Gov. Walker: Weekly radio address: Our ambitious agenda is moving forward

During the State of the State Address, we laid out our Ambitious Agenda for 2018 which included improving education, welfare reform, health care stability, rural economic development, a $100 per child sales tax rebate, and much more.

And today, thanks to legislative action, I’m pleased to tell you that our Ambitious Agenda is moving forward. We are getting positive things done for the people of Wisconsin.

With bipartisan support, the Legislature approved additional resources for Wisconsin’s rural schools to ensure that every student will have access to a great education, no matter what their ZIP code is.

This is in addition to Wisconsin’s historic $11.5 billion investment in K-12 education which was part of our current state budget. We provide a $200 for every student increase this year and another $204 for every student increase next year. This benefits every student in every K-12 school across our state.

We also took another major step towards ensuring everyone who wants a job, can find not just a job but a career, with both the Senate and the Assembly passing nine of our Wisconsin Works for Everyone welfare reform bills.

These common-sense initiatives put Wisconsin at the forefront of welfare reform nationally, and they will help empower people across the state to move from government dependence to true independence through the dignity that comes from work.

Our Ambitious Agenda for 2018 also includes our Health Care Stability Plan. Obamacare is failing to provide affordable coverage to those who rely on it, and where Washington has failed to act, Wisconsin will step up and lead. Our plan provides a Wisconsin-based solution to help stabilize rising premiums in order to make health care more affordable for those on the individual market. I was proud to sign this bi-partisan measure into law earlier this week at Tomah Memorial Hospital.

This will bring peace of mind back to Wisconsin families. Our Health Care Stability Plan also includes reforms to provide certainty to seniors who rely on the state’s prescription drug program and protection for those with preexisting conditions.

But, we aren’t stopping there. Thanks to our reforms and a growing economy, we have yet another budget surplus. We want to return that budget surplus to you, the hardworking taxpayers. After all, it’s your money; not the government’s. We want to provide a $100 per child sales tax rebate for Wisconsin’s hardworking families and a sales tax holiday for everyone in August of this year.

We will continue to work with both houses of the Legislature to advance our Ambitious Agenda for 2018. We are working together, and we are getting positive things done for the people of Wisconsin.