(Madison)…State Senator Kathy Bernier (R-Lake Hallie) issued the following statement following Governor Tony Evers’ State of the State address:

“After listening to Governor Evers’ address tonight, I agree that this past year has been a challenging one for our state. COVID-19 has hit our nation hard and Wisconsin is no exception. My heart goes out to those that have been impacted by this pandemic.

Thanks to past decision by the Legislature, we are better positioned to deal with some of the challenges our state faces, both now and in the future. Unfortunately, the Governor and his administration have made some aspects of this situation worse with their mishandling of unemployment assistance and now the slow rollout of the vaccine distribution.

I believe we can build on areas of agreement to accomplish some good things for our state. As Governor Evers said, improved broadband internet access is needed, especially in districts like the one I represent.

The State of the State address is traditionally a time for talking about what makes our state so great and for the Governor to lay out big ideas for the future. Instead I was disappointed by just how much time he spent blaming others and trying to score political points.

While COVID-19 has been a blow to our state, we must continue to focus our attention on rebuilding our economy and supporting mental health care and those with drug addictions.

I look forward to working with the Governor and all of my colleagues in the legislature to continue growing our economy, strengthening our communities and making Wisconsin an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

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