Madison, WI – Representative William Penterman (R–Hustisford) voted in favor of the 2025-27 Wisconsin State Budget. Wisconsin has a biennial budget process and the budget bill is often the largest single piece of legislation that is considered during a two-year legislative session.
“Today, I voted for a budget that includes many strong, pro-growth policies—and importantly, halts many bad ones,” said Rep. Penterman. “The 2025-27 budget does not raise property taxes and provides nearly $1.5 billion in tax relief for hardworking Wisconsinites.”
The budget includes substantial tax relief measures, including:
- A new income tax exclusion for the first $24,000 of retirement income for individuals age 67 and older, or $48,000 for married joint filers.
- An expansion of Wisconsin’s second income tax bracket, increasing the threshold to $50,480 for single/head of household filers and $67,300 for married-joint filers.
- An increase in the maximum adoption expense deduction from $5,000 to $15,000.
“This budget puts more money back in the hands of retirees, working families, and parents. It is a win for taxpayers,” Rep. Penterman added.
The budget also makes significant investments in infrastructure, particularly for rural areas. This budget continues the success of the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP), which Rep. Penterman supported in the last budget. This budget reauthorizes ARIP at $150 million.
“This program provides direct aid to rural communities to upgrade roads serving agricultural producers—including farmers, dairy processors, and loggers. This widely successful program is being re-authorized and I am look forward to the rural communities of Dodge and Jefferson counties being able to take advantage of these important funds,” said Penterman.
Public safety and education are also prioritized in the budget, which includes funding for:
- 50 new assistant district attorney positions and 12 new public defenders
- Increased special education funding, projected to raise the proration rate to 42% in 2025-26 and 45% in 2026-27
- Expanded high-cost special education aid, with proration rates expected to rise to 50% in 2025-26 and 90% in 2026-27
As a member of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Board of Curators, I’m especially proud of the investments we’ve made in the new Wisconsin History Center,” Rep. Penterman said “This budget ensures the History Center is ready to serve all Wisconsinites the day it opens. This budget also includes funding for improvements to the Wisconsin War Memorial, honoring the brave soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The budget I supported maintains the rainy day fund of nearly $2 billion and spends about $8 billion less than the governor’s original proposal, while responsibly meeting the needs of every corner of Wisconsin.
Importantly, the budget rejects a number of harmful policies that had been proposed by Governor Evers, including:
- No free driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants
- No Medicaid expansion for able-bodied adults
- No income tax increases for anyone
- No property tax increases (unlike Governor Tony Evers’ sustained 402-year veto in the 2023-25 budget)
- No repeal of Act 10 or other conservative reforms from Governor Scott Walker’s administration
“The 2025-2027 budget is a win for taxpayers, students, farmers, veterans, retirees, parents, and families across Wisconsin,” Rep. Penterman concluded. “It is a budget that builds a stronger Wisconsin.”
The budget now heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.
