letter to the state's congressional delegation requesting they emphasize the importance of federal aid to the president. The declaration followed previous requests for federal assistance related to historic flooding in the state, during which homeowners received individual assistance but the federal government denied public aid for government agencies' response costs. Evers indicated that Wisconsin could prepare a new request for federal assistance for communities still rebuilding from previous disasters.

Governor Evers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on April 1 requesting the transfer of four federal housing grants previously awarded to Newcap, a shuttered northeast Wisconsin anti-poverty nonprofit that closed on March 31 and laid off 90 employees. The closure left 134 households reliant on federally-funded housing programs without services, prompting Evers to urge HUD to approve transfers to other organizations to maintain continuity of services. After HUD's April 7 response provided no specific timeline for processing the transfers, Evers sent an additional letter to Wisconsin's congressional delegation on April 16 requesting that lawmakers pressure the federal agency to expedite the grant transfers.

Governor Evers issued an executive order in 2024 increasing Wisconsin's forest conservation goal to 100 million trees by the end of 2030, building on an earlier 2021 announcement to plant 75 million trees and conserve 125,000 acres of forest. As of April 2026, the state had achieved 54 percent of the expanded tree-planting goal and protected almost 68 percent of its forest conservation goal. Evers announced a new partnership with the state's college savings plan Edvest 529 and nonprofit Neighborhood Forest to distribute thousands of trees to Wisconsin families through Arbor Day.

Evers signed Senate Bill 264, enacted as 2025 Wisconsin Act 103, requiring health insurance policies to cover medically necessary supplemental breast screenings and diagnostic breast examinations for individuals at increased risk of breast cancer, with coverage effective immediately for BadgerCare members and July 1, 2026 for other Medicaid enrollees. The law, named "Gail's Law" in honor of Gail Zeamer who died from late-stage breast cancer in 2024, mandates coverage requirements for governmental self-insured health plans, small group health plans, and individual market health insurance plans beginning January 1, 2027. Evers simultaneously announced that Senate Bill 23, enacted as 2025 Wisconsin Act 102, extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year, will take effect July 1, 2026, pending standard review and approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Governor Evers called a special session of the Wisconsin Legislature in April 2026 to consider banning partisan gerrymandering through a constitutional amendment. Republican legislative leaders convened the session but immediately postponed it without adjourning, stating they wished to continue dialogue with the governor on a comprehensive redistricting solution. Evers responded that the issue allows no room for compromise, asserting that lawmakers must take a public vote on whether to ban partisan gerrymandering.

Evers released a statement regarding a special legislative session on gerrymandering, declaring that there was no room for compromise on the issue and that Wisconsin voters' voices and votes must be prioritized. The Republican-led Legislature left the special session open and requested a face-to-face meeting with Evers to discuss potential solutions, characterizing his proposal as a starting point for further negotiation. Evers accused lawmakers from both parties of delaying action on gerrymandering to allow their respective party to draw favorable maps if they gained legislative control in the November election.

Evers signed a bipartisan bill into law that removes state-level professional licensing restrictions for DACA recipients in Wisconsin, allowing individuals with active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status to obtain licenses required for occupations such as nursing and plumbing. The legislation applies only to DACA recipients who obtained their status under the original 2012 federal program and maintain active status through the required biennial renewal process. Wisconsin joins other states in creating an exception to federal law that had previously barred DACA recipients from obtaining state professional licenses classified as public benefits.

Evers advocated for fair maps in Wisconsin, characterizing them as critical to improving democracy in the state. He reported that ongoing negotiations regarding tax relief between his administration and lawmakers had narrowed to a small number of unresolved issues, with both sides moving closer together according to his statement. Evers indicated he would consider calling lawmakers back into session after the election if necessary to complete work on taxes, fair maps, and other pending matters.

Governor Evers signed bipartisan legislation in April 2026 that officially designates a 250-mile section of the Mississippi River Trail in Wisconsin, primarily along Highway 35 on the state's western border. The legislation includes funding for signage marking the trail and directs the Department of Transportation to expand the paved shoulder of Highway 35 to at least 5 feet for bicycle safety during road resurfacing. The designation completes Wisconsin's participation in the multi-state Mississippi River Trail system, which extends 3,000 miles from Minnesota to Louisiana.

Evers signed a bipartisan measure into law in April 2026 that directs Wisconsin's health department to apply for a federal Medicaid waiver by January 1, 2027. If approved, the waiver would extend Medicaid coverage to eligible incarcerated individuals beginning up to 90 days before their release from jail or prison, including case management services, medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, and 30-day supplies of prescription medications. The Department of Health Services estimated the law could eventually cost the state's Medicaid program $8.7 million annually, while the Department of Corrections projected savings of more than $750,000 per year for the prison system.

In April 2026, Evers signed five laws providing recourse for victims of sex extortion, following the state's December designation of sex extortion as a felony. The legislation created new legal remedies and protections for individuals who had been subjected to extortion through sexual imagery or threats. The bills were developed in coordination with the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and cybersecurity experts.

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously on Tuesday to terminate Jay Rothman, who had served as president of the state's public university system since 2022. The board conducted the termination through private meetings without public discussion of specific reasons, though Board President Amy Bogost stated that Rothman had received his annual performance review and multiple rounds of feedback regarding leadership expectations over several months. Chris Patton, a vice president for university relations, was appointed to serve as acting executive-in-charge pending the appointment of an interim president.

Governor Evers signed PFAS bills into law, allocating $133 million to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamination in Wisconsin. The legislation came after years of gridlock in the state legislature and represented new regulatory measures addressing PFAS and lead contamination. Evers visited families near La Crosse who had experienced contaminated water supplies to mark the signing of the bills.

Governor Evers signed the Forestry Revitalization Bill, an incentive package designed to support a sustainable aviation fuel production facility in Hayward, Wisconsin. The legislation provides $120 million in tax credits to help facilitate a partnership between German company Synthec Fuels and local timber business Johnson Timbers to construct a plant that converts woody biomass into sustainable aviation fuel using gasification and Fischer-Tropsch technology. The bill received broad legislative support, with 126 of 133 state legislators voting in favor of the measure.

Evers signed two bills into law on April 6, 2026 that allocate $133 million in state funding to address PFAS contamination across Wisconsin. The legislation, authored by Republican lawmakers and passed by the Senate in March, establishes an $80 million community grant program for testing and remediation efforts, allocates $35 million to expand a state grant program for treating or replacing contaminated private wells, and provides liability protections for farmers, businesses, and other landowners determined not to have caused PFAS contamination. Evers had previously vetoed similar legislation in 2025 over concerns regarding landowner liability protections and the authority of the state Department of Natural Resources.

Governor Evers signaled on X that Wisconsin may take legal action in response to President Trump's executive order restricting mail voting and creating a nationwide list of verified eligible voters. The executive order was signed earlier in the week as Tuesday's election approached. Evers's statement indicated Wisconsin's potential participation in legal challenges to the federal order.

Evers signed Senate Bill 785 into law on Friday, legislation that mandates an accessible portal for information regarding teacher misconduct. The bill was introduced following an investigation that revealed the Department of Public Instruction had shielded 200 incidents of educator sexual misconduct or grooming from 2018 to 2023 from public access. The law requires the state to make such misconduct records available through a publicly accessible portal.

Governor Evers issued two executive orders on Friday to restart Wisconsin's commutation process, which had remained unused for more than two decades since Governor Tommy Thompson left office in 2001. The executive orders established a new board to advise Evers on which sentences should be commuted, a power granted to governors under Wisconsin's Constitution to shorten prison sentences, parole time, or extended supervision. This action represents the first steps toward commutations in Wisconsin in over 25 years.

On March 31, 2026, Evers signed Assembly Bill 446, legislation that codifies a definition of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance into Wisconsin law. The law permits additional criminal penalties when a victim or group is targeted for being or perceived as Jewish, and incorporates examples of antisemitic conduct including comparisons between Israeli policy and Nazi Germany. Critics, including over 30 Wisconsin organizations, expressed concern that the definition could restrict protected speech, while bill supporters contended it serves only to identify bias motivation in criminal cases rather than criminalize expression itself.

Evers vetoed legislation on March 30, 2026, that would have required Wisconsin to participate in a federal school-choice tax-incentive program created under the Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Republican-authored bill would have allowed Wisconsin taxpayers to receive up to $1,700 in tax credits for donations to nonprofits providing scholarships to families earning less than 300 percent of their local area's median income, with scholarships beginning in 2027. In his veto message, Evers stated that the program would redirect public funds away from public schools to reimburse donors for private school scholarships.

Governor Evers vetoed legislation in March 2026 that would have required Wisconsin to opt into the Educational Choice for Children Act, a federal tax credit program included in Congress's "Big Beautiful Bill" reconciliation package. The program allows individuals to receive up to $1,700 federal tax credits for donations to nonprofit scholarship-granting organizations that distribute scholarships to students. In his veto message, Evers stated the program lacks student achievement metrics, school accountability measures, scholarship size limits, spending caps, or an end date.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Karen Hyun announced that the agency is preparing to establish grant programs to address PFAS contamination following passage of bills by the Wisconsin Senate, which Governor Evers pledged to sign. The DNR plans to launch a community grant program distributing approximately $80 million of $133 million in allocated funds, beginning with PFAS sampling in private wells, schools, child care facilities, and biosolids this summer or fall. The agency also plans to issue a general permit by July requiring entities spreading sewage sludge to test for PFAS and meet a 20 parts per billion threshold, while establishing a well compensation grant program this fall or winter to provide $35 million for replacing or treating contaminated wells.

Evers announced $15 million in federal funding for violence prevention grants across Wisconsin, an increase of $5 million from his original announcement. The Office of Violence Prevention, which Evers created in response to the 2024 shooting at Madison's Abundant Life Christian School, distributed grants to 73 recipients, including $230,000 to the Madison nonprofit Unidos to support minors and young people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking. Evers stated that the funding comes from one-time federal dollars and noted that long-term funding would require legislative action.

Governor Evers signed into law a food assistance bill in March 2026 that allocated over $72 million in state funding for administrative costs and new staffing positions at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to administer the federal SNAP program, known in Wisconsin as FoodShare. The legislation was enacted in response to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduced federal reimbursement for state administrative costs from 50 percent to 25 percent and imposed penalties on states with error rates above 6 percent. The bill also included a provision banning the use of food assistance funds on candy, soda, and energy drinks, with certain carve-outs for dairy products and soy and rice-derived items.

Evers proposed reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program at $1 billion over the next decade in his last budget proposal. The program, which currently receives approximately $33 million per year for public land acquisition, is set to expire in June 2026 after the Wisconsin Senate failed to take up reauthorization bills. Evers is engaged in ongoing negotiations with Republican legislative leaders regarding the program's future funding and reauthorization as part of broader discussions on tax relief and special education spending.

In the most recent state budget, Evers proposed investing $1 billion in the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program over ten years to fund Wisconsin's nearly 40-year-old land conservation initiative. The Senate failed to vote on a proposal regarding funding for the program for a second time in March 2026. The program is scheduled to exhaust its funding by summer 2026, with an Assembly-passed extension bill lacking land acquisition funding.

Evers signed legislation extending postpartum Medicaid coverage in Wisconsin from 60 days to one year, making Wisconsin one of the final two states to implement such an expansion. The bill passed with bipartisan support and took effect on July 1, 2026, providing coverage to thousands of mothers in the state during the postpartum period. Evers had included the provision in all four of his proposed budgets beginning in 2019, prior to signing the measure into law.

Governor Evers signed legislation authorizing Wisconsin law enforcement to conduct roadside saliva testing for marijuana, opioids, and stimulants, making Wisconsin the 25th state to enact such a law. The tests are administered before arrest to establish probable cause and determine whether further laboratory confirmation testing is warranted, similar to preliminary breath tests for alcohol impairment. Law enforcement officials stated the measure would provide officers with an additional objective tool for identifying drug impairment, while some legal experts questioned its practical application in litigation.

Evers signed Gail's Law on March 19, 2026, legislation that requires insurance companies to cover supplemental breast cancer screening exams for women at increased risk. The law addresses a gap in Wisconsin's previous insurance requirements, which mandated coverage of initial mammograms but not follow-up screenings for high-risk individuals. The bill was named after Gail Zeamer of Neenah, who died from breast cancer in 2024 after her own lumps went unscreened due to insurance gaps and dense breast tissue.

The Wisconsin legislature passed legislation restricting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from purchasing candy, soda, and similar items, sending the bill to Governor Evers for signature. The measure included a compromise that allocated $72 million in state funding to offset federal penalties and administrative costs resulting from federal regulatory changes. Evers indicated his intent to sign the legislation, stating the funding would help Wisconsin avoid penalty fees from the federal government.

Governor Evers signed 2025 Wisconsin Act 88 earlier in March 2026, which added grooming to the definition of abuse under the state's Children's Code and specified that consent is not a defense for grooming. A 36-year-old Janesville man became the first person in the state charged under the new law, facing charges including grooming of a child with developmental disabilities, child enticement, and exposing a child to harmful material. The charges stem from allegations that since fall 2023, the man engaged in a series of grooming behaviors with a 16-year-old girl who has ADHD and a cognitive impairment.

The Wisconsin Senate passed two bills allocating $133 million to address PFAS contamination and protect innocent landowners from cleanup costs, with the legislation now awaiting Governor Evers's signature. One bill exempts certain individuals and entities from paying to remediate PFAS contamination they did not cause under the state's spills law, while the second establishes grant programs to address PFAS contamination across the state. The bills include funding for emergency bottled water, approximately $80 million in grants for local governments, and $35 million for a grant program to replace or rebuild contaminated wells, along with exemptions for farmers, residents, fire departments, and other entities that did not cause PFAS contamination.

Governor Evers requested an increase in staff positions for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) program in his budget proposal, which would have addressed a staffing shortage in permit oversight and compliance monitoring. The state's majority-Republican Legislature rejected Evers' budget proposal that included the requested staff increase. As of early March 2026, the department had 13.5 full-time-equivalent field staff members overseeing approximately 370 active or pending CAFO permits, resulting in a ratio of roughly 27 farms per staff member compared to the state's longstanding goal of one staff member for every 20 farms.

Evers vetoed PFAs legislation in 2024 as Wisconsin continued efforts to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as "forever chemicals," across the state. The 2023-25 biennial budget had allocated $125 million to address PFAs contamination. In February 2025, the Assembly passed new PFAs legislation, and a Senate committee unanimously approved it the following week.

Evers signed legislation that doubled Wisconsin's statute of limitations for second-degree sexual assault from 10 years to 20 years, allowing prosecutors additional time to bring charges in such cases. The law also includes provisions that shield sexual assault victims and witnesses from prosecution for misdemeanor drug or alcohol violations connected to the incident, and enables victims to more easily break leases if living in unsafe situations. These changes take effect immediately and apply to future prosecutions of second-degree sexual assault.

Governor Evers announced that outdoor recreation contributed a record $12 billion to Wisconsin's economy in 2024, marking the state's third consecutive record year in the sector. Evers had previously written a letter to the Trump administration requesting the release of economic data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that had been delayed for months. The governor created the Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2019 and secured permanent funding and staffing for the office under the state budget signed in July 2024.

In the most recent state budget, Evers requested $1 billion in funding for the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program over ten years, but this allocation was not included in the final budget. The nearly 40-year-old land conservation program is set to expire in June without secured funding. Assembly Republicans subsequently passed legislation in January that would extend the program while excluding land acquisition funding, and the state Senate has twice declined to vote on related funding proposals.

Evers sent a letter to Wisconsin's members of Congress urging them to amend federal hemp laws that would ban the sale of most hemp products within months. The governor stated that without legislative action, Wisconsin hemp producers would face the loss of income and diminished economic opportunities as cultivation would become economically unviable. The letter referenced the impending federal ban and its potential consequences for the state's hemp industry.

Evers signed 2025 Wisconsin Act 88, which criminalized child grooming and added it to the definition of abuse under the state's Children's Code, while also requiring the Department of Public Instruction to create free training on identifying, preventing, and reporting grooming with mandatory annual school employee trainings beginning the next school year. Evers signed Senate Bill 466, now Wisconsin Act 93, which expanded the state's Missing Child Alert program to include children ages 10 and 11 years old, made possible by additional funding in the 2025-27 budget. Evers also signed legislation expanding immunity for underage drinking offenses to include victims of sexual assault and those assisting victims, and allowing tenants to terminate leases if sexual assault is committed, attempted, or threatened by another occupant.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's 10 percent tariffs on imported goods imposed under the Trade Act of 1974. The lawsuit argues that the President lacks statutory authority to impose the tariffs, which the states contend are being unlawfully applied to American consumers and businesses. Evers stated that the tariffs are raising prices for Wisconsin families and represent an unconstitutional overreach of executive power.

On March 4, 2026, Evers announced that Wisconsin submitted a letter of intent to participate in the Food is Medicine State Officer Program, a three-year federal initiative designed to help states implement food-based health interventions. The program would enable Wisconsin to provide services including medically tailored meals, grocery assistance, and produce prescriptions to help residents prevent and manage diet-related conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. If Wisconsin is selected following submission of a final proposal by May 1, 2026, the state would begin recruiting a state officer in summer 2026 to implement the program.

Evers called a special legislative session to pass a ban on partisan gerrymandering in state legislative races. The action represented an effort to address electoral district drawing practices in Wisconsin. Lawmakers were also considering expansion of an existing law that banned cell phone use during instructional time in schools.

Governor Evers ordered the Wisconsin Legislature to convene for a special session on April 14 to consider a constitutional amendment prohibiting partisan gerrymandering in state legislative and congressional districts. The proposed amendment would restrict lawmakers from giving disproportionate partisan advantage when redrawing state Assembly and Senate maps every ten years. As a constitutional amendment, the measure would require passage in two consecutive legislative sessions before proceeding to a voter referendum.

Evers signed off on new Wisconsin regulations for PFAS and lead contamination that align with federal Environmental Protection Agency standards established in 2024. The PFAS rule sets limits of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, 10 parts per trillion for PFNA, PFHxS and GenX, and establishes mixed limits for those chemicals plus PFBS. The lead and copper rule requires replacement of all lead service lines by 2037 and lowers the action level for lead pipes from 15 to 10 parts per billion.

Evers stated he remained optimistic about reaching a bipartisan agreement with Republican legislative leaders on property tax reduction and school funding following meetings scheduled for the coming weeks. Evers indicated his continued preference for increased school aids as the funding mechanism, while characterizing the Republican proposal for $1.48 billion in direct tax rebates to residents as an election-year measure. Evers announced plans to sign two bipartisan women's health bills expanding breast cancer screenings and extending Medicaid coverage for new mothers within the following week.

The Wisconsin Assembly passed two women's health bills on February 19, 2026, that had previously been approved by the Senate and were sent to Governor Evers's desk for signature. The first bill, named "Gail's Law," would require health insurance to cover supplemental breast cancer screenings for people at heightened risk, passing unanimously 96-0. The second bill would expand postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months for low-income mothers, passing 95-1, and Evers indicated he would sign both measures.

Governor Evers announced in February 2026 that he would call a special legislative session in spring to address partisan gerrymandering through a constitutional amendment banning the practice. Evers stated that Wisconsin lacked a nonpartisan redistricting process and that a constitutional amendment would require passage in the state legislature during two consecutive sessions before going to voters for approval. The governor's announcement came two years after he signed new electoral maps into law and amid broader national efforts to reshape district boundaries.

Wisconsin Republican legislative leaders Vos and LeMahieu presented Evers with a $2.3 billion proposal to spend down the state's budget surplus through one-time tax rebates of $500 for individuals and $1,000 for married couples, along with $200 million in additional special education reimbursements and $500 million in school levy tax credits. The proposal notably excluded $450 million in general school funding that Evers had stated must be included in any agreement. Evers's office indicated it had not closely reviewed the GOP proposal as negotiations continued ahead of the Assembly's self-imposed legislative deadline.

In his eighth and final State of the State address on February 17, 2026, Evers rejected a $2.3 billion Republican tax proposal that included a tax rebate plan, stating instead that the state must provide meaningful resources to K-12 schools while balancing property tax relief. Evers called on lawmakers to remain in Madison and announced he would convene a special session of the Legislature in the coming weeks with the goal of establishing a nonpartisan redistricting process to ban partisan gerrymandering. The governor cited the need to prevent future redistricting disparities after the next U.S. Census and expressed concern about partisan gerrymandering efforts by Republican legislatures in other states.

During his State of the State address on Tuesday, Governor Evers called for "meaningful resources" for K-12 public schools and property tax relief, stating that local property taxes increase when the state fails to meet its education funding obligations. Evers indicated he would not approve the $2.3 billion package Republicans sent him the previous week, saying the state must balance education funding and property tax relief obligations better than the Republican proposal. Evers and Assembly Republicans were negotiating a possible compromise deal that would include trading tax relief for increased school aids and special education funds, with the legislative session scheduled to conclude within weeks.

Governor Evers delivered his final State of the State address on February 17, 2026, after seven years in office, during which he signed over 800 bills despite his party never holding a majority in either chamber of the State Legislature. Evers highlighted achievements including reduced child care costs, middle-class tax cuts, and improved high-speed internet access, while calling for legislative action on permanent funding for the Office of Violence Prevention, which had received one-time funding following the Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Madison. The governor also announced a partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks on a public campaign to combat domestic violence and urged the Legislature to continue work on his remaining priorities during his final ten months in office.

In December 2025, Evers signed "Bradyn's Law," legislation that created standalone criminal penalties for sextortion in Wisconsin. The law was named after Bradyn Bohn, a 15-year-old who died by suicide after being victimized by sextortion. Separate civil litigation has been proposed to allow sextortion victims, their parents, or representatives of victims' estates to pursue damages in Wisconsin courts independent of any criminal proceedings.

Governor Evers, co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance with California Governor Gavin Newsom, issued a statement responding to the Environmental Protection Agency's elimination of the endangerment finding for greenhouse gas emissions, which had previously supported federal regulation of climate-warming pollution under the Clean Air Act. Evers stated on social media that climate change affects Wisconsin's farming, outdoor recreation, water quality, and snow patterns, and pledged to fight the federal action using every available tool and power. According to an Environmental Defense Fund analysis cited in the article, Wisconsin residents could experience nearly $19 billion in fuel costs and $5 billion in health harms through 2055 as a result of the EPA's decision to repeal the endangerment finding and associated vehicle emission standards.

A slate of bills criminalizing grooming behaviors was sent to Governor Evers' desk after the Wisconsin Senate unanimously approved the legislation on Wednesday. The bills formally create the crime of grooming and expand the state's child enticement law by criminalizing common behaviors that culminate in child sexual abuse. The legislation has received support from both law enforcement and the state Department of Public Instruction.

In his most recent budget request, Evers proposed expanding the Wisconsin prison system's earned release program to include successful completion of a mother-young child program, following a February 2025 court order requiring the Department of Corrections to implement such an initiative for incarcerated mothers. The Republican-controlled Legislature denied the funding requested for this expansion. The Department of Corrections has not yet established the program more than a year after the court order, prompting the ACLU to request that the judge reopen the case.

Evers filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit brought by Law Forward on behalf of 193 Madison voters whose absentee ballots went uncounted in November 2024. The brief sided against the City of Madison's argument that absentee voting constitutes a privilege rather than a constitutional right, positioning Evers in opposition to the city's motion to dismiss the case. A Dane County judge subsequently rejected the city's motion to dismiss, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

Four Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would require Public Service Commission of Wisconsin commissioners to wait three years before accepting employment with investor-owned utilities or transmission companies in policymaking, executive, operations management, or government relations roles. The proposal was prompted in part by former PSC chair Rebecca Valcq, appointed by Governor Evers, taking a position with Alliant Energy approximately six months after leaving the commission in 2024. The bill would enforce the restriction through the Wisconsin Ethics Commission and apply retroactively to commissioners who depart during the 12 months preceding the legislation's enactment.

On Friday, Evers signed five bipartisan bills into law, marking Wisconsin's first bills enacted in 2026. Four bills ratified collective bargaining agreements providing wage adjustments ranging from 2.95 to 3.0 percent for state employees and University of Wisconsin System employees in building trades crafts positions, as well as a 3.0 percent wage adjustment for State Patrol troopers and inspectors effective June 2025 with an additional 2.5 percent adjustment effective June 2026. The fifth bill, Senate Bill 330, increased the maximum allowable weight for utility terrain vehicles from 3,000 pounds to 3,500 pounds without fluids to align with current manufacturer specifications.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development issued a determination against Cave Enterprises, LLC, operator of more than 100 state Burger King franchises, finding more than 1,600 violations of child labor and wage laws affecting over 600 employees between January 2023 and January 2025. The violations included allowing 14- and 15-year-old employees to work without required permits, working lengthy shifts without meal breaks, and working outside legally permitted hours for school-age workers. The state ordered Cave Enterprises to pay $237,437 in back wages to teen employees, with the option to pay an additional $828,000 to resolve the matter without court proceedings.

A bipartisan bill proposing a state income tax deduction for tipped wages up to $25,000 passed both the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate. Governor Evers stated he was willing to review the legislation for potential signature. The bill would allow service industry workers to file amended returns for 2025 if signed into law, mirroring a federal provision enacted as part of the Trump Administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

A federal court ruling in January 2026 allowed Wisconsin to preserve $62 million in federal electric vehicle charging funding that the Trump administration had attempted to block. Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation were able to continue administering the EV charging program, which had been established under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and had already distributed $14 million in grants to 26 projects across the state in November 2025. The summary judgment concluded that the administration's effort to withhold the congressionally-approved funding violated federal law.

Governor Evers filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit over 193 uncounted absentee ballots from the November 2024 Madison election, challenging the City of Madison's legal argument that absentee voting constitutes a privilege rather than a right. The city adopted arguments from its former clerk that voters using absentee ballots fall outside core constitutional protections and therefore have no recourse when votes go uncounted. Evers contended in his brief that Madison's position could result in absentee voters being treated as second-class voters with no obligation to remedy lost ballots.

Governor Evers posted on social media that "Wisconsin stands with Minnesota" in response to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's call for President Trump to end Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis following a fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent. The statement came after a Minneapolis man was killed during a federal immigration enforcement action. Evers's post aligned with Democratic opposition to the federal immigration crackdown occurring in Minnesota.

Evers stated that Wisconsin's $4 billion budget surplus permits both increased school funding and property tax relief, proposing $1.3 billion in property tax relief for the state while maintaining per-pupil education funding increases. Evers indicated he enacted a 400-year per-pupil funding increase through a partial veto in the previous state budget and stated he would be open to negotiating this provision if the Republican-led Legislature cooperates on his broader legislative agenda. The governor's position contrasts with Senate President Mary Felzkowski's assertion that the state cannot afford the proposed property tax relief and that school districts must reduce spending.

Assembly Republicans passed legislation in January 2026 to reauthorize the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program through 2028, reducing annual funding from approximately $33 million to $28 million while increasing legislative oversight through the Joint Finance Committee. Governor Evers had requested $100 million per year over ten years for the program in his proposed budget, though the final state budget included no funding for stewardship. The reauthorization bill passed on party lines 53-44, with Democrats proposing amendments to increase funding and create an oversight board instead.

Gov. Evers and GOP lawmakers announced they had reached a deal regarding PFAS regulation and remediation. The agreement addressed the handling of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, which are industrial chemicals found in various consumer products and environmental contamination sites. The deal represented a negotiated resolution between the Democratic governor's office and Republican members of the state legislature on the policy matter.

Evers engaged in negotiations with Republican lawmakers and state Department of Natural Resources officials regarding legislation authored by State Sen. Eric Wimberger and Rep. Jeff Mursau to address PFAS contamination by creating grant programs and modifying liability provisions under the state's spills law. The proposed amendments include approximately $80 million in grants for local governments, $35 million for well replacement or rebuilding, funding for emergency bottled water, and exemptions from cleanup liability for certain parties including farmers, landowners, fire departments, and municipalities. Evers indicated in January 2026 that a deal was within reach following these negotiations, having previously vetoed similar legislation in the prior year over concerns regarding polluter accountability and regulatory authority.

The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released revised revenue projections in January 2026 showing Wisconsin's budget surplus increased to $2.5 billion, a $1.5 billion improvement from previous estimates based on stronger-than-expected tax collections from corporate and income taxes. Governor Evers promoted a $1.3 billion property tax reduction package as part of his 2026 legislative agenda in response to the improved fiscal outlook. Republican legislative leaders stated they would proceed cautiously with the additional revenue, citing concerns about relying on one-time funds from stock market performance and potential future budget challenges including Medicaid deficits and possible federal healthcare assessment changes.

The Wisconsin Assembly advanced a bill to eliminate state income taxes on cash tips and overtime work, with the measure passing 61-33 with support from all Republicans and some Democrats. The legislation mirrors a proposal that Evers included in his state budget the previous year, which Republican lawmakers rejected at that time. Evers stated he was willing to review the bill if it reached his desk, though the measure still required Senate passage before proceeding to the governor.

Evers included a "no taxes on tips" provision in his proposed state budget in 2025, which Republican lawmakers removed along with more than 600 other budget provisions in a single vote. Republican legislators are now advancing separate legislation to create an income tax subtraction for qualified tips received in 2025 through 2028, which passed the budget committee with only Republican support. The bill is scheduled for a vote before the full Assembly, following similar federal action taken by President Donald Trump.

Evers appointed Owen Piotrowski, a former assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County, to fill the Milwaukee County Circuit Court judgeship vacated by Judge Hannah Dugan's resignation. Piotrowski was set to begin his role as judge for branch 31 of Milwaukee County Circuit Court on February 1, 2026. The appointment came after Dugan's felony conviction related to obstructing immigration agents at the county courthouse.

Evers announced the appointment of Owen Piotrowski to the Milwaukee Circuit Court – Branch 31, filling a vacancy created by Judge Hannah Dugan's resignation. Piotrowski, an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County since 2014 who worked in the domestic violence, sensitive crimes, and violent crimes units, was originally scheduled to be appointed to Branch 38 but was reassigned due to the urgent need to fill Dugan's bench. Piotrowski's appointment became effective February 1, 2026.

Wisconsin's Department of Health Services received $203,670,005 in federal funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Rural Health Transformation Program. Governor Evers stated that the award would support health care delivery in rural communities and help address shortages in mental health, primary care, and dental services across the state's counties. The funding was granted following the state's application requesting $1 billion to be distributed in annual increments of $200 million.

Evers signed the biennial budget bill in July that established a Wisconsin film incentive program and reestablished a Wisconsin film office within the Department of Tourism, marking the first film incentive program in Wisconsin in more than a decade and the return of a film office that had been discontinued in 2005. The film incentive program provides tax credits on film production expenditures designed to attract moviemakers to the state. Both provisions took effect on January 1.

Advocates are urging Governor Evers to issue commutations during his final year in office, a clemency power that Wisconsin governors have not exercised since Tommy Thompson left office in 2001. Commutations would reduce prison sentences for individuals convicted of crimes, unlike the over 1,600 pardons Evers has issued since 2019, which erase some consequences of conviction but do not shorten incarceration. Criminal justice reform organizations argue that commutations would allow Evers to address what they describe as excessive sentences and advance his stated campaign goal of reducing Wisconsin's prison population.

On December 11, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to ban states from establishing their own regulations of artificial intelligence. Governor Evers sent a letter to Trump on the same day urging him to abandon efforts to preempt or undermine state AI laws, citing Wisconsin laws requiring disclosure of AI-generated political content, prohibiting AI-generated child exploitation material, and criminalizing nonconsensual deepfaked nude images. Evers stated that federal preemption of state AI safeguards would make Wisconsin residents less safe from harmful uses of the technology.

Evers signed legislation requiring Wisconsin schools to notify parents or guardians when a student is a victim or target of a sexual offense at school. The law establishes a specific timeline for notification, requiring schools to contact parents no later than the end of the day a report is received, or by noon the following day if the report is received after school hours. The Republican-authored measure also requires public, private, and charter schools to provide parents access to records regarding school employee discipline.

Evers signed Assembly Bill 201, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 48, known as Bradyn's Law, on December 8, 2025, establishing enhanced criminal penalties for sexual extortion of minors in Wisconsin. The legislation expands the Wisconsin Department of Justice's crime victim compensation program to include deaths and attempted deaths by suicide resulting from sexual extortion, and implements graduated penalties based on the offender, the offense, and the victim's age. The law was enacted in response to the death of Bradyn Bohn, a 15-year-old Wausau-area resident who died by suicide following sexual extortion.

Governor Evers directed $10 million in federal funds to establish a new state grant program through the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention to distribute funding for violence prevention work across Wisconsin. The grant program provides funding in five categories including suicide prevention, evidence-based violence intervention programs, criminal justice initiatives, domestic violence prevention, and school-based programming. Eligible applicants include local governments, school districts, law enforcement agencies, and domestic violence organizations.

Evers vetoed legislation that would have barred the use of public funds for health care coverage for undocumented immigrants, a bill passed by the state Senate in November. Wisconsin law already prevented undocumented individuals from enrolling in BadgerCare, the state's Medicaid program. Evers stated in his veto message that Republicans passed the bill despite acknowledging the prohibition already existed under current law.

Governor Tony Evers announced that 74 Wisconsin municipalities would receive a portion of $282 million in funding through the state's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program for water infrastructure projects in 2025. The village of Dickeyville received just under $2 million, with nearly half provided through principal forgiveness, to fund a new municipal water well to replace existing wells from 1950 and 1967. The village of Hales Corners received close to $5 million, with approximately half forgiven, to address PFAS contamination in its wells by connecting impacted residents to Milwaukee's water system.

Governor Evers responded to Trump administration threats to withhold federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments from Wisconsin by expressing confidence in the state's FoodShare program, stating that the system is analyzed annually and functions with integrity. The USDA, under Secretary Brooke Rollins, demanded that states share personal data about SNAP recipients or face funding cuts, a requirement Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul had challenged in a multistate lawsuit in July arguing the data collection violated privacy protections. Wisconsin, which serves approximately 700,000 SNAP recipients and distributed roughly $1.5 billion through the program in 2023, faced a December 8 deadline to comply with the data sharing demand or provide an explanation for non-compliance.

Evers appointed John W. Miller as secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, effective December 15, 2025. Miller is a Marquette Law School graduate with experience as a congressional staffer, CEO of an agricultural equipment manufacturing business, and founder of a venture capital fund investing in Midwest startups. Miller has also served on the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board of Directors and the United States Trade Representative Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

Governor Evers praised a bipartisan budget deal that increased the special education reimbursement rate from 32 percent to 42 percent for the current fiscal year, calling it the largest increase to special education funding in state history. The Department of Public Instruction subsequently notified school districts in November 2025 that the actual reimbursement rate would be 35 percent rather than the budgeted 42 percent, resulting in approximately $140 million less in funding than anticipated. The lower reimbursement occurred because school districts spent more on special education services than the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had estimated when the budget was enacted.

Evers allowed the Department of Natural Resources to publish a water quality rule in the administrative register on November 24, 2025, implementing federal Clean Water Act antidegradation requirements that Wisconsin had not adopted in the more than a decade since the EPA updated its regulations in 2015. The rule, which takes effect July 1, 2026, establishes a process for reviewing whether new or increased wastewater and stormwater discharges would significantly affect water quality and requires permit holders to conduct alternative analyses to limit harm when possible. Evers directed agencies in August to publish 27 rules without waiting for legislative committee approval following a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that limited the Legislature's ability to indefinitely block agency rules.

In the most recent state budget, Evers and lawmakers included $250,000 in funding for WisconsinEye, a nonprofit network that broadcasts state capitol proceedings, and pledged to provide matching funds of up to $9.75 million if the organization raises $10 million for its endowment fund by June 2026. WisconsinEye announced in November 2025 that it would cease all coverage on December 15 without additional donations to cover operational costs. The organization has requested the legislature consider releasing portions of the endowment funds to address its immediate operational deficit.

The Wisconsin Senate passed legislation prohibiting the use of public funds for health care coverage of undocumented immigrants, despite existing state law already preventing such individuals from enrolling in BadgerCare. Republican sponsors stated the bill was necessary to prevent potential administrative rule changes by the governor or Department of Health Services that could create coverage programs for undocumented immigrants. The bill now awaits action by Governor Evers.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin is appealing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's denial of disaster relief funding for communities affected by severe storms and flooding in August. The state is challenging two separate FEMA denials for the Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation grant programs, which collectively caused over $27.5 million in damages across six Wisconsin counties. State officials contend that the damage total exceeds Wisconsin's threshold for FEMA Public Assistance eligibility and argue that the communities warrant federal aid.

Governor Evers announced $282 million in funding from the state's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program for 74 Wisconsin communities to address drinking water contamination, including PFAS and nitrate issues. The funding, made available through increased borrowing authority in the state budget approved in July 2025, will be finalized and awarded over the next year to reimburse communities for water infrastructure upgrades. Projects funded include a $52 million water treatment plant modernization in Oak Creek, $12.7 million in loans for the city of La Crosse to install a new water main addressing PFAS contamination, and approximately $42.6 million in supplemental federal funding for lead service line replacements.

In 2023, Evers used his partial veto power to extend a temporary school funding increase in the state budget by striking digits and a hyphen, authorizing local school districts to increase per-pupil spending by $325 annually through 2425. Republican senators passed legislation on November 18, 2025, to repeal this veto by sunsetting the $325 increase at the end of the 2027-2028 school year. The bill is unlikely to become law without Evers' signature to reverse his own action from two years prior.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin would award $14 million in federally-funded grants to build electric vehicle fast-charging stations at 26 businesses across the state, representing the second round of funding under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. The funding came after Wisconsin joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's freeze of the NEVI program, which a federal judge ordered to be resumed in June. Through two funding rounds, the state has now awarded more than $36.4 million for a total of 78 EV charging projects across Wisconsin.

Governor Evers issued a formal pardon to Sharmain Harris in 2022, clearing Harris of his criminal convictions. Harris had previously served time in prison for drug-related offenses committed in his youth in Racine. Following the pardon, Harris became a national professional speaker on father engagement and criminal justice reform, though he noted that the felon designation on his record continued to create barriers to employment, housing, and volunteer opportunities.

Gov. Evers signed legislation in October 2025 that authorized local municipalities to impound vehicles involved in reckless driving offenses. Milwaukee police subsequently implemented an ordinance allowing seizure of any vehicle involved in a reckless driving incident regardless of vehicle ownership or number of prior offenses. The city exempted stolen vehicles from impound fees while requiring owners of borrowed vehicles to pay retrieval costs.

Evers demanded that Secretary of Education Linda McMahon release Impact Aid payments to Wisconsin rural schools that were scheduled to arrive in October but had not been distributed as of November 2025. The federal funds, totaling over $23 million for Wisconsin, are designated to support school districts located on federal lands and operated by federally-recognized Tribal Nations. Evers stated that the Department of Education had not provided a timeline for payment distribution and cited staffing reductions in the Impact Aid Program as a cause of the delay.

Evers directed Wisconsin to issue November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits after a federal judge ruled the Trump administration could not withhold funding for the program, which operates in Wisconsin as FoodShare. The state issued the payments despite the Trump administration's subsequent request to block the assistance and directive to states to reverse the benefit distributions. Evers stated that Wisconsin would not return the funds and characterized the administration's attempt to reclaim the payments as inconsistent with both legal obligation and court order.

Evers declined to return FoodShare funds to the Trump administration after federal judges ordered full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in November during the federal government shutdown, but the Supreme Court subsequently stayed those orders. Between the federal judges' rulings and the Supreme Court's stay, Evers directed the state to load FoodShare benefits into recipients' accounts, making funds available to approximately 700,000 Wisconsin residents. Evers joined a coalition of states in filing a brief to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday requesting enforcement of the November funding order.

Evers announced that Wisconsin would not comply with a Trump administration directive to halt Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments, stating "No" in response to a U.S. Department of Agriculture order issued Friday evening. The governor's administration restored food assistance benefits after a federal judge initially ruled the Trump administration could not withhold funding for the program, though that ruling was temporarily blocked on appeal. Wisconsin joined a coalition of states requesting enforcement of federal payment obligations, noting the state had approximately two days of remaining funds for the nearly 700,000 FoodShare recipients in the state.

Governor Evers ordered the restoration of FoodShare benefits to approximately 700,000 Wisconsin residents following a federal court ruling requiring full funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The state Department of Health Services released more than $104 million in payments to around 337,000 households as of Friday, making benefits available to recipients after the federal government had halted November payments during a government shutdown. Evers' action came hours after the federal judge's order and occurred while the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal to block the court's directive.

Following a federal court order on Thursday directing the Trump Administration to release full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments to states for November, Governor Evers announced that his administration would immediately distribute the restored benefits to Wisconsin FoodShare members, affecting approximately 700,000 residents. Evers stated his administration moved to process these November benefits as quickly as possible, contingent on no further Trump Administration actions to delay or defy the court order. The announcement came as the federal government shutdown reached its 37th day, during which President Trump had initially frozen November SNAP benefits.

Evers vetoed legislation that would have required state employees to work in-office for at least 80 percent of their working hours each month, a requirement that would have amounted to approximately four days per week in-person attendance. The bill had been amended from an original proposal mandating 100 percent in-office work and included exceptions for employees already authorized to work remotely before 2020 and staff of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. Evers stated in his veto message that the mandate would impose great costs on taxpayers and that state agencies already have accountability measures in place, while the state's existing remote work policies support recruitment and align with the administration's "Vision 2030" plan to reduce office space and occupancy expenses.

Evers vetoed a bill that would have required state employees to work from the office most of the time. The veto occurred amid a broader discussion of workplace policies affecting Wisconsin state government operations. The specific provisions of the vetoed legislation addressed remote work arrangements for the state workforce.

Governor Evers requested $4.6 million in the state budget to maintain funding for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, a program serving approximately 19,000 people with disabilities in job training and employment services. State lawmakers approved less funding than Evers requested, resulting in the program announcing it would need to create a waiting list for new participants. Without additional funding within weeks, approximately 2,000 people would immediately be placed on the waiting list, with another 1,000 added monthly until the state secured additional resources.

Evers issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency and a period of abnormal economic disruption in response to the federal government shutdown and potential lapse in FoodShare benefits affecting approximately 700,000 Wisconsin residents. The order directed state agencies to take any and all necessary measures to address the potential stoppage of benefits and authorized suspension of administrative rules that would hinder emergency response efforts. The order also directed the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to enforce prohibitions against price gouging.

On October 31, 2025, Evers declared a state of emergency and a period of abnormal economic disruption in response to the federal government shutdown and its impact on Wisconsin's food assistance programs, which were set to lapse for nearly 700,000 residents in November. Evers issued an executive order directing the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to enforce price gouging prohibitions during the period of federal food assistance disruption. The declaration followed federal court rulings that the Trump Administration must use previously-appropriated contingency funds to support the SNAP program, known as FoodShare in Wisconsin, though Evers stated uncertainty about whether those funds would be timely distributed.

Evers signed legislation on October 31, 2025, requiring Wisconsin school districts to adopt policies prohibiting cellphone use during instructional time by July 1, making Wisconsin the 36th state to restrict phones in schools. The bill, which passed with bipartisan support in the Legislature on October 14, permits exceptions for emergencies, health management, individualized education programs, and teacher-authorized educational use. Evers stated that the decision reflected his obligation to act in the best interest of Wisconsin's children, citing concerns about cellphones as distractions from learning and sources of bullying.

Governor Evers announced that FoodShare benefits would be suspended, affecting approximately 70,000 Wisconsin residents beginning November 1, 2025. The suspension represents a pause in state food assistance that prompted food pantries and community organizations to report increased demand and capacity challenges. The benefit pause was cited by local food service providers and community organizations as creating significant gaps in food assistance across the state.

Governor Evers wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the Trump administration to use discretionary dollars to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the federal government shutdown. Wisconsin also joined a multistate lawsuit demanding that discretionary funds be used to continue SNAP payments. The action followed federal judges' rulings that the Trump administration must continue funding the FoodShare program during the shutdown, with approximately 230,000 Milwaukee County residents dependent on food assistance.

Evers announced that Wisconsin will opt out of a new federal program offering tax credits to individuals who donate money toward K-12 school choice scholarships. The decision meant the state would not participate in the federal tax incentive mechanism designed to support scholarship donations for private and religious school attendance. The announcement came in early October 2025 and generated debate regarding the program's effects on public and private education funding.

Governor Evers wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the Trump administration to use discretionary dollars to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during a federal government shutdown that threatened to pause food assistance payments to approximately 700,000 Wisconsinites. Wisconsin subsequently signed onto a multistate lawsuit demanding that federal funds be used to continue the program. Evers stated that any state-level response would require approval from the GOP-held Wisconsin Legislature, as he lacks the authority to unilaterally spend state reserves for this purpose.

Governor Evers issued a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting that the Trump administration use discretionary funds to maintain SNAP benefits after the federal government announced it would cease issuing payments beginning November 1, 2025, affecting approximately 700,000 Wisconsin residents. Evers wrote that the USDA possessed legal authority to prevent the suspension of food assistance and emphasized the immediate consequences of benefit termination. Wisconsin subsequently joined 25 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court to challenge the withholding of SNAP benefits and demand use of contingency funds to sustain the program.

Evers issued a statement warning that insurance premiums for Wisconsin residents enrolled in Affordable Care Act coverage through healthcare.gov would increase by 200 to 800 percent in 2025 if Congress did not extend enhanced tax credits scheduled to expire December 31. The statement included specific premium increase projections for different income brackets and family types based on data from the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Evers attributed the potential increases to the ongoing federal government shutdown and called for Congress to extend the tax credits.

Governor Evers requested federal disaster assistance from the Trump Administration following severe storms and flooding in Wisconsin in August 2025, with damage assessments totaling over $26.5 million in eligible costs across six counties. The Trump Administration denied the state's application for public assistance, stating that such assistance was "not warranted" based on preliminary damage assessments. Evers announced plans to appeal the denial and stated that Wisconsin would continue pursuing funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, whose approval status remained pending.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied Wisconsin's request for public assistance funds to repair infrastructure damaged by August 2025 flooding in six counties, with FEMA determining the damage was within the state and local governments' recovery capabilities. Governor Evers announced his intention to appeal the decision, stating that the damage assessments validated over $26.5 million in eligible disaster costs. Evers indicated he would seek reconsideration from the Trump administration to obtain resources for affected communities.

The Wausau Ethics Board unanimously determined that Mayor Doug Diny violated the city's ethics code by removing a ballot drop box from outside City Hall on September 22, 2024, and placing it in his locked office. The board concluded that Diny exceeded his lawful authority, as the city clerk—not the mayor—holds discretion over ballot drop boxes, a point the city attorney had previously communicated to Diny. The ethics board did not impose fines or recommend removal from office but ordered Diny to refrain from interfering with the city clerk's administration of elections going forward.

Governor Evers allocated $2.5 million in funding from the 2025-27 Wisconsin biennial budget to support the Veterans Community Project's tiny home development in Milwaukee. The project, which received a total of $11.7 million in funding, will construct 40 tiny homes on a 7-acre site to provide temporary housing for homeless veterans. Evers spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony on October 13, 2025, describing the initiative as providing housing and supportive services to help veterans secure employment and access community resources.

Gov. Evers sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on October 15, 2025, urging the Trump administration to preserve more than $1.5 billion in federal Department of Energy grants allocated to Wisconsin companies, organizations, and projects. The letter was sent in response to the Department of Energy's announcement that it was considering terminating over 600 Biden-era funding awards totaling approximately $24 billion across the country, including 22 awards in Wisconsin. Evers stated in the letter that terminating the funding would be "counterintuitive, reckless, and ill-advised" at a time of high energy demand and rising costs.

Evers called on the State Building Commission to release $15 million from the state budget to revamp Wisconsin's correctional facilities as part of a broader effort to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools and the Green Bay Correctional Institution. The funds would support preliminary planning and design reports for capital projects at six correctional facilities, including the Waupun Correctional Institution, which Evers proposed transforming into a "vocational village." Evers stated that modernizing existing prisons rather than constructing new facilities would avoid approximately $1 billion in costs and a decade-long construction timeline.

A provision in the 2025-27 Wisconsin biennial budget exempted Milwaukee County from contributing $2.2 million annually to the Common School Fund, instead allowing the county to use that money to fund 12 district attorney positions. The provision, which was added during budget negotiations involving Governor Evers, is being challenged in court by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and considered for litigation by the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which manages the constitutionally established fund. Evers' office stated that while the addition of assistant district attorney positions was part of budget negotiations with Republican leadership, the decision to fund them through the Common School Fund was made by Republican lawmakers.

Governor Evers vetoed a similar bill in the previous year due to concerns that it would limit the authority of the state Department of Natural Resources and allow polluters to avoid accountability. The current GOP bills, reintroduced by State Sen. Eric Wimberger and Rep. Jeff Mursau, would create grant programs to address PFAS contamination and exempt certain individuals and facilities that received state approval to spread biosolids from paying for cleanup under the state's spills law. State regulators and environmental advocates have raised concerns that the exemptions would prevent the DNR from holding industrial polluters responsible for PFAS contamination.

Governor Evers signed legislation on Friday expanding the definition of the crime of depicting nudity to include artificially generated images and videos created without consent, commonly referred to as deepfakes. The new law makes creating such material with the intent to harass or intimidate the subject a felony offense in Wisconsin. The legislation was introduced in response to rising national incidents of individuals being blackmailed or harmed following the circulation of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes.

Evers announced that his administration and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections achieved full compliance with 50 court-ordered reforms at the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools youth correctional facilities in October 2025. The achievement of compliance allows the state to move toward ending court-required monitoring of the facilities, which had been under court orders since lawsuits in the early 2010s over allegations of use of force and child abuse. Evers stated that the next steps include ensuring the facility maintains compliance through additional checks and relocating youth housed at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake to a new facility opening in Milwaukee and to facilities closer to their homes before ultimately closing the prisons.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin's two youth correctional facilities, Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools, achieved compliance with more than four dozen court-ordered reforms following child abuse allegations that surfaced nearly a decade prior. The announcement represents the first time the facilities have met the requirements established through court oversight. Evers characterized the compliance milestone as significant to the state's plan to close the youth prisons located north of Wausau and transition youth offenders to adult facilities.

Evers ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on Saturday to commemorate firefighters who died in the line of duty during the Final Alarm Ceremony, also known as "Last Call." Flags will be lowered again two weeks later to mark the end of Fire Prevention Week, which concludes with Wisconsin Firefighters Memorial Day. In a statement announcing the proclamations, Evers stated that firefighters and first responders deserve recognition for the risks they undertake while serving others.

Evers vetoed a bill in 2022 that would have made damaging historical markers and statues a felony under Wisconsin law, stating that existing statutes already prohibited defacing public property above a certain value and provided sufficient penalties. The veto occurred following 2020 racial justice protests during which monuments across Wisconsin were targeted, including statues outside the state Capitol in Madison. A similar proposal was reintroduced for consideration by Senate lawmakers in 2025.

Evers issued an executive order directing the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to establish independent COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and ensuring vaccine coverage without cost-sharing through state health insurers. The order came in response to federal policy changes that narrowed COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to individuals aged 65 and older and those with certain high-risk conditions. Wisconsin's DHS subsequently recommended the updated annual COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 6 months old and issued a standing order to make the vaccine available at pharmacies without prescription.

Governor Evers announced a directive on Monday requiring the state Department of Health Services to monitor and review COVID-19 vaccine requirements and directing the state's chief medical officer to issue a standing order requiring vaccines be made available at local pharmacies. Evers' executive order responded to new limitations on vaccine availability issued by the federal Health and Human Services department under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The directive also instructed the state's insurance commissioner and pharmacy examining board to continue removing barriers to vaccine access and ensure vaccines remain broadly available.

Evers signed an executive order on September 15, 2025, requiring insurance companies to continue covering COVID-19 vaccines and directing the state Department of Health Services and pharmacy and insurance boards to ensure vaccine access within the limits of state law and available funding. The order also mandated that state officials respond publicly to changes in federal vaccine policy and that the state's insurance commissioner work with insurance companies to inform covered individuals about vaccine access and costs. This action followed changes to federal vaccine recommendations by the Food and Drug Administration that restricted eligibility to individuals over 65 and those with certain medical conditions.

Evers signed Executive Order #275 directing the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to ensure residents have access to vaccines. The order directed DHS to monitor immunization recommendations, issue guidance on COVID-19 vaccines, and review routine vaccine access. The executive order also directed DHS to collaborate with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board, and other state agencies to identify and remove obstacles to vaccine access.

Evers filed a lawsuit against Republican legislative leaders in Wisconsin over the implementation of administrative rulemaking authority following a July 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of state law allowing the Legislature's Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules to indefinitely block proposed rules. Evers directed state agencies to proceed with publishing proposed rules without waiting for legislative committee approval, resulting in 27 rule proposals being submitted for publication, including changes to Wisconsin's wolf management plan and water quality standards. Republican leaders responded by directing another legislative committee to block publication of rules unless standing committees had reviewed them, which Evers' lawsuit contends violates the state constitution's separation of powers by usurping executive authority.

Evers submitted a request for a presidential disaster declaration following flooding in Wisconsin during August 9-12, 2025, which resulted in an estimated $43 million in public sector damage across six counties. President Trump announced on September 12, 2025, that Wisconsin would receive $29.8 million in federal disaster relief aid for Milwaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties, with the possibility of additional designations pending further damage assessments. The federal assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property losses, and other recovery programs for affected individuals and families.

Evers filed a lawsuit in Dane County Court against the Legislative Reference Bureau and its director Richard Champ­agne, as well as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate President Mary Felzkowski, alleging they refused to publish administrative rules created by his administration. The lawsuit followed a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in Evers v. Marklein that determined legislative committees lacked the authority to block or suspend rules they opposed. Evers' administration contended that the Legislative Reference Bureau's refusal to publish the rules violated statutory requirements and rendered them unenforceable.

In his January State of the State address, Governor Evers called for the reinstatement of a mandatory waiting period for gun purchases as part of broader suicide prevention efforts. The proposal followed the November death of former state lawmaker Jonathan Brostoff, who had advocated for strategies linking gun access to suicide prevention while serving on a suicide prevention task force. Republican legislative leaders rejected Evers's waiting period proposal at the time.

A federal judge ordered Wisconsin to provide back pay to disabled workers who were denied unemployment benefits between September 2015 and July 2025, finding that the state's blanket exclusion of individuals receiving Social Security disability payments from unemployment benefits violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The exclusion originated from laws signed by former Governor Scott Walker in 2013 and 2015 that prohibited simultaneous collection of Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance benefits. Governor Evers had proposed repealing the statute in each of his last three biennial budgets, but the Republican-controlled state Legislature removed the proposal from the passed budgets.

Governor Evers included several labor rights proposals in his most recent budget proposal, including measures to repeal Wisconsin's right-to-work law, reestablish prevailing wage requirements for public construction projects, and repeal a ban on project labor agreements. Republican lawmakers removed these proposals from the budget during the legislative process. Wisconsin Democrats subsequently introduced a comprehensive legislative package in September 2025 containing these same measures, though the bills face an uncertain path in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

In 2023, Evers issued a partial veto of the state budget that increased school district revenue limits by $325 per-pupil for 400 years. The Wisconsin legislature subsequently declined to fund this increase with state appropriations, requiring school districts to raise property taxes locally if they wished to implement the authorized revenue limit increase. School officials reported that districts faced a choice between imposing property tax increases or operating with tighter budgets due to the funding gap.

In December 2023, Evers signed bipartisan legislation authorizing the Wisconsin Driver Education Grant Program, which provides state-funded driver's education to low-income high school students for the first time in more than 20 years. Since the program's establishment, approximately 10,000 students across the state have received classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction through the initiative. An annual $6 million allocation for the program was made permanent, with funding released quarterly beginning in August 2025.

Governor Evers released analysis from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on August 28, 2025, examining the fiscal impact of the "Big Beautiful Bill," a federal budget reconciliation measure signed into law on July 4, 2025. According to the analysis, the legislation will cost Wisconsin state taxpayers $284 million over two years through changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, including over 270,000 Wisconsinites losing health insurance and thousands losing food assistance due to new work requirements and Medicaid restrictions. The DHS identified specific costs including $72.4 million annually beginning in 2027 for employment and training services to meet new Medicaid work requirements, $14.6 million for FoodShare Employment and Training, and up to $11.4 million annually for expanded quality control workforce.

Gov. Evers stated that President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025, will cost Wisconsin more than $284 million in future state budgets. The governor contends that most of the bill's cost to the state will come in the form of new work requirements for Medicaid and Food Share recipients, along with the need to hire additional state staff to avoid costly penalties for payment errors under the federal law. Republicans and White House officials argue the measure ensures benefits reach only those who need them and that its tax cuts and spending reductions will ultimately save taxpayers money.

Governor Evers included a proposal to exempt cash tips from state income tax in his state budget earlier in 2025, which would have cost the state approximately $6.7 million annually in foregone revenue. Republican lawmakers removed this provision from the budget and instead drafted their own version of a "no tax on tips" bill that would offer a state tax deduction for both cash and credit card tips up to $25,000 per year, with the deduction phasing out for higher-earning households. The GOP bill was debated in an Assembly Ways and Means committee hearing in August 2025, with the Department of Revenue estimating that the broader Republican version could reduce state revenue by $33.7 million annually depending on final provisions.

Governor Evers requested a joint preliminary damage assessment from FEMA on August 13, 2025, following historic rainfall and widespread flooding in southeast Wisconsin. FEMA teams began door-to-door verification of storm damage in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Washington counties on August 21, 2025, to assess losses and compile information for a potential disaster declaration request. The damage assessment data will be used to determine whether losses exceed state and local response capabilities, which would trigger a formal disaster declaration request to the President.

Following a July 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that found the GOP-led Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules exceeded its authority in suspending rule changes, Governor Evers issued a directive on August 12, 2025, instructing state agencies that they could submit proposed rules for publication without waiting for legislative committee approval. In response, Republican legislative leaders scheduled a vote on August 21, 2025, through the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization to change guidelines that would require the Legislative Reference Bureau to withhold publication of rules until standing committees completed their review, a move that would delay 13 of the 27 rules recently submitted by state agencies.

Evers directed state agencies in an August 12 letter to proceed with finalizing administrative rules without waiting for legislative committee approval, citing a July Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that struck down provisions allowing the Republican-controlled Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules to indefinitely suspend rule changes. Among the rules cleared for publication were an updated wolf management plan first approved in October 2023 and a Department of Natural Resources rule updating Wisconsin's water quality antidegradation policy to align with the 2015 federal Clean Water Act amendments. The rules had been stalled in the legislative review process for years before the court decision.

Governor Evers requested a joint preliminary damage assessment from FEMA on August 13 following severe flooding in southeast Wisconsin. The assessment, conducted by FEMA teams with state officials beginning August 21, was designed to document property damage and determine whether the state met the threshold for a presidential disaster declaration. The evaluation would inform the state's potential request for federal assistance to support affected individuals and communities in recovery efforts.

Governor Evers announced a request for a joint preliminary damage assessment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following historic rainfall and widespread flooding in southeast Wisconsin. The damage assessment will determine whether the state meets the threshold required for a presidential disaster declaration and federal assistance. Preliminary damages in Milwaukee County alone exceeded $23 million, with residents filing more than 17,000 damage reports.

In 2021, Evers vetoed a bill that would have given equal weight to all four priority areas in Wisconsin's school report card calculation system, which previously weighted student growth more heavily than student performance in low-income districts. In his veto message, Evers stated he objected to the Legislature's "continued efforts to politicize our schools and our classrooms" and noted that his administration had worked to support school quality after a decade of disinvestment. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is currently updating the state's school report card system for the first time since 2012, though major structural changes would require new state legislation.

Governor Evers sent a letter to the Trump administration's U.S. Labor Secretary in August 2025 regarding the termination of approximately $29 million in federal funding for Wisconsin's unemployment insurance system modernization project. The funding, originally allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act, had been supporting anti-fraud measures, identity authentication tools, a digital employer portal, and cybersecurity enhancements before the U.S. Labor Department terminated it in late May. Evers requested that the administration reverse the funding termination, stating that without the federal resources the state would be unable to complete the modernization project and could face increased vulnerability to cyberattacks and fraud.

Governor Evers requested Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance on Wednesday following severe flooding in the Milwaukee area caused by record rainfall over the weekend. The request represents the initial step toward obtaining federal aid, which requires formal disaster declaration by the President before Wisconsin can receive federal funding. Earlier in the week, Evers declared a state of emergency across Wisconsin and made the National Guard available after preliminary assessments determined the rainfall qualified as a one-thousand-year rain event.

Evers declared a state of emergency following flash flooding and severe storms that struck Wisconsin communities over the weekend, causing structural damage, evacuations, and power outages throughout the state. The declaration was issued to ensure affected communities had access to available resources and to expedite response and recovery operations, with multiple state agencies deploying personnel and resources to assist with damage assessment and relief efforts. The Wisconsin State Fair, scheduled to run through August 10, was ended early on Saturday and its final day was cancelled due to the flooding and severe weather impacts.

Evers signed the state budget in 2025 that included a plan to close the Green Bay Correctional Institution but used a line-item veto to remove the 2029 deadline specified by the legislature, making the closure date indefinite. In his veto message, Evers stated that setting a specific timeframe would be irresponsible without a comprehensive plan addressing job security for over 300 prison employees and the relocation of more than 1,000 incarcerated individuals. Criminal justice reform advocates criticized the removal of the deadline as a failure to demonstrate urgency in closing the 19th-century facility, which operates significantly over capacity and has experienced violence and infrastructure problems.

Governor Evers sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday urging the Trump administration to preserve a $62.4 million Solar for All grant awarded to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation in 2024. The grant funds the PowerUp Wisconsin program, which was designed to support solar installations on single- and multi-family homes and community solar projects, with projections to serve up to 7,400 Wisconsin households. Evers stated in his letter that terminating the grant would negatively impact Wisconsin residents through increased energy bills and loss of job creation opportunities, while the Trump administration was reported to be preparing termination letters for 60 organizations that received Solar for All funding.

Governor Evers signed legislation on Friday requiring medical students to secure explicit informed consent before performing pelvic exams on unconscious patients. The law aligns Wisconsin with nearly 30 other states that have enacted similar informed consent requirements. The change follows a years-long effort to establish statewide informed consent protections following surgeries at Unity Point Health-Meriter in Madison.

Evers signed Assembly Bill 257, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 17, a bipartisan bill relating to the independent practice of advanced practice registered nurses. The legislation creates a new licensure pathway for registered nurses to become advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and allows already-licensed APRNs to practice independently if they meet specified requirements, including a minimum of 3,840 hours of supervised clinical experience under a physician or dentist. The bill expands the availability of advanced nursing practitioners within Wisconsin's healthcare system.

Governor Evers signed Wisconsin's bipartisan state budget in July 2025, which allocated more than $256 million in additional funding to the University of Wisconsin System over two years for faculty raises, staff recruitment, facilities projects, and other initiatives. The budget included new teaching workload requirements effective September 1, 2026, mandating that faculty at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee teach at least 12 credits per year while professors at other UW institutions must teach 24 credits annually. The budget provided limited flexibility through reduced loads for department chairs and administrators, voluntary compensation reductions, and grant-funded teaching reductions, with an advisory committee to determine exceptions.

Evers signed a bipartisan bill into law on Friday that creates a new state license for advanced practice registered nurses, including nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives, allowing them to establish independent practices. The legislation represents a compromise after Evers vetoed two previous versions of the bill due to concerns raised by physician advocacy groups, with the final version including additional oversight requirements for nurses in pain management, enhanced training requirements under physician or dentist supervision, and enforcement provisions against nurses misrepresenting their credentials. Twenty-eight other states already permit advanced nurses to practice independently, according to the Wisconsin Nurses Association.

Evers announced that he will not seek a third term as governor of Wisconsin, ending his incumbency at the conclusion of his current term. The announcement opened the race for his successor on both Democratic and Republican sides, with Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley emerging as Democratic candidates while Republican candidates Bill Berrien and Josh Schoemann remained in contention. Political strategists noted that despite the open field, the number of candidates entering the race remained relatively limited in the weeks following Evers' announcement.

The State Building Commission, chaired by Evers, unanimously approved $110 million in construction, maintenance, and demolition projects across Wisconsin on August 6, 2025. The approved projects included $13.3 million for building demolitions at UW campuses, $7.5 million for electrical system upgrades at UW-Stout, $4 million for accessibility improvements at Fox Lake Correctional Institution, and a $1 million in-kind donation of lighting and rigging equipment for the Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo. Evers stated that the projects represented critical investments in Wisconsin's communities and infrastructure.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin would offer up to $100 million in performance-based tax incentives to support Eli Lilly's $4 billion investment in a Kenosha County pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. The tax credits, to be administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, will be contingent on the company meeting specified job creation and investment targets. Eli Lilly is expected to add approximately 750 jobs to the existing workforce at the location.

Governor Evers announced a collaboration with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to provide Eli Lilly and Company up to $100 million in performance-based state tax credits for a $4 billion investment in Wisconsin. The credits are contingent on the company meeting capital investment goals and job creation targets, with the project expected to create approximately 750 new jobs at an expanded sterile injectables manufacturing plant in Pleasant Prairie. The acquisition and expansion of the facility represents Lilly's total planned investment in the state announced in coordination with the governor's office on August 5, 2025.

Governor Evers signed legislation sponsored by state Senator Romaine Quinn and state Representative Chanz Green that removed a prohibition on government funding assistance for lead pipe replacement among customers of private water utilities, a restriction that had previously applied only to Superior Water, Light & Power in Wisconsin. The law change was accompanied by an agreement between the city of Superior and the utility in which the city would contract for lead line replacement work through a bidding process, with the utility reimbursing the city using forgivable loan funds received from the state. The combined effect of the law and the city-utility agreement made government funding available to approximately 800 Superior homeowners seeking to replace lead pipes at their properties.

In May 2025, Evers named Bharath Shetty the AmeriCorps VISTA Member of the Year for his work with the Wisconsin Association of Free & Charitable Clinics. Shetty worked to expand capacity at clinics serving uninsured and underinsured populations by developing health communication campaigns, coordinating webinars, and creating advocacy tools. The recognition occurred as the AmeriCorps program faced significant federal funding reductions under the Trump administration.

Governor Evers issued a statement as co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom responding to the EPA's draft rule to rescind the 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act. The EPA proposal, announced by Administrator Lee Zeldin, would repeal regulations on tailpipe emissions for vehicles and reverse the scientific basis for greenhouse gas regulation that had been established during the Biden and Obama administrations. Evers and Newsom stated that the agency's actions represented an abandonment of science and law, asserting that Americans were witnessing the impacts of climate change through floods, extreme heat, and wildfires.

Evers granted 204 pardons on July 25, 2025, bringing his total pardons granted during his tenure to 1,640. The pardons were issued under Executive Order #30, which allows individuals convicted of Wisconsin felonies to apply for pardons if they have completed their sentences at least five years prior and have no pending criminal charges, with the exception of those required to register on the sex offender registry. The pardon application process and recipient list are available on the governor's website.

Governor Evers signed the 2025-27 state budget on July 3, 2025, which included a new workload requirement for faculty in the Universities of Wisconsin system. Beginning in September 2025, instructional staff at the system's 11 comprehensive universities must teach a minimum of 24 credits per academic year, while faculty at the two major research universities, UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, must teach a minimum of 12 credits. State lawmakers framed the requirement as a reform to increase faculty teaching responsibilities in response to declining state support for the university system.

In 2023, Evers used his partial veto power to extend a two-year school funding increase in the state budget to 400 years by striking digits and a hyphen from budget language, resulting in an annual per-pupil spending increase of $325 extending to the year 2425. Republican lawmakers have circulated a bill that would repeal this extended funding increase and limit it to the 2026-27 school year, arguing the veto amounted to an unfair property tax increase without legislative approval. The proposed repeal bill would face Evers' veto power if it passes the legislature.

Evers signed Wisconsin's $111 billion two-year budget on July 3, 2025, which included an increase to the Municipal Services Payment Program allocating approximately $25 million statewide, representing about $7 million more per fiscal year than the previous budget. The program compensates local communities that host state facilities such as universities, prisons, and office buildings for providing services including police, fire, and garbage collection, with the increased funding raising reimbursement rates from approximately 37 percent to 50 percent of estimated local costs. In his earlier budget proposal, Evers had requested higher funding levels that would have reimbursed communities for approximately 72 percent of their costs, though the final enacted budget allocated a lower amount approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Governor Evers signed the new state budget that reestablishes the Wisconsin Film Office within the state Department of Tourism and creates up to $5 million in tax credits for filmmakers. The tax credits allow productions to stretch their budgets by approximately 30 percent and are restricted to expenditures on Wisconsin crew and vendors. The minimum spending requirement to qualify for the credits is $100,000 for feature films and $50,000 for short films.

Evers signed the $111 billion state budget into law on July 3, 2025, following months of negotiations with the Republican-controlled state Legislature. The budget included a significant increase in special education funding, described as the largest such increase in decades, while excluding a general school aid increase that Evers had prioritized. Evers characterized the final spending plan as reflecting the compromises necessary to achieve passage in a divided legislature, noting that certain priorities were not included in the two-year budget.

Evers drew Wisconsin's current congressional map under "least changes" guidelines ordered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court's former conservative majority, which required the map to adhere as closely as possible to the districts passed by Republican legislators a decade earlier. The map divides the state's representation 6-2 in favor of Republicans, a configuration that has become the subject of multiple legal challenges since the state Supreme Court's ideological shift in 2023. A new lawsuit filed in Dane County Circuit Court in July 2025 argued that Evers' map constitutes an "anti-competitive gerrymander" that artificially suppresses electoral competition.

Governor Evers signed Wisconsin's state budget on July 3, 2025, which allocated $1.4 billion to K-12 education over the biennium, including $500 million for special education by increasing the reimbursement rate from 32 percent to 42 percent in the first year and 45 percent in the second year. The budget did not include an increase in general school aid, a decision that school district leaders stated would shift additional funding burden to local property taxpayers to address inflation-driven costs. Evers defended the education spending plan during a budget promotion stop in Milwaukee.

Evers signed legislation authored by Sen. Romaine Quinn and Rep. Chanz Green that amended state law to make Superior Water Light & Power Company eligible for forgivable loans under the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, reversing a prior prohibition on privately owned water systems from receiving loan forgiveness. The signing followed a cooperative agreement between the city of Superior and the utility to coordinate replacement of lead service lines, with the city contracting work to the lowest responsible bidder and the utility reimbursing the city with any loan forgiveness funding received from the state. Superior Water Light & Power estimates approximately 800 customers have lead service lines and the utility owns around 3,700 lead pipes in the city.

Evers signed a $111-billion state budget that did not include funding for the state's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. The budget was passed by the legislature in the early morning hours and subsequently signed by Evers. The legislation did not allocate resources for conservation and environmental priorities that had been proposed during budget discussions.

Evers signed the $111 billion state budget in July 2025, which did not include funding to reauthorize the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship Program, a conservation program that allows the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to purchase land for conservation and outdoor recreation. Evers vetoed several earmarked projects in the budget that he argued would benefit politically connected interests, stating he remained committed to ensuring the Knowles-Nelson program's reauthorization and proposing $1 billion in funding over the next decade, compared to its current annual funding of roughly $33 million. Republican lawmakers on the budget-writing committee had excluded funding for the program, and some GOP legislators subsequently introduced a standalone bill to reauthorize it at a lower funding level of $28.25 million annually through June 2030.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Evers possessed the legal authority to implement a ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth through the Department of Safety and Professional Services, which applied to licensed social workers, marriage counselors, and family therapists. The court determined that a Republican-controlled legislative committee had exceeded its constitutional authority by blocking the administrative rule without following the requirements of bicameralism and presentment. The decision found that the statutes allowing the committee to indefinitely object to proposed rules were unconstitutional because they granted a small number of legislators unilateral power to halt agency rules without full legislative consideration or gubernatorial review.

Evers signed a bipartisan two-year budget totaling $111 billion into law on Thursday that included more than $1 billion in tax cuts alongside new spending on K-12 education, state universities, and child care, drawing more than $3 billion from the state surplus. The budget received bipartisan support and opposition in both the Assembly and Senate, passing 19-14 in the Senate with four Republican votes in opposition and four Democratic votes, and 59-39 in the Assembly. Political analysts attributed the shift toward bipartisan negotiation to Wisconsin's court-ordered redistricting in 2024, which reduced the Republican legislative majority and required Republican lawmakers to negotiate with Democrats to secure passage.

Evers signed a state budget on July 5, 2025 that extends funding for the Office of School Safety, a Wisconsin Department of Justice program that manages school safety training for teachers, students, and parents, operates a 24-hour student tip line, and maintains a critical incident response team. The budget allocates $1.1 billion in state funding and creates 15 permanent positions for the office for the next two years, with an additional $1.5 million sourced from concealed carry permit fees and $640,000 from the state's general fund in fiscal year 2025-26. The legislation was signed as part of a comprehensive $111.1 billion state budget.

Evers signed the $111.1 billion biennial budget on July 3, 2025, less than an hour after it cleared the full Legislature. The budget included over $1 billion in additional federal Medicaid dollars that were finalized before the U.S. House voted to reduce the funding. The measure passed with bipartisan support, including five Democrats voting in favor in the state Senate and six Democrats joining the Republican majority in the Assembly.

Evers signed a biennial budget that allocated $330 million for child care in Wisconsin, comprising $123 million for child care subsidies, $110 million in direct provider payments, $66 million for the "Get Kids Ready" initiative, $28 million for increased reimbursement rates, and $4 million for expansion and workforce support. Child care providers and the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association had requested $480 million in total funding. Some providers stated the allocation was insufficient to sustain their operations.

Evers signed Wisconsin's $111 billion two-year budget on Thursday, completing legislative action that occurred over less than 15 hours on Wednesday and Thursday. The budget included provisions for an estimated $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding for hospitals, which prompted the rapid passage. The spending plan contained more than $1 billion in tax cuts championed by Republicans alongside increased spending on universities, special education, and child care sought by Democrats.

Governor Evers signed Wisconsin's state budget on July 2-3, 2025, which increased the hospital assessment fee from 1.8 percent to 6 percent, enabling the state to qualify for more than $1.2 billion in additional federal Medicaid matching funds. The timing of the budget's passage before the federal "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" became law was critical, as the federal legislation would have capped how much states could charge hospitals for the assessment. The budget compromise was negotiated between Evers and state Senate leaders from both parties to secure federal funding for healthcare providers and Wisconsin's BadgerCare medical assistance program.

Evers signed two bipartisan bills on July 2, 2025, that advance nuclear power development in Wisconsin. The legislation directs a $2 million study to identify the optimal location for a nuclear fusion power plant in the state and establishes a new board to promote nuclear power and fusion technology while organizing a national summit in Madison in 2028. The bills also establish an 18-month timeline for the Public Service Commission to approve construction once a site is selected.

Evers signed the $111.1 billion 2025-27 biennial budget on Thursday morning, hours after it passed the legislature. The budget allocated nearly $1.4 billion in spendable revenue for K-12 schools including the largest increase to the special education reimbursement rate in state history, the largest increase to the UW System in nearly two decades, and over $360 million to support Wisconsin's child care industry. The budget also included tax cuts for working and middle-class families, bringing total tax cuts enacted by Evers since taking office to over $12.6 billion.

Evers signed the 2025-2027 Wisconsin state budget totaling $111 billion in the early morning hours of July 3, 2025, after the legislature passed the spending plan following monthslong negotiations. The budget includes cuts of more than 300 state positions, increases funding for child care and the Universities of Wisconsin system, and reduces taxes by approximately $1.4 billion. Evers exercised partial vetoes on several dozen items, including striking the year 2029 from provisions regarding Green Bay Correctional Institution and removing certain Department of Natural Resources earmarks while preserving funding for other programs facing federal cuts.

Governor Evers signed Wisconsin's $111.1 billion two-year budget on July 3, 2025, after the Republican-controlled Legislature completed its work in less than 15 hours. The budget included $1.4 billion in new state money to cover Medicaid costs, along with transportation-related fee increases and provisions for the eventual closure of Green Bay's prison. The accelerated passage was driven by efforts to secure an estimated $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding before a deadline.

Governor Evers signed Wisconsin's two-year state budget into law early Thursday morning, following legislative approval of the $111 billion spending plan. The budget was finalized after state lawmakers spent the previous day securing sufficient votes for passage, with Republicans controlling both chambers of the legislature. The signing concluded a budget process that began similarly to previous sessions under Evers' governorship, though a slim Republican majority in the state Senate resulted in rare bipartisan agreement on the final legislation.

Governor Evers reached a budget compromise with Republican legislative leaders on July 2, 2025, that restored $10 million in school mental health funding that had previously been cut by Republicans, though the funds would be distributed according to a revised timeline. Evers stated in a Tuesday announcement that the bipartisan budget agreement delivered on a commitment to prioritize children's wellbeing. The marginally bipartisan spending bill passed through the legislature's budget committee on Tuesday and proceeded toward a full legislative vote.

Governor Evers announced a proposal in February 2025 to overhaul Wisconsin's correctional system that would reduce the state's prison population, renovate several aging facilities, and transform a more than 160-year-old prison in Waupun into a "vocational village." Republicans in the legislature advanced a separate plan in July 2025 to close the Green Bay Correctional Institution by 2029 and allocate $14 million for Department of Corrections planning, though the alignment between the two proposals remained uncertain.

Governor Evers signed two bipartisan bills on July 3, 2025, designed to advance nuclear power development in Wisconsin. One bill authorized a $2 million study to identify the optimal location for a nuclear fusion power plant in the state, while the second bill created a new board to advance nuclear power and fusion technology in Wisconsin and established a summit scheduled for 2026. According to Evers, the legislation aims to lower energy costs and reduce carbon emissions by decreasing reliance on out-of-state energy sources.

Evers announced state authorization of up to $2.05 million in performance-based tax credits through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to support Catalent's $45 million expansion of its Madison biohealth facility. The expansion project is expected to create approximately 200 new jobs and will include additional laboratory capacity to support drug development and manufacturing. Evers stated the tax credits reflect the state's commitment to supporting biohealth businesses and innovation in Wisconsin.

Republican lawmakers on the Legislature's budget committee voted to increase state spending on K-12 schools by $336 million, an amount roughly $3 billion less than the budget proposal submitted by Governor Evers. The GOP plan allocated no new funding to general school aids and instead directed funding to specific programs including $228 million for special education and $20 million for mental health services. The Republican budget also included a $1.3 billion income tax cut focused on retirement income and expanding lower tax brackets.

Governor Evers announced that Yaskawa America Inc. plans to consolidate its Illinois and Wisconsin operations into a single campus in Franklin, Wisconsin, with an investment of $180 million and relocation of the company's North American headquarters from Waukegan, Illinois. The project is expected to create more than 700 jobs and will include manufacturing, headquarters, training, and laboratory facilities on an 800,000-square-foot campus. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is supporting the expansion with up to $18 million in tax credits contingent upon the company meeting job creation and investment targets.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin's tourism industry generated $25.8 billion in total economic impact in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of record-setting economic performance and surpassing the previous record of $25 billion set in 2023. The state recorded 114.4 million visits in 2024, exceeding the previous all-time high of 113.2 million visits from 2019, while the tourism sector supported 182,000 part- and full-time jobs with a 2.2 percent increase from the prior year. The state budget included $34 million in funding for the Department of Tourism to support marketing campaigns and promotion of Wisconsin as a destination.

Governor Evers proposed increasing the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's budget by 160 percent, primarily through a $145 million infusion of state funds for the upcoming fiscal year. The Legislature's Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee declined this request and instead approved funding that resulted in a nearly $4 million budget cut to WEDC over two fiscal years. The agency announced it would scale back grant programs serving small businesses and community development projects in response to the reduced funding.

Evers' administration, through Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, joined other states in suing the Trump administration in April 2025 after the federal government cut approximately $400 million in funding to AmeriCorps programming. A federal preliminary injunction issued in June 2025 by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman ordered the restoration of AmeriCorps programs and funding in the states that had filed suit, including Wisconsin. Wisconsin receives roughly $14 million annually from AmeriCorps, which supports organizations including schools, health clinics, and local nonprofits throughout the state.

Evers and Republican leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature ended budget negotiations in June 2025 after months of discussions, with GOP lawmakers indicating they would proceed to write the state budget independently. Evers' office stated he had agreed to support Republican-proposed tax cuts, including an income tax reduction for middle-class and working families and elimination of income taxes for certain retirees, but that Republicans could not reach consensus on his priorities for child care funding, K-12 school funding, and University of Wisconsin system funding. The impasse left the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee to construct the two-year spending plan for the $4.3 billion projected state surplus without further gubernatorial input on its composition.

Wisconsin Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program, a state land purchase initiative, for four additional years at $28.25 million annually through June 2030. The bill, brought by Rep. Tony Kurtz and Sen. Patrick Testin, would reduce current funding by $5 million per year and require legislative approval for conservation projects exceeding $1 million. This proposal emerged after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that Gov. Evers had the authority to challenge Republican lawmakers' blocking of $27 conservation projects previously authorized by the legislature, and comes as Evers had proposed $100 million annually for the program over the next decade.

Evers' administration claimed that approximately $171 million in interest accrued from federal COVID-19 relief funds constituted federal money under the governor's control, citing a waiver from the U.S. Treasury Department that allowed the interest to be retained. Republican lawmakers introduced legislation in May 2025 to require the transfer of this interest revenue to Wisconsin's general fund, arguing that state law mandated such funds be placed in the legislature's purview. A nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau audit had previously recommended that Evers' Department of Administration report the interest as state general purpose revenue, though a legislative attorney characterized the legal status of the funds as "an open and novel legal question."

Governor Evers issued a proclamation recognizing June 2 as National Mississippi River Day in Wisconsin, citing the river's importance to state communities and tribes alongside threats including shoreline erosion, wetland degradation, and flooding. The proclamation was part of a broader national effort involving three states and nearly a dozen local governments to raise awareness about the Mississippi River's health and protection needs. Evers's declaration highlighted environmental challenges facing the waterway at a time when the Mississippi River was named "America's Most Endangered River of 2025" by the conservation group American Rivers.

Governor Evers raised the pride flag over the Wisconsin State Capitol on May 30, 2025, marking his seventh consecutive year performing this action since taking office in 2019. Evers stated that the flag raising commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage and noted concerns about potential efforts to revisit established legal protections. Dozens of attendees gathered at the Capitol building to witness the flag raising, with speakers expressing support for the governor's action.

The Trump administration issued a directive pausing new student visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, as reported by the State Department in May 2025. Governor Evers characterized the pause as "wrongheaded" and stated it would "scare people away" from the United States, expressing concern that the policy would deter international students who might contribute to American progress in fields such as science and medicine. The pause affects Wisconsin universities, which enrolled thousands of international students during the 2024-2025 academic year, including 10,849 students across University of Wisconsin system campuses.

Evers signed legislation in March 2024 that enabled Wisconsin to access federal grants for building electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state. The Trump administration's pause on previously approved National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funds has left Wisconsin unable to access approximately 63 million dollars intended to expand the state's EV charging network, particularly in rural areas outside urban centers like Madison and Milwaukee. The funding freeze has suspended progress on charging station construction projects that had been planned to address gaps in the state's infrastructure.

Evers announced that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services finalized a permanent regulation lowering the lead poisoning threshold from 5 micrograms per deciliter to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter, making permanent an emergency rule that had been in effect. The lowered threshold is expected to allow approximately 1,400 additional children to qualify for environmental intervention services, educational resources, and coordinated care related to lead exposure. The finalized regulation aligns Wisconsin's standards with recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021.

Evers included child care funding in his budget proposal as federal pandemic stimulus funds were set to expire at the end of June 2025. The Joint Finance Committee unanimously modified the Evers administration's plan to allocate $194 million in ARPA funds for child care, reducing funding for a pilot program targeting vulnerable populations. Senate Democrats subsequently unveiled legislation to infuse $490 million in state funds into the child care industry to replace the expiring federal support.

Governor Evers announced the appointment of Ben Jones, an attorney with the state Department of Public Instruction, to fill a Dane County Circuit Court judge vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Susan Crawford. Jones will serve the remainder of Crawford's term, which concludes July 31, 2027. Evers characterized Jones as possessing strong character, intellect, and commitment to public service in a statement released on the appointment.

Governor Evers appointed Ben Jones, an attorney at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction who has served as the agency's chief legal counsel since 2019, to the Dane County Circuit Court. Jones, a University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW Law School graduate, will succeed Judge Susan Crawford, who is being sworn in as a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice in August. Jones's term on the circuit court will end on July 31, 2026.

In 2023, Evers signed into law sweeping changes to how children in Wisconsin are taught to read, addressing literacy instruction across the state. The legislation represented a significant policy shift focused on implementing science-based reading practices in Wisconsin schools. Education advocates noted the reading initiative while emphasizing that similar comprehensive approaches to math instruction remained needed statewide.

Democratic Governor Tony Evers included a proposal to close the Green Bay Correctional Institution in his recent biennial budget proposal, citing the facility's age, understaffing, and overcrowding. Republicans in the state Legislature removed the prison closure from Evers' budget proposal along with approximately 600 other items. The debate over closing the prison has centered on the method of closure, with Evers' proposal involving renovation of existing facilities and Republican lawmakers proposing construction of a new prison facility.

Governor Evers submitted a letter to the Small Business Administration requesting a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) designation for Douglas County to assist local businesses during the Blatnik Bridge replacement project scheduled to close from 2027 through 2031 or 2032. The HUBZone program permits certified small businesses in designated areas to compete for federal contracts without competitive bidding or with a 10 percent price preference on bids. Evers stated the designation would provide local businesses tools to remain competitive during the infrastructure disruption and help offset anticipated economic losses.

Governor Evers stated he would likely veto a Republican-backed bill that would cut funding to sheriffs' offices by 15 percent if they fail to comply with federal immigration enforcement requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill, which cleared the Wisconsin Assembly in March, would require sheriffs to honor ICE administrative warrants and detainers, verify the legal residence status of people arrested on felony charges, and immediately report those whose status cannot be verified to federal immigration authorities. Evers lacks the supermajority needed in the legislature to override a veto of the proposal.

Evers signed into law a sales and use tax exemption for data centers as part of the state's two-year budget. The exemption requires the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to certify data center projects and developers to meet minimum capital investment thresholds ranging from $50 million to $150 million depending on county population. The tax break applies to qualifying data center developments across Wisconsin, including projects in Mount Pleasant, Kenosha, and Beaver Dam.

Last year Governor Evers directed the state's health department to issue a standing prescription for emergency contraceptives at pharmacies to provide access to the medication for those on BadgerCare, Wisconsin's Medicaid program. This action preceded the state Assembly's passage of a separate bill that would allow pharmacists to directly prescribe birth control to patients without a physician visit. Evers' directive addressed emergency contraceptive access while the Assembly bill, which advanced in May 2025, would expand ongoing birth control prescription authority to pharmacy professionals.

Governor Evers signed an executive order on May 13, 2025, directing that United States and Wisconsin flags be flown at half-staff on May 14 in observance of Hmong-Lao Veterans Day. The executive order commemorates May 14, 1975, the date of the final airlift evacuation of Hmong-Lao soldiers and their families from Long Tieng, Laos to Thailand during the Vietnam War. Evers had previously designated May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day in Wisconsin in 2019, recognizing the state's third-largest Hmong population.

Governor Evers proposed a $500 million budget reserve in his February 2025 budget proposal to address potential impacts of federal funding cuts on Wisconsin programs including Medicaid, education, and health services. Evers stated the reserve was necessary given what he characterized as decisions in Washington affecting Wisconsin residents and urged the legislature to plan for potential federal reductions. The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee began its budget work by removing over 600 provisions from Evers's proposal, beginning the process of writing the state's 2025-27 biennial budget.

Wisconsin Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee voted to eliminate 612 provisions from the state budget that Governor Evers had proposed in February 2025, including a $442 million Child Care Counts program and $13 million in funding for an Office of Violence Prevention that Evers had created in January. The elimination of these budget items represents the largest number of gubernatorial proposals rejected by the Republican-controlled legislature during Evers' tenure, exceeding the 545 provisions removed from the budget two years prior. The Republican-led committee proceeded to begin drafting the budget piece by piece, with the final version requiring approval from both the full Assembly and Senate before being sent to Evers for his consideration under his partial veto authority.

Evers announced that Wisconsin joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's freeze of federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations. The lawsuit seeks to compel the release of approximately $62.65 million in congressionally-approved funds that Wisconsin was awarded to deploy a statewide network of EV charging infrastructure. The funding freeze forced Wisconsin to halt work on 15 projects representing about $7.3 million and prevented the state from issuing awards in a planned second round of funding.

Evers stated that Wisconsin was in line to receive over $60 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which had been appropriated by Congress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Trump administration issued an executive order directing the Federal Highway Administration to withhold funds from this program, which Evers characterized as illegal and contrary to promised investments. Wisconsin joined a multi-state lawsuit filed in the Western District of Washington challenging the Trump administration's withholding of the electric vehicle infrastructure funding.

Evers indicated he plans to sign legislation creating an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse's License, or APRN, if the bill reaches his desk. The governor had previously vetoed two similar proposals, citing concerns about inadequate experience requirements, titling protections, and patient safeguards for chronic pain management. The current compromise bill addresses those concerns by increasing supervised clinical training requirements to at least 3,840 hours before independent practice, adding oversight for nurse anesthetists in pain management, and strengthening enforcement authority for professional title usage.

Evers introduced a state budget in February 2025 that included over 600 provisions addressing areas such as Medicaid expansion, paid family leave, recreational marijuana legalization, child care subsidies, tax policy changes, lead remediation, and workplace discrimination protections. Republican legislators scheduled a vote by the Joint Finance Committee to remove hundreds of these provisions from the budget in a single action on Thursday. The final budget will require passage by the Legislature and signature by Evers to become law.

Evers included in his budget proposal the creation of a state film office and tax incentives for filmmakers who shoot movies in Wisconsin. The proposal aims to encourage film production within the state by providing financial incentives to producers and related industry professionals. The initiative was presented as part of Evers' broader budget recommendations to the state legislature.

Evers issued a memo to Wisconsin state employees in April 2025 instructing them to request identification and warrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and to contact state lawyers before responding to ICE requests. Tom Homan, the Trump administration's border czar, criticized the memo and stated "Wait to see what's coming" in comments to Gateway Pundit, which Evers characterized as a threat. Legal experts including the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin stated that the guidance in the memo does not constitute obstruction of justice and that requesting warrant information complies with Wisconsin law and the Fourth Amendment.

Evers issued a memo to state workers instructing them to consult legal counsel before providing information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or allowing them to conduct searches at state agencies. After Trump's border czar Tom Homan suggested that state officials could face felony charges for obstructing ICE operations, Evers responded in a video message characterizing Homan's remarks as threats and stating that he had not directed anyone to break the law. Evers disputed Republican claims that the memo instructed employees to obstruct federal authorities, asserting instead that the guidance was consistent with Fourth Amendment protections.

On Thursday, Evers announced the reappointment of William "Bill" Smith as chair of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board and appointed Jeff Hastings, a Vernon County conservationist, to fill a vacant seat on the board. Smith previously served as deputy secretary and natural resources manager for the Department of Natural Resources. Evers stated that both appointees understood the importance of protecting Wisconsin's natural waters and lands to support outdoor recreation, sporting, and tourism industries.

Governor Evers appointed three new members to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents: Tom Palzkewicz, Linda Terwilliger, and Noah Fritz, with Terwilliger and Fritz taking seven-year seats on the board overseeing UW campuses. This appointment completed Evers' transition of the Board of Regents to consist entirely of his appointees, as the final remaining appointee from former Governor Scott Walker's tenure expired. Terwilliger replaces Cris Petersson, the last remaining Walker appointee, for a term expiring in May 2032.

Governor Tony Evers appointed Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Hilton to fill a vacant seat on the Dane County Circuit Court, as announced in April 2025. Hilton will fill the vacancy created by Judge Frank Remington's May 2025 retirement and will serve a term concluding July 31, 2027. Hilton has served as an assistant attorney general with the Wisconsin Department of Justice since 2020 and previously worked as an assistant district attorney in La Crosse and Dane counties.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin joined approximately two dozen states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its termination of nearly $400 million in federal AmeriCorps grants. The action eliminates funding for 25 AmeriCorps programs in Wisconsin that employ approximately 430 members providing services in literacy tutoring, homelessness assistance, conservation work, and substance use recovery across more than 300 sites statewide. Serve Wisconsin, the state's AmeriCorps agency, indicated the cuts would leave only four months of remaining grant funds after receiving notification of the termination.

Governor Evers recommended state funding for the Wisconsin History Center, a $160.5 million museum project in downtown Madison, which was subsequently approved by the Wisconsin Legislature. The five-story, 100,000-square-foot facility is being constructed at the corner of State and North Carroll Streets and is expected to open in 2027. The project is funded through $112.3 million in state appropriations and $48.2 million in private donations, with the Historical Society seeking an additional $18.4 million to cover opening and operating expenses.

Evers vetoed a Republican-sponsored bill that would have asked Wisconsin voters whether to cap abortion at 14 weeks instead of the current 20-week limit. The veto occurred during the previous legislative session before the measure could reach the ballot. Evers has separately called for restoration of abortion access in his budget proposals, which Republican majorities in the Legislature have rejected.

The Evers administration issued a memo through the Department of Administration instructing state employees on procedures to follow if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appear at state agencies, including requesting identification, consulting legal counsel before providing access to files or non-public areas, and verifying that any warrant is judicial in nature. The guidance was developed in response to inquiries from agency staff about appropriate protocols and was not prompted by documented instances of ICE activity at state facilities. Republican officials characterized the memo as instructing employees to obstruct federal law enforcement, while civil liberties advocates described it as consistent with Fourth Amendment protections.

Evers used a partial veto to lock in K-12 school funding for 400 years in the state budget, which the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld in a ruling issued in April 2025. The veto drew criticism from Republicans, including former Governor Scott Walker, who characterized the action as problematic for Wisconsin taxpayers. Walker noted that in 2015 he had vetoed nearly 100 provisions in the state budget, including a section on school district revenue limits, though his action imposed a one-year pause rather than a multi-century constraint.

Evers announced on Earth Day that Wisconsin has planted approximately 42.7 million trees, representing 42 percent of the state's goal to plant 100 million trees by 2030 under the Trillion Trees Initiative. The governor issued an executive order in the previous year that increased Wisconsin's tree-planting pledge from 75 million to 100 million trees by the end of 2030 as part of the state's participation in the global initiative. Wisconsin has also conserved more than 57,000 acres of forest, exceeding half of its conservation goal, including through the preservation of the Pelican River Forest through conservation easement.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a line-item veto by Evers that altered school funding provisions with effects spanning approximately 400 years. The veto modified education funding allocations through the governor's line-item authority. Republican state senators subsequently introduced legislation to repeal the veto and restore the original funding structure.

Evers participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on April 17, 2025, for a new 395,000-square-foot engineering building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, expected to cost $419 million and accommodate an additional 1,000 engineering students annually. The project had been delayed for two years amid legislative negotiations over state funding before Evers signed legislation in 2024 authorizing the building's construction and the state building commission approved it in January 2025. The facility, to be named after Philip A. Levy, will be funded through $75 million in donations from brothers Marvin and Jeffrey Levy, $150 million in total private donations, and state appropriations.

Governor Evers used his partial veto power in July 2023 to strike digits and a hyphen in the state budget bill, extending a $325 per-pupil school funding increase from its intended expiration in 2024 through the year 2425. The Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority upheld the veto in a 4-3 decision in April 2025, ruling that the state constitution does not restrict the governor's partial veto power based on the magnitude of policy changes it produces. The court determined that striking individual digits to create a new number is a constitutionally permissible exercise of the governor's veto authority.

Governor Evers called for one billion dollars in funding for the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program over the next ten years, an increase from the current annual state support of thirty-three million dollars. The stewardship program, which allows Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources to borrow money to purchase and set aside land for conservation, is scheduled to expire in June 2026. The program's renewal faces legislative uncertainty following a 2024 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that found GOP-led Joint Finance Committee members had improperly blocked stewardship projects through an unconstitutional "pocket veto" process.

Governor Evers called for sales tax exemptions on gun safes, trigger locks, and barrel locks in his 2025 State of the State Address, lending support to a bipartisan legislative proposal to exempt firearm safety devices from Wisconsin's sales and use tax. Evers had included a similar measure in his budget proposal two years prior, though it did not advance through the Republican-controlled Legislature. The current bill, authored by state Rep. Adam Neylon and state Sen. Van Wanggaard, both Republicans, has gained Democratic co-sponsors and is advancing through the legislative committee process.

Governor Evers announced the distribution of approximately $3.2 million in Small Business Development Grants to nineteen businesses and economic development organizations across Wisconsin. The grants, ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, were allocated to local communities and organizations including municipalities, counties, and regional economic development entities to support small business development and creation. The funded programs include downtown business recruitment initiatives, entrepreneur training programs, commercial property improvement projects, and efforts to address business vacancies and underutilized properties.

Governor Evers included $32 million in state funding for victim services in his fiscal year 2026 budget proposal released in February 2025, designed to offset declining federal allocations under the Victims of Crime Act. The funding would support the Department of Justice's Office of Victim Services and maintain 17 staff positions previously financed by federal VOCA grants, which have declined over 70 percent in Wisconsin over the past five years. The Republican-controlled Legislature began budget hearings on the proposal and is expected to vote on a spending plan before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.

Evers released a biennial budget proposal approximately two months before the article's publication date that included increased funding allocations for K-12 education, the Universities of Wisconsin system, and water quality initiatives. The proposal has continued its progress through the state legislature since its release. Political analyst Brandon Scholz was interviewed to discuss the status of the budget proposal as it faced consideration by the Republican-controlled legislature.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul joined other states in filing more than a dozen lawsuits, appeals, and friend-of-the-court filings challenging Trump administration actions on issues including birthright citizenship, federal worker terminations, cancellation of research and education grants, and personal data access. Governor Tony Evers characterized an executive order ending birthright citizenship as unconstitutional. The lawsuits represent part of a broader wave of legal challenges, with the Trump administration facing well over 100 lawsuits within its first 90 days.

Governor Evers proposed increasing funding for the University of Wisconsin system by $856 million over the next two-year budget, including funds for wage increases and a tuition promise program for lower-income Wisconsin students. Evers also included $535 million in his budget proposal for a reorganization of Wisconsin's prison system, which would close the maximum-security facility in Green Bay and convert Waupun Correctional Institution into a vocational facility for incarcerated people. Republican lawmakers on the Joint Finance Committee questioned both funding requests during agency briefings, focusing on concerns about administrative costs in the UW system and the safety implications of early release programs in the corrections proposal.

Wisconsin Governor Evers joined Attorney General Josh Kaul in announcing that Wisconsin is part of a lawsuit filed by 23 Democratic-led states against the Trump administration's U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging the abrupt termination of approximately $11 billion in public health funding. Wisconsin stands to lose more than $225 million in federal grants, including funding for pandemic preparedness data systems and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The lawsuit seeks a federal court order to temporarily block the cancellation of the grants, which the states argue were terminated unlawfully without proper justification.

Governor Evers issued a statement responding to over $210 million in federal health funding cuts to Wisconsin announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which canceled COVID-19 pandemic grants previously allocated to state health departments. Evers identified specific programs affected by the cuts, including the 988 crisis line, addiction services, immunization tracking, and public health labs, as well as the Uplift Wisconsin warmline that was set to close on April 5, 2025. Evers stated he would explore options to contest the federal cuts while noting that his recent budget proposal included $1.2 million in state funding over two years to potentially resume the warmline program.

Governor Evers vetoed Assembly Bill 1, a Republican-authored proposal to restore school testing benchmarks that had been recently changed in Wisconsin's annual school district report cards and Forward Exam. In his veto message, Evers stated that he could not support legislation that would allow the state legislature to encroach on the state superintendent's constitutional authority, inject partisan politics into setting student and school success metrics, and undermine the superintendent's impartiality and independence. The veto was struck down on Friday by the Democratic governor.

Governor Evers launched a recruitment campaign to attract displaced federal workers to Wisconsin following mass layoffs by the Trump Administration. The state Department of Workforce Development created an online portal with career resources and scheduled virtual job fairs in April, targeting positions in law enforcement, healthcare, and other areas affected by federal workforce reductions. The campaign was announced as Wisconsin's unemployment rate remained at 3.2 percent in February, though total employment declined by 5,300 workers over the month.

Governor Evers proposed allocating approximately $250 million to transform the Waupun Correctional Institution into a vocational village, a prison-based trade school model first established in Michigan in 2016. The vocational village program provides incarcerated individuals within 18 to 24 months of release with over six hours of daily training in skilled trades such as carpentry, welding, and tree trimming, alongside partnerships with employers for job placement upon release. Michigan's vocational village graduates have demonstrated a 12 percent recidivism rate compared to 22 percent for the general prison population, and a 68 percent employment rate upon release.

Evers announced the opening of a new portal designed to connect federal workers affected by layoffs with employment resources and opportunities. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, under the Evers Administration, also organized eight virtual job fairs scheduled throughout April 2025, covering sectors including healthcare, information technology, law enforcement, engineering, social services, maintenance, and finance. These initiatives were intended to assist displaced federal workers in identifying alternative employment options.

Evers submitted a $4.1 billion capital budget proposal for the next two fiscal years to the State Building Commission, which included $3.85 billion in new bonding for projects such as demolishing the Humanities Building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completing deferred maintenance across the state, and reorganizing the state's prison system through renovations and eventual closure of Green Bay Correctional Institution. Republicans on the building commission voted 4-4 on the proposal, resulting in a deadlock and preventing the commission from issuing a recommendation before the plan proceeded to the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee. The capital budget proposal also included expansion of an earned release program for nonviolent offenders, which would reduce the state's prison population by approximately 700 people.

Governor Evers submitted a $4.1 billion capital budget proposal that included tearing down UW-Madison's Humanities building and funding Wisconsin prison revitalization projects. The State Building Commission deadlocked on the recommendations in a 4-4 vote along party lines, transferring authority to the Legislature's Republican-controlled budget committee. The committee will now select which projects to prioritize during the upcoming biennium budget negotiations.

Governor Evers sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday requesting clarification and resolution regarding uncertainty affecting Wisconsin infrastructure projects dependent on federal funding and approvals. Evers cited concerns stemming from Trump administration executive orders and agency actions that have created permitting delays and paused federal funding for a $5 billion electric vehicle charger installation program, which threatened 15 approved Wisconsin projects totaling $7 million in immediate funding and over $56 million in future allocations. The governor specifically identified four projects requiring federal support, including highway resurfacing in Menominee County, a rail yard expansion in Milwaukee, a bridge project in Douglas County, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, noting that project delays would increase costs.

The Wisconsin legislature passed a bill that would reset standardized test score benchmarks to standards used in the 2019-20 school year, reverting changes made by the Department of Public Instruction that replaced terminology such as "below basic" and "proficient" with "developing" and "approaching." Governor Evers stated he would probably veto the legislation, citing his belief that the Department of Public Instruction should operate as an independent agency rather than have the legislature dictate cut scores. The bill passed on a party-line vote in both chambers before being sent to Evers's desk.

Governor Evers included $25 million in his capital budget proposal for preliminary planning, design, and sitework related to renovations at the Milwaukee County Courthouse complex in downtown Milwaukee. The proposal addresses the Milwaukee County Public Safety Building, a nearly 100-year-old structure that houses criminal courtrooms and county district attorney offices and contains unused jail space. The total project is estimated at $495 million, with the county having requested $250 million in state funding for the full renovation and construction effort.

The Wisconsin Assembly passed legislation on March 18, 2025, that would require county sheriffs to comply with federal immigration authorities by requesting proof of legal presence from people held in jail on felony charges and reporting them to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with sheriffs also required to honor federal detainer warrants. The bill would reduce state shared revenue payments to sheriffs by 15 percent if they fail to comply with these requirements. Governor Evers indicated he would likely veto the proposal, which the Department of Justice estimated would cost the state approximately $45 million annually to implement.

Evers issued Executive Order #255 ordering flags at half-staff in honor of firefighter and emergency medical responder Lori A. Boelkes, who died in the line of duty on February 27. Boelkes served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical responder for over a decade, including ten years with the New Auburn Area Fire Department and one year with the Warrens Area Fire Department. The executive order remained in effect from sunrise to sunset on Saturday.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul joined 20 other states in filing a lawsuit on Thursday to block the Trump administration's planned layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education, which Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced would eliminate more than 1,800 positions. Kaul argued that such reductions could significantly impact Wisconsin schools, families, and communities by making it impossible for the agency to continue distributing federal funds to schools across the country. Federal officials stated the agency would continue delivering key functions despite the workforce reduction.

Evers unveiled a capital budget proposal in March 2025 calling for $4.1 billion in new building projects across Wisconsin, with $1.6 billion designated for University of Wisconsin campuses, $325 million for early phases of his prison restructuring initiative, and $1.2 billion for maintenance projects at state agencies. The proposal would require the state to borrow approximately $3.8 billion and requires legislative approval. Evers stated the investments were necessary to address aging infrastructure and noted that construction costs could increase due to potential tariffs on building materials.

Evers joined a multi-state lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland challenging the Office of Personnel Management's termination of federal workers with probationary status following a Trump administration executive order. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul signed onto the suit as one of 20 state attorneys general, with the lawsuit alleging that the firings violated required legal processes including the failure to provide 60 days notice. Evers stated that the firings, which may have affected thousands of Wisconsin workers including those in the Veterans Administration, represented a violation of the separation of powers by the executive branch disregarding congressional appropriations and statutory requirements.

Evers proposed a capital budget exceeding $4 billion, with the largest allocations directed toward building projects. The proposal was submitted for legislative consideration as part of the state's budgeting process. The capital budget represents Evers's spending recommendations for infrastructure and construction initiatives across Wisconsin state government.

Evers declared March 9-15 as Girl Scout Week in Wisconsin through a gubernatorial proclamation presented at an event held at the State Capitol on March 8, 2025. The proclamation was delivered by Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, a lifetime Girl Scout member and troop leader, at an event attended by more than 500 Girl Scouts from across the state. The declaration recognized the Girl Scouts organization and its role in civic engagement among young people in Wisconsin.

Governor Evers approved a wolf harvest regulation rule developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that was signed off by the Natural Resources Board in October 2023. The regulations establish updated wolf harvest zone boundaries, require hunters to report kills within 8 hours rather than by the following day, implement zone-specific tags instead of statewide tags, and include protections for wolf dens. The State Senate's sporting heritage committee is currently reviewing the rule to determine whether to approve, deny, or request modifications to the regulations.

Governor Evers stated that Trump's tariffs on goods from China, Mexico, and Canada, which took effect on March 4, 2025, would negatively impact Wisconsin's state budget planning and key industries including dairy. Evers argued that the tariffs would create uncertainty for the state's budget process, which he characterized as making it difficult to plan expenditures and revenues simultaneously. Evers indicated that Wisconsin's $1.8 billion cheese industry would be particularly affected by retaliatory tariffs from Canada.

Evers vetoed a Republican-championed bill expanding a teacher apprenticeship program in the previous legislative session, citing concerns that it interfered with an existing pilot program involving school districts, technical colleges, and Lakeland University. Evers subsequently included $3.7 million in fiscal year 2025-26 and $1.7 million in fiscal year 2026-27 in his budget proposal for Wisconsin Fast Forward grants to expand teacher apprenticeships alongside health care, green jobs, and technical education initiatives. The apprenticeship model allows aspiring educators to earn teaching licenses while gaining classroom experience and receiving compensation.

Governor Evers included $300 million in his budget proposal to remove lead from schools, homes, and child care centers, with over $6 million designated for local health departments to support lead poisoning intervention and response. This proposal was made as Milwaukee Public Schools dealt with lead contamination at multiple school buildings, including the Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies, which temporarily closed in February 2025 due to unsafe lead dust levels. The funding would address lead hazards in the 85 Milwaukee Public Schools buildings constructed before 1978, when lead paint was banned.

Evers proposed a comprehensive prison reform plan that includes closing the Green Bay Correctional Institution, converting Waupun Correctional Institution from maximum to medium security with a job training focus, transforming Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls into a 500-bed medium security adult male prison, and upgrading Stanley Correctional Institution from medium to high security. Evers stated the plan would save Wisconsin taxpayers approximately one billion dollars by avoiding construction of a new facility. Assembly Republicans, including State Rep. Dean Kaufert and State Sen. Jesse James, indicated receptiveness to closing the Green Bay facility while calling for bipartisan consultation on the broader reform package.

Republican lawmakers introduced the "Help Not Harm Act," legislation that would prohibit health care providers from providing puberty suppressants, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgery to patients under age 18. The bill would require state medical licensing boards to investigate allegations of violations and revoke licenses of providers found in breach. Governor Evers has vetoed similar legislation in the past.

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board unanimously approved revised regulations to change deer management unit boundaries from county-based divisions to habitat-based units in central and northern Wisconsin forests. The regulations, which rename County Deer Advisory Councils as Citizen Deer Advisory Councils, still require approval from Gov. Evers and the Wisconsin Legislature before implementation. The changes respond to requests from northern counties that cited varying landscape conditions and deer population fluctuations within their borders as reasons to shift from the county-line system established in 2014.

Evers included funding for a new Ombudsperson's Office in his two-year budget proposal for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, allocating approximately $2 million to establish an 11-person office. The ombudsperson would investigate complaints regarding facilities, abuse, unfair acts, and violations of rights of persons in the care of the department, and would publish annual reports with recommendations to the Department of Corrections. At least 19 states have established similar prison oversight bodies, while Wisconsin currently relies on an internal complaints examiner process.

Governor Evers' proposed budget, released in February 2025, includes funding for lead hazard investigations in response to elevated lead dust levels discovered at multiple Milwaukee Public Schools buildings. The budget brief accompanying the proposal stated that failure to address the issue swiftly would place children at risk of lead poisoning and developmental delays. Evers characterized the situation at Milwaukee Public Schools as "unbelievably bad" and stated the issue should have been addressed years prior.

Governor Evers included language in his two-year budget proposal that would replace gendered terms such as "mother," "father," and "husband" with gender-neutral language including "inseminated person" and "person" when referencing artificial insemination and same-sex marriage in state law. The budget proposal stated that the changes were intended to recognize same-sex marriage legalization and provide greater flexibility and inclusion for all individuals, couples, and families. State and national Republicans criticized the budget language for these terminology changes.

Governor Evers included in his budget request a $535 million plan to reorganize Wisconsin's prison system that would close Green Bay Correctional Institution, convert Stanley Correctional Institution to maximum security, transform the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prison complex into a medium security adult facility, and convert Waupun Correctional Institution to medium security with job training focus, reducing overall prison capacity by approximately 700 beds. The plan also calls for expanding the earned release program, which allows non-violent offenders near the end of their sentences to secure early release after completing substance abuse treatment, with expanded job and educational training availability for participants. The proposal requires approval from Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Legislature, which has indicated resistance to the earned release expansion component.

Governor Evers proposed a $119 billion biennial budget on February 18, 2025, that includes $3.15 billion in increased K-12 spending and more than $850 million for the Universities of Wisconsin system. The budget proposal also allocates $480 million in state funds for child care subsidies previously funded by the federal government and includes $1.1 billion for special education aid funding. The proposal would be funded in part through tax increases on high earners, including a new top tax bracket for millionaires generating $1.3 billion in revenue.

In 2023, Evers signed Act 20, a legislative overhaul to Wisconsin's reading instruction methods, which included a $50 million appropriations bill for implementation. In February 2024, Evers used a partial veto to strike funding provisions directing how school boards and charter schools would use the money, leading the Republican-controlled Legislature to sue over his authority to make those changes. Because the Wisconsin Supreme Court has not scheduled oral arguments on the dispute and will not rule before the end of the fiscal year, the $50 million will return to the state's surplus rather than be released for the reading law's implementation.

Governor Evers proposed sweeping changes to Wisconsin's prison system over the weekend, including the closure of Green Bay Correctional Institution and the transformation of Waupun Correctional Institution into a medium security vocational village focused on workforce readiness. The Waupun plan would involve temporarily shutting down the facility to demolish existing cell halls and rebuild 600 cells at a cost exceeding $245 million, with completion projected for at least 2031 if approved in the next state budget. Prison reform advocates have questioned whether the plan adequately addresses underlying issues within the state's correctional system.

Governor Evers included a roughly $500 million proposal in his two-year budget that would close the Green Bay Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison, and transform the Waupun Correctional Institution into a "vocational village." The proposal, to be formally introduced on Tuesday, would expand the state's earned release program for eligible inmates to reduce the prison population and allow the Department of Corrections to relocate inmates currently incarcerated at Green Bay to other facilities. The plan also calls for renovating several aging facilities and closing other institutions including the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma.

Governor Evers proposed a $535 million corrections overhaul in his budget that includes closing the Green Bay Correctional Institution and converting the Waupun Correctional Institution into a vocational training facility for incarcerated people. The plan also expands opportunities for nonviolent offenders to earn earlier release by completing job training and substance use programs. Evers described the proposal as addressing overcrowding and safety concerns while reducing recidivism, though the plan requires legislative approval and faces resistance from Republican lawmakers who control both chambers.

Governor Evers announced a comprehensive corrections system reform plan in February 2025 that includes closing Green Bay Correctional Institution by 2029, rehabilitating Waupun Correctional Institution, and closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools youth facilities. The plan proposes $3.7 million for pay progression of social workers and treatment specialists, $9.6 million for probation and parole agent compensation, and increased investment in substance use disorder treatment capacity to address the high rate of community supervision revocations. Evers cited Wisconsin's spending on corrections exceeding most Midwest states and the state's prison overcrowding, with current population at 23,074 against a capacity of 17,638.

Governor Evers is preparing his next state budget proposal as Wisconsin projects a surplus of approximately $4.3 billion for the upcoming two-year budget cycle, based on analysis from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau. During his State of the State Address on January 22, 2025, Evers indicated his intent to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars toward student mental health services, child care, and violence prevention. The projected surplus has set the stage for disagreement between Evers and the Republican-controlled state Legislature, with legislative leaders indicating they intend to direct surplus funds toward tax cuts rather than the governor's proposed spending priorities.

Governor Evers signed legislation in 2023 authored by Rep. Todd Novak and Sen. Romaine Quinn that funded the Office of School Safety through the fall of 2025 using revenue from concealed-carry permit fees. The Office of School Safety, created in 2018 following the Parkland school shooting, operates programs including a 24-hour student tipline and critical incident response teams. Novak and Quinn subsequently introduced a new bill in February 2025 to provide permanent funding for the office through general purpose revenue.

Governor Evers commissioned an independent audit of Milwaukee Public Schools that found the district was not adequately supporting schools or ensuring student success, citing factors including an absence of clear vision and disempowered leadership. Evers announced he would allocate approximately $8 million toward implementing the audit's 29 recommendations, with $3 million directed immediately for implementation and $5 million included in his 2025-27 state budget for ongoing support contingent on the district's progress. The $5 million in future funding requires approval from the Joint Finance Committee and will only be distributed if the state determines the district has made substantial and sufficient progress on the audit's findings.

Governor Evers has introduced provisions in multiple budget proposals since taking office to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage for low-income mothers from 60 days to one year. Wisconsin lawmakers are again considering the proposal, which has received bipartisan support with two-thirds of the state Assembly and 21 of 33 state Senators signed on as co-sponsors. A similar proposal passed the Senate in the last legislative session but was not brought to a vote in the Assembly.

Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction rolled out new testing standards in June 2024 that renamed performance categories, adjusted proficiency benchmarks, and modified how the Forward Exam measures student performance in English language arts and mathematics for grades three through eight. Governor Evers questioned the process by which the Department of Public Instruction implemented the changes. The new standards have generated political attention, with Republicans introducing a proposal to reverse them and educators raising concerns about the inability to compare student performance data across years.

Evers joined a multistate lawsuit filed by New York's attorney general on Friday challenging the Department of Government Efficiency's access to Treasury Department records containing sensitive personal data including Social Security numbers and bank account information. In a written statement, Evers stated that providing political appointees access to Wisconsinites' personal and financial data is illegal and that such information must be protected with the highest level of confidentiality. A federal judge issued an emergency restraining order on Saturday preventing the department from accessing Treasury records and ordering destruction of any material already accessed, with the order remaining in effect until a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Governor Evers proposed a recreational marijuana legalization plan during the 2021-2023 budget that the Wisconsin Legislative Bureau projected would generate approximately $165.8 million in annual tax revenue for the state. The ACLU of Wisconsin released a report titled "The State of Cannabis" documenting that Black residents in Wisconsin were arrested for marijuana possession at rates 5.29 times higher than White residents despite comparable usage rates between the two groups. The report found substantial bipartisan support for legalization, with 78 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of independents, and 95 percent of Democrats surveyed supporting medical marijuana legalization in Wisconsin.

Evers joined a coalition of 22 states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration on February 10, 2025, challenging the National Institutes of Health's decision to reduce indirect cost reimbursements to research institutions to a flat 15% rate. The reimbursements, which cover expenses such as laboratory facilities, faculty, and infrastructure at institutions including UW-Madison, had previously varied by institution under negotiated agreements. The coalition alleged that the across-the-board cut violates the Administrative Procedure Act by requiring categorical and indiscriminate changes to reimbursement rates without proper procedural authority.

The Trump administration halted a $5 billion federal program for electric vehicle charger installation, immediately suspending approval of state plans and blocking Wisconsin from accessing approximately $55 million in remaining federal funding. Wisconsin had been set to receive over $78 million total for charging station deployment, with 53 projects planned across the state, including 15 projects that had already been approved for $7.3 million. Governor Evers issued a statement characterizing the administration's decision as shortsighted and reckless, noting the action came one week after he participated in launching the state's first federally funded EV charging stations at Kwik Trip locations.

Governor Evers indicated support for allocating more than $800 million to the University of Wisconsin System in his upcoming two-year budget proposal, which he planned to introduce later in February 2025. This funding level aligns with the Universities of Wisconsin system's request for an $855 million budget increase to the state Legislature. Evers stated in a September 2024 statement that investment in the UW System is necessary to retain Wisconsin's workforce talent and attract young adults to remain in the state.

Governor Evers announced $80 million in budget proposals related to food and agriculture for his next state budget, which he will present on February 18. The proposals include $171,300 in new funding for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports program and creation of a full-time agricultural economist position at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Additional budget proposals include $1 million in funding for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection grant program and new state restrictions on the use of the term "milk" by non-dairy products.

Evers awarded grants to 49 farmer-led groups through the Producer-Led Watershed Program Grant Program to support conservation efforts focused on soil health and water quality improvements in Wisconsin. In his 2025-27 Executive Budget announcement, Evers proposed increasing funding for the PLWPG program by $1 million, bringing total program funding to $2.5 million. The grants are intended to encourage farmer participation in producer-led conservation solutions.

Wisconsin Republicans introduced a bill requiring county sheriffs to report individuals detained on felony charges who cannot provide proof of legal U.S. residency to the Department of Homeland Security, with sheriffs who fail to comply facing reductions in state funding. The proposal would also mandate that local jails comply with federal immigration detainer warrants and allow counties to seek federal reimbursement for associated detention costs. Governor Evers stated that sheriffs, as elected officials, should have discretion in such matters and indicated he would likely veto the bill if it passes the Legislature.

Evers included funding to address PFAS contamination in his proposal for the next state budget. The governor's budget proposal allocated resources specifically designated for addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Wisconsin. This action represents part of Evers' ongoing efforts to address PFAS contamination in the state.

Evers made a statement supporting the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's announcement of a $100 million investment through the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program to fund 55 rural road repair and upgrade projects across the state. The program, created through Act 13 in the 2023-25 budget, covers up to 90 percent of eligible project costs for roads providing access to agricultural lands and facilities. Evers emphasized that the investment supports Wisconsin's agriculture and food processing sectors and rural communities.

Governor Evers announced his intention to veto a Republican bill that would require Wisconsin county sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration officials or forfeit state funding. The measure would mandate that sheriffs comply with federal immigration warrants and report individuals in custody to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if those individuals are held on felony charges. The bill was introduced by Republican legislators as part of efforts aligned with federal immigration enforcement priorities.

Governor Evers announced in his 2025-27 executive budget proposal a $145 million plan to address PFAS contamination across Wisconsin. The funding would support grant programs for testing municipal drinking water and private wells, assist local businesses and communities in reducing PFAS use and release, support statewide PFAS elimination research, provide emergency clean water supplies to affected households, and expand eligibility for the state's Well Compensation Grant Program. The proposal also includes an exemption from cleanup costs for landowners who unknowingly spread PFAS contamination.

Governor Evers announced a $145 million plan to address PFAS contamination in his upcoming state budget proposal, which includes funding for grant programs, staff positions, testing, and research to understand and eliminate the harmful chemicals from Wisconsin's water systems. The proposal also includes the creation of groundwater standards for six PFAS chemicals and would exempt innocent landowners from financial responsibility for cleaning up PFAS contamination on their property. Evers stated his plan would be largely funded through $125 million previously set aside in the current budget and urged lawmakers from both parties to support the initiative when he formally presents his budget proposal on February 18.

Governor Evers indicated he would veto a bill proposed by Republican lawmakers that would require Wisconsin sheriffs to check the citizenship status of all people arrested for felonies and notify federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement if an arrestee's citizenship could not be determined or if they are found to be undocumented. The bill would also require jails to honor federal detention requests and would reduce state shared revenue by 15 percent for sheriff's offices that fail to comply with these requirements. Evers's stated position on the bill emerged as Democratic Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett publicly objected to the legislation, arguing it represented an unfunded mandate that would increase costs and infringe on local law enforcement autonomy.

Governor Evers initiated the raising of pride and Juneteenth flags at the Wisconsin Capitol, including the progress pride flag for the first time in state history. Republican legislators introduced a bill that would ban flags other than the U.S. flag, state flag, official prisoner-of-war and missing-in-action flags, and official military branch flags from flying over the Capitol. The bill would require Evers' signature to become law.

Governor Evers announced on Tuesday that Wisconsin is joining a multi-state lawsuit to challenge an Office of Management and Budget policy that would pause nearly all federal assistance and grant loan funding across federal agencies. The lawsuit, filed alongside Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and joined by 22 other states and the District of Columbia, seeks to block the policy before it takes effect. Evers had sent a letter to President Trump earlier that day requesting reconsideration of the policy.

Evers signed legislation in the previous year that allows former Hmong soldiers who aided the United States during the Secret War in Laos between 1961 and 1975 to list veteran status on their Wisconsin driver's licenses. The measure recognized individuals who received U.S. citizenship under the Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 2000 but lacked official veteran designation at the state level. Wisconsin lawmakers subsequently introduced a new bipartisan bill in the current legislative session to extend additional state-level veterans benefits to this population, including grants, tuition assistance, and licensing fee waivers.

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin would join a multistate lawsuit challenging President Trump's executive order banning birthright citizenship for children born to parents unlawfully present in the country. The lawsuit argues that the executive order violates the 14th Amendment and over 100 years of Supreme Court precedent protecting birthright citizenship. Evers stated that the order would require Wisconsin to establish new systems to determine citizenship status and would impose costs on the state while requiring state agents to take unconstitutional actions.

Governor Evers sent a letter to President Trump on January 28, 2025, requesting that Trump reconsider a memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget that directed federal agencies to temporarily pause all federal grants and loans. Evers stated in the letter that the pause, implemented without adequate notice or details, could have disastrous consequences for Wisconsin, which receives over 28 billion dollars in annual federal revenue accounting for 28.2 percent of the state's total revenue. Evers argued that the programs targeted by the pause were approved by Congress and represent the law, and he urged Trump to follow legal requirements before proceeding with the decision.

Wisconsin Republicans introduced a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to restrict the governor's partial veto powers, limiting future vetoes to only those capable of functioning as "complete, entire, and workable" separate laws. The proposal was prompted by Governor Evers' July 2023 use of the partial veto to extend a school funding increase for 400 years by removing specific characters from the budget language. The amendment requires passage in two successive legislative sessions and approval by voters in a statewide referendum before taking effect.

In his State of the State address, Evers declared 2025 "The Year of the Kid" and pledged $300 million for youth mental health initiatives in public schools. The funding proposal aims to expand mental health resources available to students in Wisconsin's public school system. School social workers responded to the announcement by discussing how they would utilize the additional mental health funding.

During his State of the State address on January 22, 2025, Evers proposed allocating $300 million toward youth mental health initiatives, including peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs, declaring 2025 the "Year of the Kid." He also called for bipartisan investments in violence prevention and announced his upcoming budget plan would include proposals to lower medical and child care costs for families. Evers indicated these initiatives would be formally presented in his budget proposal in February 2025.

Evers announced a proposal for a $300 million investment in school mental health services to be included in his State of the State address on January 22, 2025. The investment would fund peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs and expanded mental health training for schools. This represented an expansion of previous mental health funding, building on the $25 million allocated in the 2023-2025 budget for the Department of Public Instruction's School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program.

In his State of the State address on January 23, 2025, Governor Evers announced plans to direct nearly $300 million toward mental health services and related supports to schools in his next two-year spending proposal. The funding is part of Evers' declaration of 2025 as the "year of the kid" and includes measures addressing youth mental health, gun violence, free school meals, child care provider funding, and suicide prevention. The proposal revives several initiatives that Evers has previously advocated for but that have been rejected by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Evers joined a coalition of 17 states and two cities in filing a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. The executive order asserted that the 14th Amendment does not automatically grant citizenship to all persons born in the United States, including children born to parents unlawfully present or temporarily in the country. Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul stated that Wisconsin's participation in the litigation was necessary to defend constitutional rights and prevent potential loss of federal funding for state programs including Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Evers established a statewide office aimed at preventing violence in Wisconsin. The office was approved for funding as part of state budget allocations. The creation of this violence prevention office represented a new administrative initiative within state government focused on public safety measures.

Governor Evers signed an executive order on January 14, 2025, establishing a statewide Office of Violence Prevention and directing $10 million in federal pandemic relief funds to the new office. The office will distribute grants to school districts, local police departments, nonprofits, and firearms dealers while developing public education campaigns and identifying opportunities to improve statewide policies and laws. Evers also announced he will propose legislative changes to regulate firearms, including potential modifications to background checks, red flag laws, and child access to firearms, in his state budget request to be introduced the following month.

On January 14, 2025, Evers signed an executive order creating the Office of Violence Prevention following the Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Madison that killed two people the previous month. The office is designed to coordinate between state and local agencies including law enforcement and will administer grants to firearm dealers, nonprofits, school districts, and law enforcement agencies. Evers allocated an initial $10 million in federal pandemic funds to support the new office.

Evers commented that the Department of Public Instruction's revision of state testing benchmarks, which lowered proficiency thresholds and changed terminology for describing student performance, could have been handled better and lacked sufficient prior conversation with parents. The changes, implemented by State Superintendent Jill Underly and a group of 88 educators across Wisconsin, made 2023-24 test scores incomparable to previous years and drew criticism from both Evers and Republican Assembly Leader Robin Vos. Underly stated that the revised standards were designed to make test scores more meaningful and better aligned with Wisconsin educational standards.

Evers called for an overhaul of Wisconsin's referendum process to allow Wisconsinites to amend state law and the Wisconsin Constitution through ballot measures. The governor's proposal represents another iteration of his effort to reshape the state's direct democracy mechanisms. The specific structural changes Evers advocated for were not detailed in the announcement.

In his 2025-27 biennial budget proposal, Evers included a measure to establish a voter initiative and referendum process in Wisconsin, allowing citizens to propose and repeal state laws through petition and popular vote. The proposal mirrors mechanisms already in place in more than 20 other states and represents a revised version of a similar request Evers made in 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Republican-controlled state Senate signaled it would reject the measure without further deliberation or floor discussion.

Evers requested that the Wisconsin Legislature approve changes to the state's referendum process that would allow citizens to initiate ballot measures through petition signatures, enabling voters to directly decide on changes to state law and the Wisconsin Constitution. Currently, only the state Legislature can place proposed constitutional amendments on statewide ballots. Evers indicated that such changes could be included in Wisconsin's biennial budget, though implementing the modification would require constitutional amendments approved by both legislative chambers in two consecutive sessions and ratified by voters.

Evers announced a plan to introduce a ballot proposition process in Wisconsin that would allow voters to directly enact laws and constitutional amendments without legislative approval, similar to systems in states such as California. The proposal would require voters to submit petitions to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and with sufficient signatures, a referendum question would appear on a subsequent ballot. Evers stated he would include the proposal in his state budget draft, which he will present to the Legislature on February 18, 2025.

In April 2024, Evers vetoed a bill introduced by Republican lawmakers to address PFAS contamination in Wisconsin, citing concerns that the legislation would limit the authority of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to require polluters to test and clean up contamination under state law. The bill had proposed spending from a $125 million allocation in the state budget on grants for local governments, landowners, and landfills to test wells and treatment plants, as well as grants to landowners with PFAS contamination they did not cause. Evers has called on the Republican-controlled Legislature to release the funds to address PFAS pollution, noting that more than 500 days had elapsed since the money was set aside in the budget.