(WLUK) -- On the eve of Gov. Tony Evers' fifth state of the state address, some lawmakers are preparing themselves for what to expect.

"Usually the governor's state of the state address is a little bit more of a wish list than grounded in reality," Wisconsin State Senator Andre Jacque said.

Jacque said the contents of the speech is anyone's guess, but he does hope to hear about some key topics.

"Certainly I'm hopeful the governor is going to touch on some points of longstanding bipartisan agreement, certainly some issues relating to workforce, water quality, infrastructure needs here in Northeast Wisconsin," Jacque said.

In his 2023 inaugural address, Evers stated a desire to work with politicians on both sides of the aisle.

"The functions of democracy are derived not from any one person, any one office or any one party, but from all of us together," Evers said.

However, Evers has made it clear that he will work to further the issues central to his 2022 campaign.

"We'll be asking to make recreational marijuana a thing in the state," Evers said. "You can't ignore it when 70-80% of people in Wisconsin indicate their support for that. And it's not a one-time poll."

Jacque said the legislature won't be passing any bills on marijuana or abortions. He says it wouldn't be worth it for Evers to focus on those issues during his speech.

"The governor in the past has trumpeted some of those political talking points that obviously aren't going to go anywhere in the legislature," Jacque said. "So, that would be a disappointment if he kind of wastes that opportunity. Hopefully, he can avoid some of the partisan rhetoric."

Wisconsin also has a record high budget surplus. Jacque hopes Evers touches on the primary goals of that spending.

"Youth apprenticeship and child care, getting people back into the workforce," Jacque said. "We're dealing with some very real issues with inflation and the cost of living and the need for tax relief."

Evers also has a plan for the budget surplus.

"We hope to use some of that surplus to create a middle class tax cut and also fund our schools in a much better way and continue to fix our roads," Evers said.

Author :Brady Meyer

Source Url :https://fox11online.com/news/local/previewing-gov-tony-evers-2023-state-state-address-wisconsin-madison-capital-assembly-senate-legislature-marijuana-abortion-budget-surplus-jacque-evers#