Contact: Rep. Scott Allen (608) 266-8580
Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) issued the following statement regarding Gov. Evers budget address:
“Investments in broadband, mental health funding, and increases in state aids to K-12 schools are areas of common ground, so I’m hopeful we can find a path forward in those areas.
“Gov. Evers also discussed affordable housing and its effects on children. The Governor is partly correct, but the problem is more than just ‘affordable housing.’ Wisconsin needs more housing units built and a revitalization of older housing stock at the core of our communities. We need to address the fundamental problems causing low supply such as burdensome zoning and building code regulations, but the budget is not an appropriate vehicle for those policy changes.
“Oddly the Governor seemed to again criticize the Republican legislature saying that we don’t want to go back to where we were before the pandemic. The Republican legislature has produced a record balance in the rainy day fund along with billions of dollars of tax relief. Prior to the pandemic, Wisconsin was experiencing the lowest levels of unemployment in history, along with the lowest levels of African American unemployment and Hispanic unemployment. That kind of prosperity will bring with it increased wages and better opportunities for everyone. Why does the governor not want to return to that?
“If we talk with each other rather than past each other we might find the areas of agreement. Let’s see if that can happen.”
