MADISON, WI… State Sen. André Jacque (R-New Franken) today voted for the bipartisan 2025-27 state budget, which includes several initiatives he has long championed in the Legislature for Northeast Wisconsin.
“While no one gets everything they want in budget negotiations, I am pleased to deliver several important investments for my constituents,” Sen. Jacque said. “This bipartisan package funds several local projects in our area and addresses the needs of families in the 1st Senate District for middle class tax relief, public safety, clean water, and other priorities.”
Sen. Jacque highlighted several initiatives he negotiated into the budget:
Ending State Taxes on Home Utilities – Sen. Jacque’s initiative, which he has also introduced as separate legislation over the past several sessions (including this year as 2025 Senate Bill 90), extends the current six-month utility tax exemption for the entire year, saving families about $178 million over the next two years. The sale of electricity and natural gas for residential use in Wisconsin is currently exempt from sales and use tax during the months of November, December, January, February, March & April, and taxed for the remaining 6 months of the year.
“Energy taxes are among the more regressive forms of taxation, taking up a significantly higher percentage of household budgets for lower and middle income families,” Sen. Jacque said. “Because Wisconsin’s average residential energy rates are among the highest in the Midwest, this provision will provide much-needed, broad-based relief.”
County Conservation Grants – This initiative will provide about $11.5 million over the next two years to fund the first three county conservation staffing positions in each county land and water conservation department. These workers are critical to supporting water quality efforts and providing technical assistance to farmers and landowners while assisting with leveraging federal, state, and local grant dollars for their projects.
“County conservation staff are critical,” Sen. Jacque said. “For example, they help farmers certify their land under the Farmland Preservation Program, access the Producer Led Watershed Program, or find solutions for landowners before an issue gets to the attention of the DNR or EPA.”
Kewaunee Marsh Clean Up – Approximately 15-acres within the state-owned C.D. Besadny Fish and Wildlife Area, located within the Kewaunee Marsh adjacent to the Kewaunee River, is heavily impacted by arsenic contamination and has been fenced off since 1996 to prevent exposure to the public. The state budget includes $2 million for development of a plan to clean up arsenic-contaminated sediment.
“This project is a high priority because of recent flooding events,” Sen. Jacque said. “Without timely action, arsenic in the area will spread over a larger area in the marsh and will discharge more mass, degrading water quality in Lake Michigan.”
Brillion Marsh – Sen. Jacque and Rep. Ron Tusler secured $70,000 to clear up a blockage of approximately 2,000 feet of the Manitowoc River in the Calumet County Town of Brillion, which has been obstructed for decades, flooding numerous area landowners.
“Landowners have tried for many years off and on to talk with the DNR to get the river opened, only to be told the agency does not have the money, or it has been used elsewhere,” Sen. Jacque said. “This project should be specifically budgeted so that the DNR cannot use it for any other purpose.”
New Community Shelter – Sen. Jacque, a member of the State Building Commission, both made the official referral and recommendation to the Commission to fund the shelter’s $4 million supportive housing project and authored the motion to renew the state grant program for local projects that is designating funding for it. This initiative is designed to provide long-term, stable supported housing for individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness, and the New Community Shelter is Brown County’s only emergency center open year round that serves homeless adult men and women.
“This is a transformative project,” Sen. Jacque said. “The programming is tailored to those needing on-site case management, mental health support, and addiction recovery and employment services, fostering a sense of community and accountability.”
Independent Living Center (ILC) Grants – Sen. Jacque and Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara worked to increase grant funding by over $300,000 annually for these consumer- and community-based, not-for-profit, nonresidential organizations, which serve persons of any age, and with any type of disability in all 72 counties. Sen. Jacque has previously authored legislation for the funding, which had not been increased in over 20 years. Options for Independent Living is the agency serving the 17-county area of Northeast Wisconsin and the Fox Valley.
“ILCs provide assistance to people with disabilities and older adults to access employment, transportation, and housing, and maintain/attain independence and health,” Sen. Jacque said. “This is also a great investment that helps keep people out of costly institutions and nursing facilities, saving an average 30% per person.”
Child Care Resource and Referral Center Network (CCR&R) – The state budget also includes $1 million annually to support these organizations that help families find, access, and utilize high-quality child care options while supporting providers, providing technical assistance and helping build capacity for additional child care slots.
“These networks provide information, support, and resources to both parents and child care providers,” Sen. Jacque said. “They play a vital role in building a strong child care system by addressing the needs of families, communities, and employers.”
Sen. Jacque said he was also pleased to see several of his previous budget and legislative wins receive continued investment:
Protecting Public Safety – The budget included funding for seven additional assistant district attorney (ADA) positions in Brown County, two additional ADAs in Manitowoc County and two additional ADAs in Outagamie County.
“Northeast Wisconsin has some of the most understaffed District Attorney offices in the state on a caseload basis. Delaying justice for crime victims is an injustice,” Sen. Jacque said. “I have always fought to give our prosecutors the resources they need to hold criminals accountable.”
Closing Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) – The budget sets aside $2.5 million and establishes a 2029 date for closing GBCI, one of the state’s oldest prisons, which Sen. Jacque has long called for closing due to the dangerous environment it poses to corrections officers and inmates alike, as well as the high cost of band-aid fixes to the badly aging facility.
“I’m glad to see progress being made in the closure of this facility,” Sen. Jacque said. “I look forward to working with the administration and my colleagues on the next phases of this process.”
Expanding Youth Workforce and Education Opportunities – The spending plan includes a $6 million increase for youth apprenticeship grants over the next two years.
“These programs positively impact the quality of life for students, their families, and the community by preparing a skilled workforce for local businesses,” Sen. Jacque said. “Students earn a competitive wage and can pursue a career pathway of their choice, and gain skills to overcome generational poverty.”
Southern Bridge Railway Underpass – The state budget includes $30 million for the De Pere Railway bridge, an investment critical to completing the Southern Bridge Connector Project. Sen. Jacque previously secured the initial enumeration and funding commitment for this project, and was pleased to support further enumeration in past budgets to help speed construction of this critical public safety and economic development infrastructure.
“The Southern Bridge and Highway 41 lane expansion in Brown and Outagamie Counties are imperative infrastructure needs for our area, and I’m proud to continue playing a critical role to make them happen,” said Sen. Jacque.
Port of Green Bay – The spending plan directs the state Harbor Assistance Program to provide $20 million to the Port of Green Bay project. Sen. Jacque has played a direct role in facilitating discussions between state and local officials that helped make this economic development opportunity a reality, helping Brown County secure previous state grant funds to assist Brown County with the purchase of the WPS Pulliam Plant Property, removing the facility as well as relocating the coal pile storage site that runs along the Fox River in Green Bay.
“This port is critical to the economic vitality of the area given its designation as a Foreign Trade Zone, and its expansion will undoubtedly result in new business and increased economic activity,” Sen. Jacque said.
The state budget must now clear the Assembly and be signed by the Governor to become law.
