Gov. Evers: 2021 roundup celebrating 2021 accomplishments

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today celebrated his administration’s work serving the people of Wisconsin and released a list of accomplishments from the last year, including critical investments from the 2021-23 biennial budget, the important work of state workers and agencies to support Wisconsinites in every corner of the state, and the governor’s numerous groundbreaking programs and initiatives spearheaded to use federal pandemic relief funds.

“Having traveled all across the state this past year, what I’ve seen is the grit, determination, and resilience of Wisconsinites who’ve come together and helped each other to respond to the challenges we’ve faced,” said Gov. Evers. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to get things done for folks in every corner of our state this past year, and while we still have tough times ahead, I look forward to continuing our good work in 2022.”

A comprehensive list of Gov. Evers’ and the Evers Administration’s achievements is available below.

Providing Economic Stability and Certainty to Wisconsinites, Families, and Communities

• Gov. Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget provided one of the largest tax cuts in Wisconsin state history, newly providing tax relief to more than 1.6 million Wisconsin taxpayers. When combined with prior reductions, this budget not only delivers on the governor’s 2018 campaign promise to cut tax taxes for middle-class families by 10 percent, but the governor’s actions all together have cut middle-class income taxes by 15 percent and provided relief to 2.4 million filers.
• Gov. Evers announced $18 million in funding through the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) to help provide water utility assistance to Wisconsin families facing economic insecurity and uncertainty.
• Gov. Evers signed Assembly Bill 2, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 1, providing $480 million in tax relief for Wisconsin businesses and families affected by the pandemic.
• Gov. Evers announced more than $322 million for the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which provides direct financial assistance for rent, utility, and internet bills, home energy costs, and wraparound services for individuals who qualify.
• After the Legislature and the Wisconsin Supreme Court jeopardized additional federal food assistance for Wisconsin families by striking down the governor’s public health emergency, Gov. Evers negotiated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), reaching a deal to preserve more than $70 million in food assistance benefits for more than 400,000 Wisconsin households.
• Gov. Evers provided $6 million in new targeted grants to address homelessness and ensure safe shelter for individuals experiencing short or long-term housing instability during the winter months.
• Gov. Evers announced a year-long investment of $30 million in the state’s two largest hunger relief organizations, bringing the governor’s total investment in food security to $55 million over the course of the pandemic.
• The state received USDA approval to offer the School Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for the 2021-2022 school year, providing vital food benefits to families when their children are not able to get free or reduced-price meals at school due to virtual learning or absences related to COVID-19.
• The homeowners’ Lottery and Gaming Credit was 38 percent higher than last year, providing $343.6 million in relief for property taxes levied in 2021—an estimated average credit of $229 for beneficiaries. This is the highest amount ever certified for distribution in the Lottery’s 33-year history.

Supporting Wisconsin’s Small Businesses and Economy

• Over the course of the We’re All In grant program, Gov. Evers awarded more than $280 million to more than 55,000 small businesses—the largest direct-aid program for small businesses in the history of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. 
• Gov. Evers created two programs to invest in a robust and equitable economic recovery, including $50 million for the Main Street Bounceback grant program, which encourages businesses to move into vacant storefronts in downtowns and other commercial corridors, and $50 million for the Equitable Recovery grant program, which provides grants to community partners doing work to eliminate disparities and promote an equitable recovery for disproportionately impacted communities.
• Following the successful We’re All In grant program, Gov. Evers created the new Wisconsin Tomorrow Small Business Recovery program, which will invest $420 million to support up to 84,000 small businesses. 
• Gov. Evers provided a groundbreaking investment of more than $140 million in grants to businesses and organizations that play an integral role in Wisconsin’s tourism and entertainment industries, including more than $70 million in support for 888 lodging businesses, more than $27 million for 204 live event small businesses and event venues, $15 million for Destination Marketing Organizations, and more than $14 million for movie theaters, minor league sports teams, and summer camps.
• Gov. Evers also announced a $10 million investment in grants to local governments and tourism-entity nonprofits for tourism-related infrastructure projects that help promote, maintain, or bolster Wisconsin’s tourism industry.
• Gov. Evers created two new grant programs to support businesses in communities of color and other disproportionately impacted communities, totaling $75 million. This includes the Diverse Business Assistance Grant program, which will provide $37.5 million to support diverse chambers of commerce and other collaboratives, and the Diverse Business Investment Grant program, which will provide $37.5 million for community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to provide grants to micro-businesses with 10 or fewer employees that are owned by members of communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
• Gov. Evers launched “Shop Small Wisconsin,” an enterprise-wide initiative to encourage Wisconsinites to shop local and support Wisconsin’s Main Streets during the holiday season.

Building a Strong Economy 

• Under Gov. Evers, the state has returned to pre-pandemic unemployment levels and, as of October, has tied the lowest unemployment rate in state history at 3 percent—the lowest unemployment has been since November 2018.
• Gov. Evers announced that the state’s general fund recorded the largest positive balance in Wisconsin state history at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). This is the second consecutive year the state has reported a positive GAAP balance after previously running a deficit since the state began publishing its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) in 1990. The positive balance increased from $6.7 million at the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year to a record high of $1.18 billion at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year.
• After announcing a special session call of the Legislature to modernize the state’s outdated UI system, Gov. Evers signed 2021 Wisconsin Act 4, a bipartisan bill that helped pave the way for important steps toward modernizing the system. Throughout the year, the Department of Workforce Development has continued with substantial modernization efforts with more exciting updates coming in the new year.  
• Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration renegotiated the Foxconn contract to save Wisconsin taxpayers $2.77 billion compared to the previous contract, maintain accountability measures requiring job creation to receive incentives, and protect hundreds of millions of dollars in local and state investments made in support of the project.
• Gov. Evers has been working to address the state’s longstanding workforce challenges with a groundbreaking $130 million investment in finding innovative, community-based solutions to these challenges. Gov. Evers has announced several programs to this end, including nearly $60 million for 12 regional projects aimed at developing long-term solutions to Wisconsin’s workforce challenges in the first round of Workforce Innovation Grants as well as $20 million in Worker Advancement Initiative grants to 11 regions in Wisconsin to help more than 2,300 Wisconsinites whose previous employment has not come back since the pandemic and those who were not attached to or were not successful in the labor market prior to the pandemic by offering subsidized employment and skills training opportunities with local employers. 
• Gov. Evers announced in an incentive package for Hewlett Packard Enterprise to establish the company’s Global Center of Excellence in Chippewa Falls and help the company retain nearly 500 high-paying jobs in the area.
• Gov. Evers announced state revenue projections are more than $4.4 billion higher than previously estimated and reverses requirements for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 agency lapses, returning more than $50 million to the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
• Gov. Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced a $200,000 investment into a rail project that will help Arntzen Corporation move a production facility to Wisconsin, spurring a $10 million investment and bringing 40 new jobs to Walworth County.
• The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation released their Wisconsin Trade Data Report in August, demonstrating that under Gov. Evers’ leadership, Wisconsin businesses exported more than $11.5 billion in products around the world from January to June 2021—an 18.41 percent growth over the same period in 2020.
• Multiple agencies upgraded the state’s bond rating, reflecting Gov. Evers’ continued commitment to improve the state’s credit profile, including by more than quadrupling the state’s budget reserves in the last three years, paying down the state’s debt, and paying the state’s bills on time.
• Gov. Evers announced Generac, a global leader in manufacturing, is expanding its presence in Wisconsin by investing an additional $53 million in its facilities across the state and creating more than 700 new jobs.
• Gov. Evers announced Grand Craft Boats LLC, a manufacturer of bespoke mahogany watercraft, will move its headquarters and production operations from Holland, Michigan, to Genoa City, Wisconsin.
• National travel spending data for September revealed Wisconsin’s tourism industry spending in 2021 exceeded spending in 2019—which was a record year for tourism spending. In September, Wisconsin was only one of 13 states with positive growth over 2019 and was the only state in the Midwest with positive growth compared to 2019.
• Gov. Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget eliminated the delay in a $75 million general school aid payment for our public schools, put in place beginning with the 1997-98 school year. This action improved the state’s general fund balance under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 

Creating Healthier Communities 

• Gov. Evers vetoed legislation that would have restricted reproductive healthcare access for Wisconsinites across the state.
• Gov. Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget increased access to healthcare for Wisconsinites and support for caregivers and health systems by providing $46 million over the biennium to increase Medicaid dental reimbursement rates by 40 percent, $104 million to hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of low-income patients, $78 million to increase personal care reimbursement rates, $2 million each for Community Health Centers and Free and Charitable Clinics, and increases in nursing home rates in each year of the biennium and reimbursement rates for outpatient mental health and substance use disorder services.
• Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill 11, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 29, into law, expanding worker’s compensation benefits to public safety officers—including law enforcement and firefighters—who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions.
• In July, Gov. Evers signed Assembly Bill 374, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 57, into law, paving the way for much-needed funds to flow to communities throughout Wisconsin to address the opioid pandemic through a settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors. The final settlement agreement, approved by the Joint Finance Committee in November, will provide more than $294 million over 18 years to the 87 local governments involved in the litigation and $126 million, as well as $9.6 million in additional restitution, to the Department of Health Services (DHS) for programs aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic and saving lives.
• DHS submitted a plan to the federal government outlining how it will invest $24.6 million for mental health services and $22 million for substance use services over the next four years—part of the nearly $50 million awarded to the Department through the American Rescue Plan Act. 
• Gov. Evers provided $5.7 million in funding for the new Mental Health Emergency Center, which will serve adults, adolescents, and children by providing around-the-clock crisis services.
• Gov. Evers announced grants totaling more than $550,000 to support education and training at rural hospitals and clinics in order to increase access and enhance healthcare quality in rural Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers invested $2 million to support mental and behavioral health services for underserved communities, including Hmong and Southeast Asian Wisconsinites, through the Wisconsin United Coalition of Mutual Assistance Association, Inc. (WUCMAA).
• Gov. Evers visited three sites in Milwaukee, Minocqua, and the Oneida Nation that were chosen to lead pilot programs implementing the hub-and-spoke care approach for people struggling with substance use disorders.
• Gov. Evers provided $2 million in funding for Covering Wisconsin to support efforts to make sure that Wisconsinites have the healthcare coverage they need for themselves and their families.
• Gov. Evers joined the Bloomberg Opioids Overdose Prevention Initiative, securing a $10 million investment going directly to Wisconsin’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic over the next five years.

Doing What’s Best for Kids 

• Gov. Evers signed the 2021-23 biennial budget, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 58, providing roughly $685 million in additional net general and categorical school aids and hitting the mark for two-thirds state funding for public schools for the first time in two decades. The budget also provided an additional $89 million to increase special education reimbursement rates and $19 million for school mental health programs.
• In addition to the investments in the 2021-23 budget, Gov. Evers kept his promise to do what’s best for kids and invested an additional $110 million in unrestricted funding for Wisconsin school districts, with every school district in the state receiving a portion of these funds.
• Gov. Evers’ 2021-23 budget also provided nearly $100 million over the biennium for a Wisconsin Shares rate increase to ensure childcare is more affordable and accessible for parents.
• Gov. Evers secured a $30 million federal grant to bolster the early care and education workforce and ensure Wisconsin’s early care and education system is more responsive to all children and families’ needs.
• Gov. Evers awarded nearly $50 million to over 100 out-of-school and childcare providers across the state through the Beyond the Classroom Grant Program.
• Gov. Evers invested $150,000 into a pilot program that aims to train teachers and bring computer science into all Wisconsin K-12 classrooms.

Supporting Wisconsin Farmers and Agriculture 

• Gov. Evers directed $50 million to more than 20,000 Wisconsin farmers through the 2021 Farm Support Program—exceeding $1 million in direct support for farmers in more than half of Wisconsin 72 counties over the course of the Farm Support Program’s three rounds. In total, Gov. Evers has distributed $100 million in support to farmers throughout the pandemic.
• Gov. Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget invested in farmers and the agriculture industry, including $200,000 in increased funding for farmer mental health, more than $1.1 million for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agriculture Exports, $400,000 in increased funding for dairy processor grants, and $400,000 for a new meat processor grant program.
• Gov. Evers visited several farms across the state, including during Agricultural Tourism Week, to hear firsthand how farm families and agricultural workers were doing and what kinds of support they needed.
• Gov. Evers introduced a bold legislative package to build on our investments in farm families and rural communities, including several initiatives previously proposed by the governor to bolster the agricultural workforce, promote and build local markets for Wisconsin products, and establish a new program to better support the mental health and well-being of farmers and their families.
• Gov. Evers signed Assembly Bill 314, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 92, which aims to increase the value of Wisconsin dairy, meat, and crop product exports by at least 25 percent by June 30, 2026.
• In September, DATCP announced the state-run hemp program will transition to a federally run program starting in 2022, allowing for more flexibility and streamlining program rules for hemp growers.

Investing in our Infrastructure 

• Gov. Evers promised to fix Wisconsin’s roads, and since taking office, the Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has improved more than 1,700 miles of highways and more than 1,250 bridges. 
• Through Gov. Evers’ and WisDOT’s efforts, Wisconsin kept all 375 projects in the 2020 construction season moving forward, allowing construction workers to keep working and resulting in the state receiving an additional $105 million in federally redistributed highway dollars from other states.
• Gov. Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget includes $100 million for local road improvement, a two percent increase increase for general transportation aids to counties and municipalities in both 2022 and 2023, and significant increases for Paratransit Aids, seniors, and individuals with disabilities aid payments, the Harbor Assistance Program, and the Freight Rail Preservation Program.
• The Wisconsin State Building Commission, which Gov. Evers chairs, approved more than $360 million in key projects across the state, including projects aimed at addressing flood mitigation, building maintenance and safety improvements, energy solutions, and more.
• Gov. Evers provided $200 million to expand broadband access across the state, including $100 million he allocated from federal American Rescue Plan funds and $100 million from the $129 million allocated for broadband in the 2021-23 state budget he signed.
• Gov. Evers announced more than $22 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public Facility awards for critical public infrastructure projects in low to moderate income communities, including improvements, repairs, or expansions of streets, drainage systems, water and sewer systems, and sidewalks, as well as blight prevention and elimination.
• Gov. Evers created two new competitive grant programs to help communities across Wisconsin invest in transformational capital projects, including a $200 million Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program and a $50 million Healthcare Infrastructure Capital Investment grant program to address inequities across housing, healthcare, childcare, transit, and more.
• Gov. Evers allocated $25 million of American Rescue Plan funds for transit services for the city of Madison and Milwaukee County to help fill a gap in funding left by Republican legislators who voted to cut public transit funding in Milwaukee and Madison by 50 percent during the budget process.

Defending our Democracy 

• Gov. Evers vetoed legislation passed by Republicans in the Legislature that would make it more difficult for voters to cast their ballots, including older voters and voters with disabilities, and would create hurdles for election administration in the state.
• The People’s Maps Commission—the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission that Gov. Evers created by signing Executive Order #66—released its legislative and congressional maps, which received “A” ratings from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, compared to the “F” ratings given to the Legislature’s legislative and congressional maps.
• After Republicans in the Legislature rejected the People’s Maps and passed their own maps, which Gov. Evers described as even more gerrymandered than the current maps, the governor kept his promise to Wisconsinites and vetoed their maps, vowing to continue the fight for fair, nonpartisan redistricting.

Promoting a Clean, Sustainable Environment 

• Gov. Evers 2021-23 biennial budget made important investments to protect Wisconsin’s natural resources and promote a cleaner, more sustainable environment, including providing more than $130 million to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program for four years, mitigating flooding by increasing funding for the municipal flood prevention and stormwater management programs, and making the largest investment in the Municipal Dam Safety Grant Program in over 10 years.
• The governor’s budget also made critical investments in clean water by increasing funding for well treatment and replacement, creating a new PFAS-containing firefighting foam collection and disposal program, providing funding for a statewide Freshwater Collaborative at the UW System to spur research and innovation on water quality solutions, and increasing funding for programs that promote water quality and reduce soil erosion and animal waste runoff, such as the producer-led watershed grant program.
• Gov. Evers started the process of taking legal action against companies responsible for PFAS contamination in Wisconsin. 
• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continued the rulemaking process to create enforceable PFAS standards for ground, surface, and drinking water in Wisconsin, including conducting a public hearing on the proposed drinking water standards rule.
• In alignment with the governor’s carbon-free energy goal under Executive Order #38, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission opened its Roadmap to Zero Carbon docket to partner with utilities and other stakeholders to advance the goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity consumption by 2050.
• On Earth Day, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #112, pledging to work with public, private, and non-governmental partners to conserve 125,000 acres of forest land and plant 75 million trees by the end of 2030—which will result in storage of 28.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 50 years.
• Gov. Evers provided $1.4 million in coastal grants to 40 local communities across Wisconsin to support quality of life, foster economic development, create resiliency, and protect and improve the Great Lakes resources in Wisconsin’s coastal communities.
• Gov. Evers launched the Stronger Wisconsin initiative, a coordinated effort between the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the Department of Financial Institutions to raise awareness around climate disaster resiliency and mitigation opportunities.
• Gov. Evers announced the development of a comprehensive environmental and public health mapping system known as the Wisconsin Environmental Equity Tool, which will analyze and visualize data so users can pinpoint Wisconsin’s most impacted communities, identify the environmental challenges, and prioritize investments to continue building healthy, resilient communities.

Building a Safe, Just, and Equitable State for Every Community 

• Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill 62, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 7, providing a much overdue pay progression increase for public defenders.
• Gov. Evers appointed 30 community leaders to the Governor’s Council on Equity and Inclusion, which he created when he signed Executive Order #59, and the Council began working to develop a sustainable framework to promote and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion practices across Wisconsin state government.
• Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #111, directing state-managed law enforcement, including the Wisconsin State Capitol Police and the Wisconsin State Patrol, to review and update their use of force policies and set uniform standards. Later in the year, while calling on the Legislature to take up more robust, comprehensive legislation on law enforcement transparency and accountability, Gov. Evers signed the first set of bipartisan bills on policing to pass since the murder of George Floyd and shooting of Jacob Blake.
• Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill 69, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 30, requiring lessons about the Holocaust and other genocides be incorporated into social studies education for Wisconsin students throughout grades five to twelve.
• Gov. Evers signed Assembly Bill 154, now Wisconsin Act 31, designating May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day in Wisconsin.
• In celebration of Pride Month, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #121, directing his cabinet agencies to use gender-neutral language whenever practicable in external documents, and Executive Order #122, which expressly prohibits the use of state and federal funds for conversion therapy for minors.
• Gov. Evers announced the Department of Health Services will update birth forms used to generate birth certificates to include a gender-neutral option for parents, recognizing that families are diverse and should all be honored and valued in state systems.
• Gov. Evers reached the milestone of granting more than 330 pardons since reinstating the pardon process that had been dormant during the previous administration. The governor also took action to expand pardon eligibility and signed Executive Order #130 creating a new, expedited process for pardon applicants that meet certain criteria. To date, the governor has pardoned more individuals than any other governor in contemporary history. 
• On Indigenous Peoples Day signed Executive Order #136 issuing a formal acknowledgment and apology for Wisconsin’s historical role in Indian boarding schools, including a formal declaration of support for the U.S. Department of Interior investigation into boarding schools and requesting any investigations in Wisconsin be undertaken in consultation with Wisconsin’s Native Nations. 
• Gov. Evers invested $45 million in ensuring safer communities, including $25 million for violence prevention efforts across the state and $20 million to support victim services.
• Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill 71, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 116, establishing a statutory procedure for collecting and submitting sexual assault kits to state crime laboratories for processing and retention, as well as Senate Bill 94, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 117, creating a tracking system for survivors to access information about the status of their sexual assault kit as it moves through the criminal justice process. Both of these bills mirror provisions the governor included in his 2021-23 budget proposal that were removed by legislative Republicans.
• Gov. Evers and several cabinet agencies signed new tribal consultation agreements with Wisconsin’s eleven federally recognized Native Nations recognizing their sovereignty and the importance of respectful and cooperative communication in government-to-government relations with Native Nations.

COVID-19 Response and Vaccine Distribution 

• Under Gov. Evers, Wisconsin has ranked top in the country and has been a consistent, national leader in getting available COVID-19vaccine shots in arms.To date, more than 8.5 million vaccine doses have been administered and more than 1.5 million booster doses and additional doses.
• In supporting the state’s response to COVID-19, the Wisconsin National Guard administered its one-millionth COVID-19 test in January, topping the nation for Guard-supported testing efforts, and they continue to support vaccination efforts, having administered more than 230,000 COVID-19 vaccines statewide.
• Gov. Evers announced $86 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support the vaccine efforts of local and tribal health departments.
• Gov. Evers opened the first community-based vaccine clinic in Racine County, followed by four more in La Crosse County, Racine County, Marathon County, and one clinic serving both Douglas and Barron County.
• Gov. Evers bolstered the state’s vaccine distribution by signing Assembly Bill 4, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 3, to allow pharmacy technicians and students to administer vaccines, and Senate Bill 13, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 8, to allow dentists to administer COVID-19 and flu vaccines.
• As of March 4, due to the governor’s successful vaccination efforts, one million Wisconsinites had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and Wisconsin ranked first in the Upper Midwest for number of doses administered per 100,000 people and third in the nation for percentage of doses administered.
• Gov. Evers, in collaboration with FEMA, opened the state’s first mass vaccination clinic in Milwaukee, followed by FEMA-supported vaccination clinics in Eau Claire and Madison.
• Due to availability of appointments and increased vaccine supply, Gov. Evers announced COVID-19 vaccine eligibility would expand to include Wisconsinites ages 16 and older with certain medical conditions one week earlier than previously expected, and then expanded eligibility to all Wisconsinites ages 16 and older soon after.
• By the end of August, more than 50 percent of the state’s population had completed their COVID-19 vaccine series and six million doses had been administered.
• After initiating a collaboration with the Wisconsin State Fair to hold an on-site COVID-19 vaccine clinic and give out vouchers for free cream puffs, Gov. Evers announced more than 600 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered at the fair.
• Gov. Evers announced planned allocations of more than $4.5 billion in total from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) and State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocations, which were made available to Wisconsin through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), respectively—$2 billion of which was expended on emergency response efforts, public health measures, and economic supports for Wisconsin communities and businesses.
• Gov. Evers provided $58.4 million in funding for local and tribal health departments to continue their work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and build a strong recovery.
• More than 142,000 eligible Wisconsinites received their first dose during the governor’s $100 COVID-19 Vaccine Reward Program period.
• Gov. Evers announced more than $200 million has been directed to the 1,825 participating Wisconsin local governments under the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program.
• Gov. Evers awarded $8.1 million in grants to organizations across the state to promote health equity and reduce barriers to COVID-19 vaccination throughout the state. The investment is part of $13 million in additional funding secured by the Department of Health Services from the CDC for the Vaccine Community Outreach grant program, which originally distributed $6.1 million in grants to organizations earlier in 2021.
• Gov. Evers secured from FEMA a 20-person team from the U.S. Navy to support Bellin Health’s COVID-19 response in the Green Bay area. This assistance is critical for supporting hospitals and health care systems that are at or nearly at capacity.