MADISON, Wis. — Last week, the White House released state-specific fact sheets that detail how President Biden’s Build Back Better Framework will impact communities across Wisconsin. Along with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, the Build Back Better Framework will build on Governor Evers’ accomplishments to cut taxes for working families, make child care more affordable, create good-paying jobs, and tackle the climate crisis.

 

Gov. Evers has a strong record of bipartisan accomplishments, including cutting taxes for the middle class by 15 percent, making health care more affordable, and supporting small businesses and family farms. Thanks to Gov. Evers’ and President Biden’s partnership, Wisconsin has a budget surplus, low unemployment, and is primed to bounce back from the pandemic stronger than before.

 

This transformative package will:

 

Lead the largest effort to combat climate change in American history:

 

  • Combating climate change: In the last decade, Wisconsin experienced 16 extreme weather events, costing the state up upwards of $10 billion. The framework will set the U.S. on course to meet its climate targets while creating good-paying union jobs, growing domestic industries, and advancing environmental justice. The framework will also create a Civilian Climate Corps that will enlist a diverse generation of Wisconsinites to conserve the state’s public lands, bolster community resilience, and address the changing climate.

 

Make the largest investment in child care and early education in history:

  • Cutting costs for child care: The Build Back Better framework will enable Wisconsin to provide access to child care for 359,321 Wisconsin children per year and ensure these families pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care.

 

  • Funding universal, high-quality, free preschool for every 3- and 4-year old in America: Currently, only 29% of the 119,793 3- and 4-year-olds in Wisconsin have access to publicly-funded preschool and it costs about $8,600 per year for those who can’t access a publicly-funded program. The framework will expand access to free, high-quality preschool to more than 84,748 additional Wisconsin children per year.

 

Bring down costs and strengthen the middle class:

 

  • Making education beyond high school more affordable and accessible: The average cost of a 2-year degree in Wisconsin is $4,661 per year. The average cost for a 4-year degree is $9,162 per year. The framework will increase maximum Pell Grant awards, supporting the 78,304 students in Wisconsin who rely on Pell. The framework will also invest in Wisconsin’s minority-serving colleges and universities and the students they serve.

 

  • Training workers for the jobs of the future: The framework invests in training programs that will prepare Wisconsin’s workers for high-quality jobs in fast-growing sectors. 16 public community colleges in Wisconsin will have the opportunity to benefit from grants to develop, deliver, and expand training programs.

 

  • Providing food options for children: The framework will expand access to free school meals to an additional 142,000 Wisconsin students during the school year and provide 413,894 Wisconsin students with resources for meals over the summer.

 

  • Reducing housing costs and expanding housing options: The framework will expand rental assistance for Wisconsin renters, and increase the supply of high-quality housing by constructing and rehabilitating over 1 million affordable housing units nationwide — uplifting the 327,000 renters in Wisconsin who are currently rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 20% of their income on rent.

 

  • Expanding health care coverage and lowering costs: The framework will close the Medicaid coverage gap, extend the American Rescue Plan’s health insurance premium reductions through 2025, and help older Wisconsinites access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare. In Wisconsin, 39,000 uninsured people will gain coverage and 51,900 will on average save hundreds of dollars per year.

 

  • Supporting families with long-term care needs: The ​​framework will expand access to home- and community-based care for Wisconsin’s senior citizens and disabled citizens, while improving the quality and wages of caregiving jobs.

 

  • Cutting taxes for families and workers: The framework will reduce taxes on the middle class and those striving to break into it by extending the Child Tax Credit (CTC) increase of $250-300 per month and establishing permanent refundability, meaning that low-income families will continue to receive the full CTC. The framework will also provide a tax cut of up to $1,500 in tax cuts for 304,000 low-wage workers in Wisconsin by extending the American Rescue Plan’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansion.
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