February 2025 Legislative Update

Gov. Evers 2025-27 Executive Budget Highlights

Gov. Evers gave his fourth biennial budget address on February 18, unveiling his 2025-27 executive budget. He proposes an operating budget of $ $118.9 billion over the next two fiscal years, adding a net 571.58 FTE positions. For comparison, the final 2023-25 state budget spent $97.4 billion with a net reduction of 175.51 FTE (GPR) positions.

The complete budget bill, budget in brief, and other executive budget documents are available here. The governor has also published his prepared remarks and a recording of his address, as well as selected excerpts.

By law, Gov. Evers’ budget will be introduced as a bill in the Wisconsin Legislature. The Joint Committee on Finance (usually Joint Finance Committee, JFC) will spend several months reviewing and altering the proposal. Based on experience, we expect the following to happen:

  • The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) will release a plain-language summary of the budget recommendations in about a month, that is, by the middle of March.
  • JFC will hold agency briefings and conduct public hearings on the budget recommendations.
  • The co-chairs of JFC will identify non-fiscal policy items and slate them for removal from the budget bill, which should occur roughly by the middle of April.
  • JFC will vote, agency by agency, on changes to the budget.
  • By June, the full budget should be available for debate and passage by both houses of the Legislature.

Below is an overview of the provisions in Gov. Evers’ budget of interest to WPRA:

Department of Natural Resources

Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program

  • Renew the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program at $83 million bonding, $9 million SEG, and $8 million GPR per year, totaling a $1 billion investment over 10 years.
  • Adjust fund allocation to:
    • Increase investment in local parks and recreation ($36.05 million annually)
    • Increase investment for local recreation boat facilities ($9 million annually)
    • Create a new subprogram for nonprofit conservation organizations managing conserved land.

OutWiGo Explorer Program

  • Provides funding to expand the OutWiGo Explorer Program to support additional outdoor recreation youth programming across the state ($272,800 each year of the biennium)

Department of Children and Families

  • Provides $11.5 million in funding to establish an out-of-school time grant program to deliver services to school-age youth with the goal of improving social, emotional, academic or career readiness competencies and providing a safe out-of-school time environment.

Department of Public Instruction

  • Create the "Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids" program to fully fund school breakfast and lunch for all K-12 kids by providing $147.7 million GPR in fiscal year 2026-27.
  • Provides $500,000 for a Farm to School grant program to ensure a sufficient state match component to improve student health and nutrition.
  • Provide $3 million GPR in fiscal year 2025-26 and $3.1 million GPR in fiscal year 2026- 27 for school breakfast reimbursement at 15 cents per meal under current law.

Department of Workforce Development

  • Provide $2 million GPR in fiscal year 2025-26 to award training grants for green jobs through Wisconsin Fast Forward to encourage individuals to follow conservation and environmental career paths and achieve competencies in such workforce subjects.

Reactions to the Governor’s Budget

Republican legislative leaders reacted quickly and harshly to Gov. Evers’ address, with Republican Majority Leaders Sen. LeMahieu  criticizing the level of spending and Rep. August promising to rework the budget to focus on tax relief. The co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, Sen. Howard Marklein and Rep. Mark Born, reiterated their intent to remove non-fiscal policy provisions and allocate the state's surplus toward one-time expenditures rather than expanding ongoing commitments. Democrats on the finance committee released a joint statement supporting Gov. Evers’ budget. 

WPRA Capitol Day – Make Your Voice Heard! APRIL 23rd

Join us in Madison at the Wisconsin State Capitol for WPRA Capitol Day, where your passion for parks and recreation meets real legislative action! This exciting day will give you an insider’s look at key policy priorities shaping the future of parks, trails, and recreational spaces across Wisconsin. Gain insight into the policies shaping our communities and act by meeting directly with state legislators to share why parks and recreation matters.

Your voice makes a difference—register today and help support the future of Wisconsin’s outdoor spaces!

Registration is free, just rsvp via this link.