Madison, Wis. – Today the Wisconsin State Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 45, the 2025-27 state budget bill. Senator Romaine Robert Quinn (R-Birchwood) issued the following statement after his vote in favor of the bill:
“As a member of the Joint Finance Committee, I set out my priorities at the very beginning of the budget process to lower taxes and focus on the needs of Northern Wisconsin. Today I’m proud to vote for a budget that delivers meaningful reforms for the people of Wisconsin including tax cuts and investments in education, childcare, and roads for rural areas.
This budget returns surplus funds to the hardworking taxpayers who paid them. When the governor introduced his budget back in February, he included $2.7 billion in tax hikes. Today the budget I voted for cuts taxes by $1.5 billion – continuing over a decade of prudent Republican decisions that have lead to responsible, balanced budgets which generate surplus revenue year after year.
In addition to significant investments in our priorities, this budget creates efficiencies with 300 fewer positions and spends less than the governor’s original proposal, which contained a 20% increase in new spending and an increase of over 1,000 new full time government positions.
Back in February, Governor Evers introduced a bloated budget of 1,917 pages of new taxes, regulations, and bureaucracy. The budget passed today is 421 pages and focuses on real reforms including:
- Significant tax relief for middle class, working families and retirees
- Removes sales tax from your utility bill
- Triples the adoption expenses deduction to ease the financial burden for families making a life changing commitment
- Reauthorizes funding for the Office of School Safety to prevent safety threats in schools
- Increases funding for special education and school mental health services
- Meaningful investment in childcare to assist parents and providers
- Reauthorizes $150 million for the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program
- Supports postpartum services, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, and veterans’ care
- Sets aside funds to provide grants for Rogers Behavioral Health to develop an integrated mental health campus in the Chippewa Valley
- Reauthorizes funding for my legislation on Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grants to prevent and mitigate the effects of flooding
- Supports public safety communications systems, regional Haz-Mat teams, Cyber Response team, and Urban Search and Rescue team
- Requires meaningful reforms in the UW System, with a focus on classrooms and students, instead of administrative bloat
I am proud of the work that went into this budget. Now I am asking Governor Evers to sign this budget without changes and without delay, so these reforms can begin having an immediate impact in Northern Wisconsin.
Last Update: Jul 02, 2025 9:41 pm CDT
