MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers and the Evers Administration today celebrated the Wisconsin State Legislature’s decision to finally release key investments that will help cut wait times and restore record-breaking license and credentialing efficiencies that the Evers Administration had previously implemented at the direction of the governor to improve processing times for Wisconsin workers. The move comes after months of Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration pressing Republican lawmakers to approve critical staffing resources that they previously rejected during the biennial budget process for the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) that helped make record-breaking efficiency improvements to the agency’s license and credentialing processing times.
Gov. Evers recently laid out his legislative agenda top priorities for 2026 and the remaining 11 months of the legislative session, which included supporting Wisconsin’s workforce by restoring DSPS’s resources to help cut red tape and improve license and credential processing times. In his letter to members of the Wisconsin State Legislature, the governor advocated to work expeditiously to reverse the impacts caused by the Legislature’s delays in providing these needed resources for DSPS and urged the Legislature to “refrain from creating any additional barriers or obstructions to this important work.” More on the governor’s 2026 legislative agenda is available here.
“We’re already getting good things done in 2026, and this is great news for Wisconsin, our workers, and our workforce. We’ve been hard at work over the last seven years making sure state government works and works better for the people that we serve. Thanks to my administration’s efforts, Wisconsin was able to license more people to join our workforce and more quickly than at any point in state history before Republican lawmakers rejected the resources that ensured that important work could continue,” said Gov. Evers. “While it was disappointing that Republican lawmakers chose not to support our efforts in the state budget, I’m glad to see these critical investments get across the finish line so we can continue to support employers and our workforce and continue providing Wisconsinites with the service they expect and deserve.”
Thanks to the Evers Administration’s efforts over the past seven years to bring state government into the 21st Century, today, state government is working better, faster, and smarter than ever before. Last summer, DSPS celebrated a near-record month for new licenses issued, having issued nearly 6,800 new license applications in June alone, making it one of the top three most productive months in the history of the agency. This was thanks to additional resources directed by Gov. Evers in 2022 using federal emergency response funding to ensure that DSPS could expediate license processing without sacrificing due diligence and review of applications. As a result, the agency has seen landmark achievements, including 114,000 new licenses issued in 2023 and 2024, which was 35 percent more than any previous two-year period, resulting in more than $54 million in added wages for Wisconsin workers in 2023.
In his 2025-27 Executive Budget, Gov. Evers proposed funding for nine full-time licensing positions at DSPS and 14 full-time positions in the agency’s call center to continue this record-breaking efficiency and successful customer service operations. Unfortunately, Republicans in the State Legislature failed to include the governor’s proposal in the final budget and instead renewed just five of the 22 positions being lost in the call center due to federal and state funding resources winding down. As a result, DSPS lost more than half of its call center personnel, and performance data available on the agency’s website shows that hold times at the call center went from about 3.5 minutes per hold to between 23 and 38 minutes in the first few weeks.
To address this urgent need, DSPS made a supplemental budget request in late October 2025 that focused on using technology upgrades instead of staffing to help bring down hold times for its customers. Unfortunately, a member of JFC, the state’s budget committee, anonymously objected to the funding, and despite multiple inquiries, DSPS was never told why. In an about face, DSPS was recently notified that the objection was lifted, and the agency again submitted their request for funding, which underwent a five-day passive review by the members of the Committee. With no further objections, the agency’s funding request was approved.
“We wish it hadn’t taken this long, but we are excited that our request is now approved and we can continue to innovate and develop more efficient processes that build on our award-winning licensing systems,” said DSPS Secretary Dan Hereth.
Like the governor’s budget request, this technology-based solution uses program funding, not general taxpayer revenue. It utilizes fee revenue DSPS receives from state license holders to improve the services provided to them.
Total estimated cost of the DSPS call center technology upgrades is $1.8 million. The approved DSPS funding request involves three parts:
- Updating Call Center Software – DSPS plans to invest in a modern phone system that allows for faster routing of calls, matching of caller with application records, informing of the current wait time, and requesting a call back.
- Utilizing Artificial Intelligence – DSPS plans to invest in a 24-hour “AI-agent chat” pilot, to respond to the estimated 75 percent of calls DSPS receives that are “how to” questions and can be answered without a call.
- Adding Project Support Staff – DSPS plans to add six project positions to help implement the technology projects and support customers.
An online version of this release is available here.
