Wisconsin legislators lay out priorities. Here's what to know from leaders of both parties.
MADISON – After Wisconsin Democrats picked up legislative seats in the Nov. 5 election, both parties addressed reporters this week laying out their priorities for the upcoming session.
Republicans held onto their majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, but they lost 10 seats in the state Assembly and four in the state Senate.
Here's what the two parties had to say this week.
Assembly Republicans are focused on inflation
"If you talk to most folks, they know the price of groceries. They know that rent is higher. They know that of the cost of just about everything is higher. Now, much of that, of course, is driven by the national government, and I hope that President (Donald) Trump, with the new United States Senate and House of Representatives being a trifecta, will have the opportunity to showcase the ideas that they have to help keep costs down," said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.
Vos noted that the state has a budget surplus exceeding $4 billion, and said Assembly Republicans would direct their efforts toward returning that money to taxpayers, particularly pushing a retirement income tax exemption.
Assembly Republicans say abortion law should be decided by referendum
Vos said Wisconsin voters should decide via referendum what restrictions should be placed on abortion access in the state.
Assembly Republicans voted in January to pass a bill asking voters whether the state should ban abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy, but it did not receive a Senate vote and would have likely been vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Abortion was "really all our Democratic colleagues talked about" during the campaign, Vos said, adding that he heard far more from voters about economic concerns.
Senate Democrats: 'We have a pathway to the majority in 2026'
"For the first time in 20 years, we had a Democratic candidate running in every single Senate race," Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, told reporters.
"And I think that's so important for democracy. … We flipped four of these targeted seats, defeating the Republicans' manufactured super-majority, we are no longer in that space, and we are so happy to have Democratic senators 15. to Republicans' 18, and we have a pathway to the majority in 2026."
Senate Democrats will push for more education funding, Medicaid expansion
Hesselbein said Senate Democrats will argue to fund meals for K-12 students, make tuition affordable for universities and technical colleges and accept federal funding to expand Medicaid eligibility.
"For too long, our Legislature has been a roadblock to progress on issues supported by the majority of Wisconsinites. We are here to say that the era of gavel-in, gavel- out politics without accountability, is over," said Sen.-elect Jodi Habush Sinykin.
Habush Sinkyin said one takeaway from talking to voters on the campaign trail was that the state Legislature needs to do more to fund public schools and the University of Wisconsin System, local governments, health care and tax relief.
(This story has been updated to add a photo or video.)
Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin legislators lay out priorities. Here's what to know.