A $1.8 billion Wisconsin tax relief and school funding package failed in the state Senate on Wednesday, ending a day of fast-moving but ultimately unsuccessful negotiations.
The State Assembly passed the bill earlier in the day after reconvening in the late afternoon following a lengthy recess. The measure then moved to the Senate, which delayed its start time by about six hours before taking up the proposal.
The Senate voted down the bill 15-18, with all Democrats opposed. The result effectively halts the plan, which needed approval from both chambers before advancing to the governor.
Republicans supported the package as a bipartisan compromise aimed at providing immediate relief to taxpayers and schools amid rising costs. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said earlier the deal balanced tax cuts with education funding and remained open to adjustments.
Evers said the proposal included more than $600 million for K-12 schools, including increased special education reimbursement, along with hundreds of millions in general school aids, property tax relief through technical college funding, direct payments to working families, and an end to state income tax on tips and overtime.
In a statement, Evers said Wisconsin students and taxpayers would miss out on needed investments, adding: “Wisconsin’s kids and schools aren’t going to get the investments they desperately need this year because… a few Republican and Democratic lawmakers chose to blow up a bipartisan plan.”
He added, “So many Wisconsinites feel left behind… And today, they’re right.”
The defeat leaves the proposal unresolved as lawmakers approach a Friday deadline for action.