MADISON – Today, the Joint Finance Committee voted 16-0 to increase the revenue bonding authority of the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and the Clean Water Fund Program by $732 million. This rare showing of bipartisan support shows the urgent need for safe drinking water in the state.
The Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and the Clean Water Fund Program have demonstrated track records of providing affordable financial assistance to communities for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects.
Based on community input from across the state, this was one of Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ budget priorities and a focus of our Conservation Lobby Day on May 6, 2025. There are more than 1,000 projects on the priority lists for these programs in the state fiscal year 2026. Today’s vote takes us one step closer to ensuring that Wisconsin can support projects like these in 2026 and beyond.
“Every Wisconsinite deserves equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water,” said Peter Burress, Government Affairs Manager. “Increasing the revenue bonding authority of the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and the Clean Water Fund Program is a smart, substantive way to make progress on this goal. We thank Gov. Evers and the Joint Finance Committee for hearing the concerns of Wisconsinites across the state, and supporting families impacted by PFAS, lead, and nitrate contamination. We urge every legislator to support this same investment and send it to Gov. Evers for his signature.”
