MADISON – State Senator Roger Roth (R—Appleton) issued the following statement upon the conclusion of Governor Walker’s State of the State address.

“This afternoon, Governor Walker reported on the strong state of our state and unveiled an ambitious agenda of reforms in education and training, welfare, and health care, as well as helping small businesses grow and providing additional tax relief.

“These initiatives will continue to build upon the reforms Wisconsin Republicans have enacted over the last eight years, which have allowed us to increase investment in our schools and workforce. As a result, today our state’s economy is thriving with an historic unemployment rate of 3% and a significant state budget surplus.

“I am excited by the governor’s plan to quickly return this surplus to taxpayers through a child tax credit. This credit is in addition to over $8 billion in relief for both property and income taxpayers, finally putting the tax burden below the national average.

“I am also encouraged by the governor’s call for a special session on welfare reform to ensure that barriers are removed making it easier for able-bodied, working age adults to get a job, support their families, and advance in the workforce.

“We’ve done a lot of work this session to move Wisconsin forward. I am eager to continue working to keep our state on a path that benefits all Wisconsin families. Just a few ways we are doing that include investing more money into classrooms that ever before, freezing UW undergraduate tuition for the sixth year in a row, eliminating wait lists for children who need long-term care services, guaranteeing health coverage of pre-existing conditions, and providing a business climate that ranks in the top ten in the nation.

“I look forward to working with the Governor and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact additional reforms to move Wisconsin forward.”

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