2024 Wrap Up- Gov. Evers Highlights 2024 Accomplishments

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today reflected on his and the Evers Administration’s work over the past year to serve Wisconsinites in every corner of the state and highlighted his administration’s 2024 accomplishments as the year comes to an end, including efforts to bolster Wisconsin’s workforce during the Year of the Worker as declared by the governor in January this year.

“We’re always working to do the right thing for Wisconsin, and I’m so proud to see yet another year’s worth of success and accomplishments helping deliver on our promise to improve the lives of Wisconsinites across our state,” said Gov. Evers.

“Our work to bolster Wisconsin’s workforce to address our generational challenges and meet the demands of the 21st Century has been a critical focus of our work this year. We have also welcomed major investments from global companies like Microsoft and Eli Lilly and Company, secured our designation as a U.S. Regional Tech Hub, began implementing one of the largest state affordable housing investments in state history, continued to fix the darn roads and expand high-speed internet, saw record-high employment, enacted fair maps, and protected access to the ballot box and reproductive healthcare, and so much more,” Gov. Evers continued. “2024 was a historic year for Wisconsin in so many ways, and I want to extend my gratitude to my cabinet, office, and state workers who work in earnest every day to make sure state government works – and works well – for the people we serve. We accomplished so much together this past year, and I’m excited to continue full steam ahead working for Wisconsin in 2025.”

Among Gov. Evers’ and the Evers Administration’s 2024 accomplishments include: signing 186 bills into law, including enacting fair legislative maps, undoing over a decade of Wisconsinites living under some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America; achieving record-high employment and participation in the state’s Registered and Youth apprenticeship programs during the governor’s declared Year of the Worker; creating the Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce and the state’s first-ever Teacher Apprenticeship Pilot Program; launching the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program to help farmers and producers get products to market; expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure statewide, as well as expanding passenger rail for the first time in 20 years; securing the state’s designation as a U.S. Regional Tech Hub; getting more people insured through the Marketplace than ever before with record-high enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA); expanding access to birth control and reproductive healthcare; achieving record high tourism and outdoor recreation economic impact numbers; securing multi-billion dollar investments from key industry leaders like Microsoft, Eli Lilly and Company, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, Kikkoman Foods Inc., and more; improving more than 8,600 miles of road and 2,000 bridges since 2019; building more than 17,000 units of affordable housing since 2019; and throughout 2024, the Evers Administration implemented several programs, grants, and funds from the governor’s 2023-25 biennial budget that included investments to build 21st-century infrastructure to support Wisconsin’s 21st-century economy and workforce.

A comprehensive but not exhaustive list of Gov. Evers’ and the Evers Administration’s 2024 accomplishments is available below.

Building a 21st-Century Workforce and Economy

• Gov. Evers highlighted a recent 2024 report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which states that the state’s tax burden, also known as the state’s personal income tax or the amount Wisconsinites pay as a share of their personal income, has hit an all-time low—thanks in part to tax cuts signed into law by Gov. Evers over the past several years. Through the income tax cuts the governor has signed into law to date, Wisconsin taxpayers will see $1.5 billion in tax relief annually, primarily targeted to the middle class.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 101, which expanded the current child and dependent care tax credit from 50 percent to 100 percent of the federal credit, helping reduce the tax burden for families struggling to afford the high cost of child care and care for adult dependents. Act 101, similar to a proposal Gov. Evers recommended in his 2023-25 biennial budget proposal, provides tax relief to over 110,000 Wisconsin taxpayers at an average benefit of over $656 per filer, totaling nearly $73 million in annual tax relief.
• Gov. Evers, during his 2024 State of the State address, declared 2024 the Year of the Worker in Wisconsin and announced new efforts by the Evers Administration to build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy, including launching the state’s first teacher apprenticeship pilot program and creating the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce.
• Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #220 to create the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce. The task force was charged with studying the workforce challenges facing the state’s healthcare system, including recruitment and retention, quality of patient care, educational and training pathways to grow a sustainable healthcare workforce, and creating an action plan with solutions. The Task Force hosted six meetings around the state and, in August, delivered a full report, providing 10 recommendations with 26 action items.
• Gov. Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), announced $1 million in grants available for the Teacher Training and Recruitment Grant program to train and recruit teachers where shortages are most prevalent in Wisconsin. The grants, which cover two years of program costs, are available through DWD’s Expanded Wisconsin Fast Forward program. Wisconsin nonprofit organizations can apply for up to $500,000 to recruit, train, and license teachers to meet the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s guidelines for serving qualifying school districts.
• The administration launched the state’s first-ever Teacher Apprenticeship Pilot Program to strengthen the state’s educator pipeline, as well as teacher turnover and retention. In November, Gov. Evers joined DWD, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and school officials to celebrate the first eight teacher apprentices signing their apprenticeship agreements.
• Over the course of the year, Gov. Evers and DWD announced eight new occupational pathways in Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program, including early childhood education, school-age education, administrative professional, human resources professional, law enforcement, fire protection, project management, and barbering/cosmetology.
• DWD celebrated the success of the Youth Apprenticeship program during the first annual National Youth Apprenticeship Week, highlighting the record 9,932 Youth Apprentices enrolled in the program with a record 6,671 employer sponsors during the 2023-2024 school year. with a record 6,671 employer sponsors during the 2023-2024 school year.
• Gov. Evers later celebrated “National Apprenticeship Week” in November by announcing that Wisconsin’s Registered Apprenticeship Program has reached a record of 17,089 enrolled apprentices and more than 3,000 participating employers—surpassing record participation in both 2022 and 2023 and marking the third consecutive year that the program has reached an all-time record in the program’s 112-year history.
• DWD launched the nation’s first respiratory therapist registered apprenticeship program in partnership with UW Health and Madison College.
• According to the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA), the state of Wisconsin also achieved several state workforce milestones, including supporting more than 9,800 new hires across the enterprise and providing over 185,122 training hours to state employees between January and November.
• Gov. Evers welcomed President Joe Biden to Wisconsin to join Microsoft officials in celebrating Microsoft’s investment of $3.3 billion between May 2024 and the end of 2026 to expand its national cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure capacity through the development of a state-of-the-art datacenter campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The project is expected to bring 2,000 union construction jobs to the area by the end of this year, as well as provide long-term employment opportunities over the next several years. Microsoft also announced the establishment of a long-term partnership to advance the state’s global leadership in AI and advanced manufacturing.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 95, requiring the Board of Regents at the UW System to establish a guaranteed admission program for certain Wisconsin high school students to help retain the state’s own homegrown talent. According to the UW System, nearly 90 percent of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after graduation.
• Gov. Evers signed four bills, including Senate Bill 668, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 267, which directs the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to implement an Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) savings account program. ABLE savings plans are accounts designed to help those with disabilities save and invest for qualified disability expenses without jeopardizing the means-tested benefits they receive.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 92 and Act 93, respectively, providing four percent wage increases for employees in the building trades crafts collective bargaining units at UW-Madison and the UW System. While these raises for UW building trades employees are based on the collective bargaining agreements between the UW Board of Regents and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee, they match the four percent increase that was negotiated, agreed upon, and approved by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Evers for the 35,000 non-represented UW employees in the 2023-25 biennial budget. Still, the wage increases signed into law by Gov. Evers were long-delayed as the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) refused to authorize the collective bargaining agreements and introduce the legislation necessary for implementation. After nearly six months of Republicans’ unconstitutional obstruction of these increases, JCOER finally approved the wage adjustment for non-represented employees in December 2023 and, at the same meeting, also approved the collective bargaining agreements.
• DWD unveiled two new mobile career labs in 2024 to expand mobile workforce services, including support for employer hiring events, job fairs, and recruitment events across the state.
• The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) announced its third round of Youth Firefighter Training Program grants to boost recruitment in fire departments by introducing fire service careers to students across the state.
• DSPS also celebrated the state’s first Dental Diploma Privilege graduates at the Marquette University School of Dentistry in 2024. In collaboration with Marquette University, the Dentistry Examining Board, the Wisconsin Dental Association, and DSPS, the school’s graduates who wish to start practicing in Wisconsin no longer have to pay for and take a one-day, post-graduate practical exam to earn their license.
• Throughout 2024, Wisconsin achieved consecutive months of record-high employment and continued to see historically low unemployment rates:
  • Gov. Evers, together with the DWD, announced that Wisconsin achieved new record highs for employment and total nonfarm jobs during June 2024, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Gov. Evers, together with the DWD, announced that nine counties across the state showed the lowest unemployment rates on record. Counties with record-low unemployment include Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Door, Langlade, Oconto, Pepin, Rock, and Sawyer, with unemployment rates as low as 1.9 percent and no higher than 2.7 percent in these select counties.
  • Gov. Evers, together with the DWD, announced Wisconsin achieved a new record high for employment during October 2024 and then beat that record again in November, marking the seventh consecutive monthly record high for employment.
• Gov. Evers, together with the DWD, announced that Wisconsin ranked first in the nation for inflation-adjusted hourly earnings growth during February, March, and May 2024 and second in the nation during April, according to data on private sector worker earnings released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• The Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence, formed in August 2023 and chaired by DWD Secretary Pechacek, released its plan in July 2024.
• The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) and DWD announced that worker’s compensation insurance rates dropped for the ninth year in a row, saving employers roughly $206 million on policies beginning in October 2024.
• DSPS worked with multiple boards to form the new Interdisciplinary Advisory Council, which is looking into rising concerns and practice questions related to new ways to deliver healthcare.
• DWD announced record-high disability employment in Wisconsin for the second consecutive year, with nearly 190,000 working-age individuals with disabilities employed in the state in 2023.
• Throughout 2024, DSPS issued over 45,600 initial professional licenses, the second most on record for a given year. The only year with a higher number of issued licenses in Wisconsin was 2023, making 2023-24 the most productive two-year stretch ever for the state’s licensing division.
• DSPS and the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) announced a collaborative effort to streamline the professional licensing of students graduating from healthcare programs at WTCS institutions, guiding them into the state’s healthcare workforce as quickly as possible.
• DSPS announced its workforce-focused Accelerate Wisconsin Initiative, which encompasses multiple new DSPS efforts to streamline the path to licensure in various professions, keeping an emphasis on safety while accelerating the transition from the classroom to the workforce.
• After tireless advocacy from Gov. Evers and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), the two announced that certain Wisconsin businesses would be eligible for a federal disaster loan program if they suffered losses due to last year’s unusually mild winter, which lacked Wisconsin’s typical snowfall in many areas of the state. The lack of snow impacted travel and recreation businesses that depend on snow each winter for activities such as downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.
• The 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers appropriated $25 million for an additional round of the Badger Fund of Funds program, and this year, Gov. Evers signed Wisconsin Act 98 that adopted the governor’s recommendations from the past two budgets to remove the requirement that the funds be repaid to the general fund, making the Badger Fund of Funds an evergreen program that can continue to reinvest in Wisconsin venture capital funds and support the state’s entrepreneurial environment.
• The Wisconsin season of Top Chef premiered and included twelve 75-minute episodes, showcasing Wisconsin to global audiences around the world. The show was broadcasted and streamed in 185 different territories. Its massive, dedicated audience resulted in viewership of up to 6 million people per episode. During the season, the Department of Tourism’s Travel Wisconsin team produced an integrated paid, earned, and owned media campaign. This included Travel Wisconsin’s first national TV ad and its largest national public relations effort.
• Gov. Evers signed Assembly Bill (AB) 548, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 170, which requires the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to create the Wisconsin-Ireland Trade Commission in order to promote trade between Wisconsin and the Republic of Ireland, recommends actions related to issues of mutual interest between Wisconsin and the Republic of Ireland, and encourage mutual economic support and investment and make recommendations to the governor and Legislature.
• Gov. Evers announced the approval of up to $15.5 million in performance-based tax credits to assist Kikkoman Foods Inc. in expanding its operations in Wisconsin. Kikkoman is investing more than $560 million to build this new facility in Jefferson, and together with an additional nearly $250 million expansion effort at the company’s existing facility in Walworth, the projects are expected to create at least 83 new high-paying jobs in Wisconsin over the next 12 years. Kikkoman Chairman and honorary CEO Mr. Yuzaburo Mogi, representatives from the Kikkoman Corporation, and WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, as well as local elected leaders and stakeholders, celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for Kikkoman Foods Inc.’s (KFI) new state-of-the-art manufacturing and production facility in Jefferson. Kikkoman is investing more than $560 million to build this new facility in Jefferson, and together with an additional nearly $250 million expansion effort at the company’s existing facility in Walworth, the projects are expected to create at least 83 new high-paying jobs in Wisconsin over the next 12 years.
• Gov. Evers announced that Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is expanding its production facility in Jefferson—a $195 million project that is expected to bring an additional 100 jobs to the community it has called home since 1910.
• Gov. Evers joined representatives from the National Football League (NFL), Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers, and other local elected officials and leaders in Milwaukee at the Lake Express Ferry Terminal to celebrate the official hand-off of the NFL draft, which is coming to Green Bay in 2025. According to the Packers, the 2025 NFL draft is expected to draw approximately 250,000 attendees during the three-day event and have an economic impact of $94 million in Wisconsin, including approximately $20 million in the Green Bay area.
• Gov. Evers and the WEDC requested the release of $10 million in already-approved funding for the Opportunity Attraction and Promotion Fund aimed at promoting Wisconsin as a premiere host and major destination for large-scale events. The Evers Administration submitted a formal s. 13.10 request to the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) to release the $10 million investment, which was created and funded in the 2023-25 biennial budget. To date, JFC has released half of the allocated $10 million investment.
• The Tax Policy Center ranked Wisconsin as first in the nation for revenue forecast accuracy from 2013 to 2023. This is a long-running achievement for the Research and Policy Division at the Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), as Wisconsin has held the number one spot in forecast accuracy, according to the Rockefeller Institute, from 1987 to 2013.
• After many years of proposing a similar program in his executive budgets, Gov. Evers, together with WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, announced a major step forward in supporting Wisconsin entrepreneurs with the launch of the Wisconsin Investment Fund, a public-private venture capital initiative that is investing $100 million in startup businesses throughout the state. This is the largest public-private investment in Wisconsin startups and entrepreneurs in the state’s history. Over the first years of the fund, WEDC anticipates creating at least a $500 million impact as the companies selected by the fund continue to grow.
• Gov. Evers, together with the WEDC, in June, celebrated the expansion of the PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, at its good manufacturing practices (GMP) lab in Middleton, reflecting a $58 million investment that will create hundreds of new jobs. The Evers Administration, through the WEDC, is supporting the project by authorizing up to $2.15 million in performance-based business development tax credits through September 2026.
• In June, Gov. Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers, announced that Wisconsin’s tourism industry saw another record-breaking year in 2023 with a $25 billion in total economic impact, surpassing the previous record year of $23.7 billion set in 2022.
• The governor also announced another record-breaking year for Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry in 2023, with the industry contributing $11.2 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2023, growing 9.4 percent over the previous record set in 2022, and 96,867 jobs—up 3.4 percent.
• Gov. Evers, together with U.S. Sen. Baldwin, announced that Wisconsin had officially been selected as a U.S. Regional Tech Hub, unlocking $49 million to grow the state’s personalized medicine and BioHealth sector, including advancing research and innovation, growing the state’s economy, and creating jobs. Over the first 10 years, the Tech Hub designation is projected to create more than 30,000 jobs in the personalized medicine sector and over 111,000 indirect jobs attributable to the Tech Hub in Wisconsin. Additionally, the Tech Hub is projected to create $9 billion worth of economic development in Wisconsin within the first decade.
• Gov. Evers also helped secure the release of $7.5 million in funding from JFC to BioForward Inc. to establish the state’s U.S. Regional Tech Hub, as provided by 2023 Wisconsin Act 96, signed by Gov. Evers in February.
• Gov. Evers, together with WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, announced that Wisconsin saw record planned capital investments last year as businesses located and expanded throughout the state. Businesses partnering with the Evers Administration through WEDC committed to more than $2.4 billion in capital investments in fiscal year (FY) 2024, the highest level since WEDC was created in 2011 and well above the previous high of nearly $1.8 billion set in FY19.
• Gov. Evers, together with U.S. Sen. Baldwin and the DOR announced that Wisconsin would join the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Direct File program for filing season 2025. This will allow eligible Wisconsin taxpayers an option to file their taxes online directly with the IRS for free, saving folks time and money by cutting out unnecessary fees from third-party entities.
• Gov. Tony Evers announced that, for the fifth consecutive year during his tenure, the state’s General Fund recorded a positive balance at the end of the 2023-24 FY using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The state’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) shows a $4.5 billion positive GAAP balance in the state’s General Fund. The ACFR also shows the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund—also known as the “rainy day” fund—again ended the FY at the highest level in state history with a balance of $1.9 billion. The Budget Stabilization Fund has set a new record in every FY under Gov. Evers.
• Gov. Evers declared November 30 through December 31, 2024, as the “Shop Small Wisconsin Season,” encouraging Wisconsinites to support local businesses and shop small during the holiday season.
• Gov. Evers joined Eli Lilly and Company officials in early December to announce a $3 billion expansion of the Kenosha County manufacturing facility that the company acquired earlier this year. According to Lilly, the company expects to add 750 highly skilled jobs to the current 130-plus workforce at this location in Southeastern Wisconsin, while also creating an expected 2,000 construction jobs.
• Gov. Evers also released a statement celebrating the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District’s (the District) vote to approve a new lease agreement for American Family Field, ensuring the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball (MLB) remain in Wisconsin through 2050. The District’s historic vote came just over a year after Gov. Evers, on December 5, 2023, signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 40 and 41 to keep the Brewers and MLB in Wisconsin through 2050.
• Gov. Evers and WEDC submitted a request to the JFC requesting the release of $20 million in funding aimed at supporting local communities after recent University of Wisconsin (UW) System branch campus closures. The Branch Redevelopment Grant Program, which was established when Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 250 with partial vetoes to improve flexibility for local communities applying to receive the funds, will be used to help communities transition closed campus sites for new purposes. This funding was released by JFC in July.
• The DOA assisted in establishing two new sports wagering operations in 2024, bringing the total number of operations offering sports wagering in Wisconsin to seven and contributing to a $1.1 million increase in the state’s revenue share attributable to sports wagering in 2024.
• DOA also announced the Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program exceeded the five percent Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Diverse Spend goal for the fourth year in a row, with a 6.1 percent MBE spend for FY 2023 and growing certifications for minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
• DOA retired $415 million of debt, resulting in future debt service savings for Wisconsin taxpayers of over $455 million.
• DOA also worked to generate $89.7 million in debt service savings for taxpayers through bond administration.
• DOR reported that a $55,000 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grant was awarded to the University of Wisconsin (UW)–Extension to support the Richard Dilley Tax Center. This center provides valuable tax preparation services to individuals earning low to moderate income.

Doing What’s Best for Kids and Investing in Public Education at Every Level   

• Gov. Evers sued the Wisconsin State Legislature over its refusal to release a critical investment aimed at improving K-12 student literacy, one of many investments intended to respond to pressing challenges facing Wisconsin. The move came as Republican lawmakers on the Republican-controlled JFC refused–and continue to refuse–to release nearly $200 million in already-approved investments, including $125 million to fight PFAS contaminants statewide, nearly $50 million to help improve K-12 student reading outcomes, and $15 million in crisis response resources to respond to hospital closures in Western Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers urged the Board of Regents to join him in supporting the largest biennial increase in state funding for the UW System in state history with an at least $800 million increase over the biennium in the state’s next biennial budget—a move aimed at preventing further staff and faculty layoffs, campus closures, and program cuts and consolidations. The Board of Regents answered the governor’s call, approving an agency budget request that met the governor’s request to make robust, ongoing state investments in the UW System.
• Gov. Evers signed legislation to enumerate critical capital project investments for the UW System for System-wide capital improvements, renovations at UW-Whitewater, and the UW-Madison engineering building project, which has long been a top UW budget priority for years. Gov. Evers also approved changes he has long sought during his time in office to allow the UW System to retain net revenue generated by students from Minnesota attending UW institutions, which had previously been rejected by Republicans in the Legislature.
• Gov. Evers, together with WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes and former Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Emilie Amundson, joined Door Community Child Development Center for a ribbon-cutting ceremony of their new facility in Sturgeon Bay that was supported in part by a $3.5 million grant through his Workforce Innovation Grant Program. With the new 18,600-square-foot building, Door Community Child Development Center’s capacity has grown from 83 to 150 children, and that capacity now allows the center to provide programming for Head Start and area school districts. With the new 18,600-square-foot building, Door Community Child Development Center’s capacity has grown from 83 to 150 children, and that capacity now allows the center to provide programming for Head Start and area school districts.
• Gov. Evers signed legislation that expanded the definition of those eligible to be kinship caregivers to include adults with a “like-kin” relationship with the child, providing more opportunities for kids in out-of-home care to be placed with those they’re already connected to and those caregivers can receive crucial financial support.
• Gov. Evers announced that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service approved Wisconsin’s plan for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program to help families feed kids over the summer months. Wisconsin is the first in the nation to receive this federal approval.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 248, which allocates $400,000 for the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center to support Holocaust education in Wisconsin schools as required by 2021 Wisconsin Act 30.
• Gov. Evers vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have allowed individuals with no license, no education, no training, no experience, no specific skillsets, no qualifications, and no background check to become school district administrators and have direct contact with kids at school. The GOP-backed bill, SB 335, would have effectively eliminated all such requirements, enabling individuals who, for example, did not have to undergo a standard background check to have direct contact with kids in schools across Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers was joined by LGBTQ youth, families, advocates, elected officials, and community members as he vetoed AB 377, a bill passed by Republican members of the Wisconsin State Legislature targeting transgender and gender nonconforming youth and banning them from participating in school athletic teams that align with their gender identity, a bill passed by Republican members of the Wisconsin State Legislature targeting transgender and gender nonconforming youth and banning them from participating in school athletic teams that align with their gender identity.
• Gov. Evers, together with DWD, awarded more than $900,000 to school districts through the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program to support advanced manufacturing training in preparation for high-demand job opportunities.
• Gov. Evers celebrated Hmong Heritage Month by signing 2023 Wisconsin Act 266, requiring schools to include education on the contributions and history of Hmong Americans and Asian Americans in Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers delivered remarks in April at the Wisconsin State Council of Machinists 2024 Spring Conference in Madison and vetoed SB 436 to protect kids from exploitative and unsafe work conditions, as SB 436 would have eliminated the requirement that employers obtain a work permit in order to employ 14- or 15-year-olds.
• Gov. Evers, together with WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, announced that 18 school districts would receive more than $493,000 in “fab lab” grants to train students in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) skills and prepare them for careers using advanced technologies.
• Thanks to a crucial $170 million investment from Gov. Evers to provide emergency stabilization funding, the Child Care Counts Program will continue through June 2025 as opposed to the initial proposed end date of January 2025. To date, the Child Care Counts program has helped over 5,314 child care providers keep their doors open in Wisconsin, ensuring the employment of 64,533 child care professionals and allowing providers to continue to care for more than 364,280 kids. This investment from the governor momentarily addresses the possibility of a projected 2,110 child care programs closing across the state without continued investments in the Child Care Counts program.
• DCF made several changes to the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program to reach more families across the state. These changes included raising the initial eligibility threshold to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, moving to a full-time/part-time rate structure, covering registration fees, and making the benefits cliff for families transitioning off the program less steep.
• Gov. Evers led a delegation of 26 bipartisan governors in sending a letter to congressional leadership urging them to pass the bipartisan Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act (H.R. 7906), which seeks a legislative fix to ensure kids and families get the support they need and without which would cost Wisconsin millions of dollars and suspend child support payments to thousands of families.
• For the first time since 2009, DCF’s Emergency Assistance program benefit amounts were increased to reflect higher costs of living. The change increased program utilization, with over 3,500 families receiving assistance in 2024.
• Gov. Evers received the Ann S. Nerad Award for Distinguished Contributions to Advance Policies for Social and Emotional Learning at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) 2024 SEL Exchange conference in Chicago.
• Throughout 2024, the Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH), produced a series of fact sheets and infographics about various children’s mental health topics, including information on supporting kids with disabilities, infant and toddler mental health, and school nurses and youth mental health. Those materials can be found on the OCMH website here.
• OCMH held a series of leadership and educational summits throughout 2024, including Social Connectedness of Youth Convenings—a series of five virtual convenings exploring different aspects of social connectedness of youth, during which over 300 attended from across the state to share best practices and inspire action.
• Gov. Evers proclaimed December 2024 as “FAFSA® Filing Month” throughout the state of Wisconsin, in partnership with DFI and the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB), to encourage Wisconsin students and families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for the 2025-26 academic year as part of the national “FAFSA® Filing Month.”

Building Strong and Safe Communities for All

• In August, Gov. Evers announced DOR distributed the first round of increased payments to counties and municipalities under the historic shared revenue legislation signed by the governor in June 2023. Wisconsin’s shared revenue is one of the most significant sources of funding the state provides to local governments, including eight programs that annually provide state aid to counties, municipalities, tax increment districts, schools, technical colleges, and special districts. This distribution is the first real, meaningful increase in shared revenue in over a decade and marks a significant milestone as it includes the new supplemental county and municipal aid (CMA) established under 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, which is specifically allocated to support essential services such as law enforcement, fire protection, emergency medical services, emergency response communications, public works, courts, and transportation.
• Gov. Evers and the DOR published 2025 shared revenue estimates of over $1.5 billion. Counties and municipalities are set to see the realized benefits of the county and municipal aid and supplemental county and municipal aid being adjusted based on sales tax revenues next year, with an expected increase of $23.6 million to help invest in local community needs and priorities.
• Gov. Evers and The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced the launch of Wisconsin’s new Driver Education Grant Program. Funded by the 2023-25 biennial budget signed into law by Gov. Evers, the program aims to reduce barriers for low-income students to take driver education courses and become licensed drivers while promoting safe driving and safer roads.
• In an effort to reduce crashes and save lives on the roads, the Air Support Unit flew more than 80 traffic enforcement missions, resulting in more than 2,800 citations for speeding, OWI, and other violations; troopers worked with local law enforcement to conduct more than 800 traffic stops on the Beltline in Madison; State Patrol partnered with the trucking industry for Trooper in a Truck enforcement; and officers increased patrols for annual enforcement missions, including Speed Awareness Day, Click It or Ticket, and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
• WisDOT released a new motorists’ handbook to educate drivers on the rules of the road in an effort to make roads safer.
• WisDOT’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) created new license stickers for electric or hybrid vehicle owners to improve first responder safety after a crash. The 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers created this provision for WisDOT to issue a decal for each electric and hybrid-electric vehicle in the state to identify the vehicle as electric and to alert emergency personnel of the unique safety concerns of these vehicles.
• Throughout construction season, WisDOT hosted work zone safety events to celebrate Work Zone Awareness Week in Wisconsin and encourage safe driving to protect highway workers.
• WisDOT announced that Wisconsin’s driver’s license was named “Best ID,” having received the Élan Award of Excellence from the International Card Manufacturers Association for its incorporation of stunning and familiar imagery, including the Wisconsin State Capitol and State flag, in a highly secure design.
• WisDOT hosted the first-ever Safer Together-Summer Safety event to showcase safety-related programs and services and encourage a culture of safe driving in Wisconsin.
• WisDOT also joined the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Allies in Action campaign to demonstrate Wisconsin’s dedication to safety and take action to reduce traffic fatalities.
• WisDOT continued to study and implement strategies to integrate Connected and Automated Vehicles technologies in 2024. The department is working with local partners on pilot projects to test the feasibility of technologies designed to improve safety in work zones and law enforcement response areas.
• The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced that 12 Tribal nations, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies received grants for projects to prevent and reduce the dangers of opioid use. This grant program is part of the DHS plan to use the state’s share of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 218, which allows a tactical emergency medical services (TEMS) professional who is acting in the line of duty to carry a firearm in otherwise prohibited areas, such as fish hatcheries and wildlife refuges, and for the purposes of trespassing.
• Gov. Evers signed the “Prince Act”—2023 Wisconsin Act 272—which aims to address gaps in the Wisconsin AMBER Alert System by expanding criteria for issuing alerts for missing children and to ensure authorities in future missing child cases have expanded resources to issue quicker and more robust alert notices to the public, hopefully ensuring kids are able to be quickly located and returned home safely in the future.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 271, which prohibits the sale of counterfeit and unsafe lighters to help combat the dangerous rise in knock-off lighters that fail the American Society for Testing and Materials Standards.
• At the end of March, Gov. Evers signed dozens of bills aimed at improving community safety, reducing crime, and supporting crime victims across Wisconsin. Among legislation Gov. Evers enacted include bills to invest $10 million to support crime victims, including sexual assault and domestic abuse survivors; create a state Human Trafficking Council and expand employee training to identify and prevent human trafficking; support mental and behavioral health access for local law enforcement and certain other public safety personnel; bolster local 911 and emergency response systems; and help deter reckless driving statewide.
• The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) announced that more than 200 new correctional officers would begin work at DOC facilities statewide and that the agency continues to see record-setting numbers of officers graduate from its six-week training academy. The influx of staff will help decrease the DOC’s vacancy rate among correctional officers and sergeants, helping keep staff and individuals in the state’s care safe and driven in part by the governor’s efforts to increase starting pay for correctional officers.
• This year, DOC made several key steps toward closing the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls.
• In July, construction began on the Southeast Regional Care Facility for Youth with the facility slated to open in 2026.
• As plans continue for a new Type 1 youth facility in Dane County, important administrative code revisions were made in accordance with the federal consent decree. This brings the state closer to being able to safely move kids closer to home and transition the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake facilities for other uses.
• DOC announced that in May, 95 individuals at 18 DOC institutions celebrated earning their associate degrees with the help of Second Chance Pell Grants, a federal program that awards grants to incarcerated individuals to help cover tuition for degrees leading to in-demand career opportunities.
• The DOC provided a progress report relating to ongoing efforts to resume and expand programming at correctional institutions, address staffing challenges, resume standard operations, and ensure the safety of staff and people in the agency’s care.
• DOC and DWD celebrated the opening of the state’s first job lab within a DOC Probation and Parole office in October. The new space will provide clients on community supervision the opportunity to seamlessly research, apply, and interview with potential employers.
• DOC, together with Madison College, celebrated the academic achievements of 34 persons in DOC care from six institutions during a virtual ceremony, inducting the students into Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society
• Over the course of the year, Gov. Evers granted more than 300 pardons, bringing his total number of pardons granted during his time as governor to 1,436.
• DOC began working with nationwide consulting firm, Falcon Correctional and Community Services, on a systemwide assessment of the Division of Adult Institution’s operations, including restrictive housing practices, behavioral health, and healthcare.
• DOC filed the 21st report from the federal court-appointed monitor for Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School, noting an improvement in staff and youth attitudes, as well as fewer safety fears as the schools recover from the death of Youth Counselor Corey Proulx this summer.
• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Public Safety and Resource Protection Division completed the deployment of automated electronic defibrillators (AEDs) to every conservation warden patrol vehicle throughout the state.
• DFI’s Division of Securities launched an investment scam tracker to help Wisconsinites spot and avoid financial investment scams, including cryptocurrency scams. The investment scam tracker, available here, is searchable by company name, scam type, or keyword.
• DOA distributed $3 million in State and Local Cybersecurity grants to 62 municipalities to enhance cybersecurity resilience across the state.
• At the direction of Gov. Evers, DOA and DNR sent a letter to local water and wastewater systems administrators, encouraging them to evaluate their current cybersecurity and ensure assets are fully prepared to respond to a cybersecurity threat.

Investing in Affordable Housing for Working Families

• Gov. Evers, together with the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), announced the first round of awards for the Vacancy-to-Vitality Loan Program, developed from the historic state funding provided by the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers.
• In February, Gov. Evers announced the award of $16 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Housing awards for critical housing rehabilitation projects for low- and moderate-income households spanning seven state regions. Administered by DOA, Wisconsin’s Small Cities CDBG Program provides housing rehabilitation funds to seven regions on a bi-annual basis. These regional housing programs provide zero percent interest and deferred payment loans to low- and moderate-income homeowners to perform essential home repairs.
• Throughout 2024, DOA recorded that:
  • 190,257 Wisconsin households were assisted with their energy bills through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP);
  • 5,131 households saved an average of $350/year on energy costs after weatherization improvements;
  • 2,854 households received tenant-based rental assistance and/or rapid rehousing;
  • 19,522 individuals received overnight shelter;
  • 8,755 individuals received homelessness prevention and other services; and
  • 166,174 persons received community development and public facility benefits.
• DOA’s Division of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources (DEHCR) successfully wrapped up the Help for Homeowners Program, with close to 10,000 homeowners receiving support across all 72 counties since its inception.
• Gov. Evers and WHEDA announced the launch of the Infrastructure Access Loan, one of the four new loan products that emerged from a bipartisan housing package signed by the governor in June 2023. The Infrastructure Access Loan program provides loan funding to cover the costs of installing, replacing, upgrading, or improving public infrastructure related to workforce housing or senior housing.
• Gov. Evers, together with WHEDA, announced that multifamily housing developers statewide, including many in rural areas, would be receiving nearly $32.6 million in 2024 Housing Tax Credits to improve access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. In total, this funding will support 23 developments in urban and rural communities statewide, providing 1,383 new affordable united to house an estimated 3,250 Wisconsinites.
• In June, Gov. Evers and WHEDA announced that WHEDA reached an all-time home purchase record in its 52-year history. According to WHEDA data, its single-family team has closed 240 percent more home purchases than the previous year.
• Together with WHEDA, over the course of the year, Gov. Evers awarded more than $13 million in funding for the Vacancy-to-Vitality, Restore Main Street, and Infrastructure Access loan programs, which will support the development of more than 967 units of affordable housing statewide.
• In August, Gov. Evers joined U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) Chairperson Summer Strand in Milwaukee to announce the launch of the Home Efficiency Rebate (HOMES) Program. Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to launch the HOMES Program to deliver rebates to households undertaking whole-home, energy-saving improvements under the new program.
• Gov. Evers later announced the state’s launch of the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) Program. Together with the HOMES Program, these energy-saving measures will save American households up to $1 billion annually in energy costs and support an estimated 50,000 jobs.
• Gov. Evers, together with WHEDA, announced the 2025-2026 Qualified Allocation Plan, which administers federal and state tax credits that finance low- to moderate-income housing and establishes parameters and priorities for awarding the coming years’ housing tax credits.
• Gov. Evers, together with WHEDA, announced the More Like Home™ Repair and Renew Loan program to help owners of older homes make critical repairs and improvements that increase energy efficiency, safety, and security. This is the fourth and final program to emerge from the historic $525 million housing legislation signed into law by Gov. Evers last year, one of the largest investments in workforce housing in state history.
• By the end of 2024, the WHEDA Foundation will have awarded $2 million in housing grants to 52 awardees in 29 counties throughout Wisconsin. These grants will create or improve 1,674 beds and housing units that will provide emergency shelter, transitional residences, and extremely low-income housing.
• DHS announced that starting in 2025, Wisconsin will launch a new initiative to provide housing support services to Wisconsin Medicaid members experiencing housing insecurity who are also affected by substance use or mental health conditions. Wisconsin is one of the first states in the country to use housing solutions funded through Medicaid to achieve improved health outcomes for members.
• Gov. Evers announced seven agencies across the state will receive more than $750,000 in grant funding through the Recovery Voucher Program to provide access to affordable, safe, and stable housing in recovery residences for individuals and their families who are experiencing homelessness and have been diagnosed with opioid use disorder. Created in 2022 with an initial $2 million investment, the Recovery Voucher Program served more than 150 people in its first year.

Supporting Healthier Wisconsinites

• Gov. Evers announced a record-setting more than 250,000 Wisconsinites signed up for health insurance on the individual marketplace during the last Open Enrollment Period. This is a record-high number of Wisconsinites enrolled, marking a 20 percent increase in enrollment from the previous period.
• In June, Gov. Evers, OCI, and DHS celebrated five successful years of the DHS and OCI Health Care Coverage Partnership, which the governor created in 2019. The Partnership was tasked with supporting outreach and enrollment, improving coordination between DHS and OCI, and promoting the overall well-being of Wisconsinites through greater healthcare access.
• In January, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced Wisconsin Medicaid would be implementing 12-month continuous health insurance coverage for children, allowing kids who are under age 19 to keep their health insurance benefits for at least 12 months, even if their family’s income increases or they no longer meet program rules.
• DHS updated their blood lead testing requirements to encourage early detection of lead poisoning among Wisconsin kids. The new requirements state that kids aged one to two, as well as any kid between ages three to five, receive blood lead testing, and kids under six residing in the city of Milwaukee require additional testing per local health department guidelines.
• Gov. Evers announced that he had created the Governor’s Interagency Council on Mental Health during his 2024 State of the State address. The Council builds upon the progress made during the Year of Mental Health in 2023 by connecting the dots across state agencies and creating a statewide action plan to expand access to mental and behavioral health services, increase prevention, reduce stigma, and build capacity among caregivers, providers, and community partners to address the mental health crisis.
• Gov. Evers, at a public bill signing ceremony at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, took action on a package of five bipartisan bills aimed at improving access to dental healthcare, particularly in rural communities, and bolstering the dental workforce.
• In the wake of HSHS and Prevea Health’s decision to close several locations across Western Wisconsin, Gov. Evers, together with DWD Secretary Pechacek, DHS Deputy Secretary Deb Standridge, OCI Commissioner Nathan Houdek, and other agency officials and staff, joined local leaders in Eau Claire to provide updates on the Evers Administration’s rapid response and other efforts to support local workers and community members affected by the recent announcement.
• In February, Gov. Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), announced the beginning of the application period for the Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program. The governor’s 2023-25 budget provided $1.5 million annually for the program, which is designed to provide grants to nonprofit food assistance organizations for the purpose of purchasing and distributing food to Tribal elders.
• At the end of February, Gov. Evers approved 2023 Wisconsin Act 97, securing $15 million in crisis response resources to support healthcare access in Western Wisconsin in the wake of the recent announcement of HSHS and Prevea Health’s decision to close several locations. Since passing Act 97, Gov. Evers has called on Republicans in the Legislature multiple times to release the already-approved funds, but unfortunately, to date, not one cent has been released to help Western Wisconsin in the wake of these closures.
• Gov. Evers celebrated the 14th anniversary of the ACA and its positive impacts, making healthcare more accessible in Wisconsin and ensuring healthcare coverage for the millions of Wisconsinites who have pre-existing conditions. The ACA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.
• Gov. Evers, joined by State Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse), local officials, and community members, signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 217, which decriminalizes the use of xylazine testing strips. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), xylazine is a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer that is not approved for use in people, can be life-threatening, and is especially dangerous when combined with opioids like fentanyl.
• DHS submitted their plan for the annual share of $750 million of opioid settlement funds to the JFC. As a result of settlements reached by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Wisconsin will receive $36 million this year that will be used to prevent opioid use disorder while continuing and strengthening successful efforts for harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.
• DHS also launched the Wisconsin Suspected Overdose Alerts for Rapid Response system, which will provide near real-time data on when and where suspected overdoses may have occurred to inform immediate actions to address drug overdoses.
• DHS announced that five crisis stabilization facilities are now open across Wisconsin to ensure folks can receive care closer to home and reduce the time law enforcement and first responders currently dedicate to transporting individuals in need of crisis care. Earlier this year, Gov. Evers also signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 249, which established a certification process for crisis urgent care and observation facilities and a grant program to develop and support these new facilities utilizing the $10 million allocated in the 2023-25 budget.
• DHS announced that the Mendota Juvenile Health Treatment Center moved patients into their new facility in May while continuing construction for the ongoing expansion of the care facility.
• Gov. Evers directed the DHS to invest $258 million in funding already designated for home and community-based services (HCBS) to create and fund a minimum fee schedule, effectively raising wages for direct care workers and providers serving older adults and individuals with disabilities. With this, Wisconsin joined 20 other states that have a minimum fee schedule for HCBS providers, including Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan.
• On August 13, Gov. Evers visited Parks Falls to celebrate the phase one completion of Marshfield Clinic Health System’s partial hospital replacement project. In 2022, the governor awarded $20 million through the Healthcare Infrastructure Capital Grant Program—a program created by Gov. Evers using federal pandemic relief funds Wisconsin received under the American Rescue Plan Act—to address the facility’s aging infrastructure, improve outdated inpatient rooms, create a dedicated urgent care space, and bring new sleep study and retail pharmacy services to the hospital.
• Gov. Evers proclaimed September 8 through September 14, 2024, as Suicide Prevention Week, as well as the entire month of September as Suicide Prevention Month to highlight efforts by the Evers Administration to expand mental health services and save lives.
• In October, Gov. Evers visited Racine to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Health Center, which received $20 million through the governor’s Healthcare Infrastructure Capital Grant Program to expand access to healthcare statewide.
• Gov. Evers, together with First Lady Kathy Evers, shared a video message to encourage Wisconsinites to take care of their mental, emotional, and physical health during the holiday season, highlight the importance of checking in on loved ones and neighbors, and make sure folks have resources and tips to take good care of themselves and each other.

Fighting for Reproductive Freedom

• Gov. Evers, as promised in his 2024 State of the State address, ordered the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to issue standing orders to ensure BadgerCare Plus members have direct access to over-the-counter (OTC) contraception, including emergency contraception and daily oral contraception. The order ensures BadgerCare Plus members can get OTC emergency contraception from any Wisconsin Medicaid-enrolled pharmacy under their state coverage without a prescription from their doctor and with no out-of-pocket cost to them.
• Gov. Evers announced that the Evers Administration joined an ongoing lawsuit, Planned Parenthood v. Urmanski, arguing the Wisconsin Constitution protects access to abortion in Wisconsin. The move is the latest in Gov. Evers’ years-long fight to restore and protect reproductive freedom in Wisconsin in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision two years ago to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that effectively forced Wisconsin to operate under a near-complete abortion ban, even in cases of rape and incest, for over a year.
• Gov. Evers, together with OCI Commissioner Houdek, announced Wisconsin was awarded nearly $500,000 in federal funding to evaluate, support, and expand coverage of and access to reproductive and maternal healthcare. Wisconsin is one of 14 states to have been awarded these funds through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Expanding Access to Women’s Health grant program. The Evers Administration, through OCI, will use the funding to conduct an insurer data call and evaluate compliance with the federal contraceptive coverage mandate as required by the ACA.

Supporting Wisconsin Farmers and Agriculture  

• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced nearly $50 million in state investments to help support 37 projects across 28 Wisconsin counties through the new Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), which was established by 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 and funded in the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers. The projects support Wisconsin’s farmers, producers, and agricultural industries by improving rural roads and bridges that are critical to moving and transporting products, crops, and livestock, among others, efficiently and effectively across the state.
• According to the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports, Wisconsin is currently 11th in the nation for agricultural exports by state, up from 13th in 2021. The Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports was created by Gov. Evers, and now in its fourth year, it is continuing to make significant investments to reach its goal to increase the exports of Wisconsin agricultural goods by 25 percent.
• DATCP awarded $1 million in producer-led watershed protection grants to 47 farmer-led groups in Wisconsin, supporting producer-led conservation solutions by encouraging innovation and farmer participation in on-the-ground efforts to improve Wisconsin’s soil health and water quality.
• DATCP announced that 15 farms would receive Dairy Processor Grants in 2024. The purpose of these grants is to help foster innovation, improve profitability, and sustain the long-term viability of Wisconsin’s dairy processing facilities. The 2023-25 budget signed by Gov. Evers provided an increase of $300,000 annually for the Dairy Processor Grant Program.
• DATCP announced a total of $1.5 million had been awarded to nine organizations for the Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance Program Community Partners Grants. This one-time funding, provided by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, is designed to support the purchase of Wisconsin-grown, raised, or minimally processed food and distribute it at no cost to underserved communities in Wisconsin.
• DATCP later announced that 125 Wisconsin farmers were awarded funds through the 2024 Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance program, which aims to strengthen local food systems, support Wisconsin farmers, and distribute fresh, nutritious foods to underserved communities.
• DNR, in partnership with UW Extension and the UW-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, spearheaded a scientific evaluation of agriculture’s best management practices. This evaluation will identify the most effective management practices to abate nitrogen and phosphorus from Wisconsin’s surface and groundwater. The evaluation will rely on peer-reviewed literature and on-farm research studies from private farms across the state of Wisconsin.
• DATCP announced that eight organizations would receive $250,000 in grants through the Wisconsin Farm-to-School Program Grant Program. The goal of the Wisconsin Farm-to-School Grant Program is to enable communities to develop farm-to-school partnerships, implement farm to school initiatives, and strengthen Wisconsin’s statewide farm-to-school network.
• Gov. Evers, together with DATCP, announced that 18 projects would be receiving grant funding for the 2024 Commercial Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP). These grants aim to refine and enhance the understanding of new methods that optimize commercial nitrogen applied to agricultural fields, helping to protect vital soil and water resources.
• DATCP announced they would be providing tuition reimbursement for qualifying participants who reside in Wisconsin through the Meat Talent Development Program, a $5 million program created by Gov. Evers.
• DATCP announced that 38 meat processors received grants through the 2024 Meat Processor Infrastructure Grant Program. Now in its third year, this program aims to grow Wisconsin’s meat industry and improve the long-term viability of the state’s livestock industry. The 2023-25 biennial budget provided an additional $1.6 million in FY 2023-24.
• DATCP and the USDA announced $3.1 million for projects that strengthen food supply chain infrastructure through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program.
• Gov. Evers declared September 19 through October 31, 2024, as the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Fall Season and spent several days visiting communities across the state, celebrating the industry’s role as a key economic driver for tourism, farm families, and communities in Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers, together with DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski, announced that according to a study by the UW-Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, between 2017 and 2022, the most current year data available, the Wisconsin agricultural production and food processing sectors have increased 10.9 percent and contributed to a combined $116.3 billion in economic impact in 2022, 14.3 percent of the state’s total economic output.
• DATCP held four workshops across the state, focusing on catastrophic mortality management during potential animal disease outbreaks, and managed the first detection of whirling disease in Wisconsin.
• In 2024, DATCP received 113 meat license inquiries from individuals wishing to start a meat business, and, as a result, issued 11 licenses to new locations did not that previously hold a license.
• DATCP’s Farmer Wellness Program continued to experience significant growth in 2024, recording the largest number of counseling voucher redemptions in history—more than twice the amount in 2023. Online support group attendance within the Farmer Wellness Program increased and reached nearly four and a half times the participation of the 2021 launch.
• DNR, in collaboration with DATCP, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, UW-Madison, UW Extension, the United States Geological Survey, and Wisconsin Land and Water, worked throughout 2024 and will continue to work to modernize Wisconsin’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

Improving Government, Defending Democracy, and Reflecting the Will of the People

• This year, Gov. Evers enacted fair legislative maps for Wisconsin, fulfilling his longstanding promise to the people of Wisconsin to fight for and secure fair maps and undoing more than a decade of Wisconsinites voting under some of the most gerrymandered, undemocratic maps in the United States. The maps were passed with bipartisan support after the state’s previous maps were deemed unconstitutional by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Gov. Evers’ effort to secure fair legislative maps marks the first time in over fifty years that Wisconsin has fair legislative maps enacted through the legislative process rather than through the courts.
• The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in Priorities USA v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, restoring the use of ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers filed a brief in the case urging the Court to reverse its previous 2022 decision banning most drop boxes in the state and affirm that local election clerks are able to choose ballot drop boxes as one secure option for ballot returns.
• In a case brought by Gov. Evers, Evers v. Marklein, the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed with the governor and ruled that legislative Republicans were unconstitutionally and unlawfully obstructing basic government and operations by blocking conservation projects under the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. Gov. Evers heralded the decision, and as a result of it, projects considered by the DNR for Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program funding no longer require JFC approval, allowing the agency to exercise its expertise and longstanding, constitutionally decided power to administer funds.
• In August, Gov. Evers released a statement celebrating Wisconsinites’ rejection of two constitutional amendments added by Republican lawmakers to the August primary ballot in an effort to erode checks and balances and the ability of the governor of Wisconsin to accept and allocate federal funds on behalf of the state.
• Gov. Evers completed his annual visit to each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties for 2024—his fifth annual 72-county tour since taking office in 2019.
• Gov. Evers kicked off his statewide budget listening session tour to hear directly from Wisconsinites on the issues that matter to them as he prepares his 2025-27 executive budget. Gov. Evers held five listening sessions throughout the month of December and heard from more than 1,000 Wisconsinites on the issues that matter most to them.
• As of Dec. 1, DWD has recovered a total of $998,394 in wages and penalties owed to workers and is on track to recover $1 million by end of year 2024.
• Unemployment insurance field investigations resulted in the identification of 1,477 misclassified workers and the assessment of over $400,500 in UI taxes and interest.
• DWD released a new Unemployment Insurance claims by county dashboard in April 2024 and expanded the dashboard to include UI claims by industry data in October 2024.
• DWD released a new report highlighting advances in efforts to combat Unemployment Insurance fraud in Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers announced that the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB) granted final approval for the installation of a sculpture commemorating the life and legacy of Vel R. Phillips. Commissioned by the late artist Radcliffe Bailey, the sculpture was unveiled on the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds in July. This is the first statue of a Black leader, or any person of color, featured on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Capitol.
• Throughout 2024, DOR processed over 3.1 million individual income tax returns and over 3.7 million business tax returns. The average processing time for individual income tax returns was fewer than five days, and only 1.6 days for a return with no errors. In addition, DOR collected:
  • $20.9 billion in tax revenue;
  • $336 million in delinquent taxes; and
  • $52.5 million in statewide debt, including more than 600 state agencies and local governments.
• DOR fielded 737,308 customer phone calls with an average wait time of 86 seconds and served 36,088 customer walk-in visits throughout 2024.
• The State of Wisconsin received an overall grade of A- in the 2024 Digital States Survey and was given first place for exemplary work in the Constituent Digital Experience category in recognition of the digital services strategy focused on continually improving services to the public.
• DSPS added additional data to their Occupational Licensing dashboard. Applicants or license holders renewing their credentials may now find median times to receive a health, business, or trades license in Wisconsin, as well as the option to review DSPS licensing performance over a three-month, six-month, or 12-month period.
• In August, Wisconsin once again was awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the highest recognition for financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. Wisconsin received the award for the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) issued by the State Controller’s Office for FY 2022-23.
• DOR reported that pre-refund auditing of tax returns adjusted or stopped $424.7 million in incorrect or fraudulent refunds from being issued. The agency also reported that it returned $64.4 million in unclaimed property in FY 2024 to the rightful owners.
• DOR reported achievements for the Wisconsin Lottery in 2024, including that the Lottery;
  • Created a law enforcement unit, and Lottery investigators became sworn Lottery Special Agents;
  • Achieved the second-highest sales year in Wisconsin’s history of $955 million by selling 188,540,930 lottery tickets; and
  • Achieved a clean Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) Financial Audit in 2024.
• DOR created a new Division of Alcohol Beverages (DAB) and implemented policy guidance and updated permits, forms, and instructions to reflect the 150 policy changes in 2023 Wisconsin Act 73.
• Throughout 2024, the DNR has made several improvements to IT-related resources, including: Updating over 50 web mapping applications such as those supporting fire management, trout fishing, and conservation planning; Enhancing transparency by improving public access to environmental permit data; Overhauling the IT system for clean water and safe drinking water loans to ensure scalability to meet the growing demands of new federal infrastructure initiatives; Streamlining drinking water data management with cutting-edge IT tools, enabling laboratories and public water system operators to seamlessly submit drinking water data to the DNR; Upgrading software for the Wildlife Damage Abatement Program, empowering landowners to manage wildlife damage and claims with greater efficiency; and Introducing an innovative online platform for reserving motorized, all-terrain wheelchairs, enhancing accessibility for visitors to state parks.

Investing in 21st-Century Infrastructure

• Gov. Evers joined U.S. Sen. Baldwin and President Biden in Superior to celebrate the more than $1.05 billion federal grant jointly awarded to WisDOT and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to replace the aging John A. Blatnik Bridge between Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program (INFRA) as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
• In February, Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced grants totaling $10 million for eight harbor maintenance and improvement projects to promote waterborne freight and economic development.
• Thanks to investments in the 2023-25 budget signed by Gov. Evers, the state announced that municipalities across the state had received a total of more than $554 million in General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids for the calendar year 2024. The 2023-25 budget signed by Gov. Evers provided a two percent increase for general transportation aids for municipalities and counties in both calendar years 2024 and 2025. The investments in the 2023-25 state budget resulted in the largest amount of funding for the program in the state’s history, and total funding for all local programs makes up almost one-third of the state transportation budget.
• Gov. Evers celebrated an $8 million federal grant awarded to WisDOT to reconstruct a safety rest area near Sparta. The grant, awarded by USDOT, funds a project to significantly expand truck parking at a key facility serving traffic from Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago on I-90 westbound to La Crosse, Rochester, and beyond. The project will also reconstruct and modernize one of the state’s oldest safety rest areas, which serves more than 410 vehicles each day.
• Gov. Evers and the PSC announced that Wisconsin’s Digital Equity Plan was accepted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The NTIA’s acceptance of the plan marks an important step toward implementing the plan, which will guide the state’s strategy to improve digital opportunities and support digital equity, helping ensure every Wisconsinite has the skills, resources, and broadband service necessary to fully participate in society and the economy. With this announcement, Wisconsin is eligible to receive approximately $24 million to $30 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant funding to implement the state’s Digital Equity Plan over a five-year period.
• In April, Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 265, which requires Wisconsin Emergency Management, a division of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, to create and administer a pre-disaster flood resilience grant program to provide grants for projects aimed at identifying and improving flood vulnerabilities and resilience priorities in local communities.
• Gov. Evers, together with PSC, announced the award of $43.2 million in grants through the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program to expand access to broadband across the state. The 30 projects awarded funding will expand high-speed internet access to approximately 16,000 residential and business locations in the state. Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, since 2019, the PSC has now awarded grants to help more than 410,000 homes and businesses access new or improved broadband services.
• Gov. Evers signed historic legislation, 2023 Wisconsin Acts 121 and 122, respectively, enabling WisDOT to receive and administer more than $78 million in federal funds under President Joe Biden’s BIL to bolster the state’s EV infrastructure.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, later announced that 53 locations would become the first federally funded fast charging EV stations in the state-funded through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program under President Joe Biden’s BIL. In total, to support these 53 projects, WisDOT awarded $23.3 million of the more than $78 million the state is expected to receive over the next five years.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced that $320,600 in state funds will go towards improving more than 900 miles of county forest roads across 24 counties this year.
• Throughout the year, Gov. Evers, together with the Wisconsin State Building Commission (SBC), approved more than $920 million for key projects across the state.
• The work of the SBC included announcing $50 million for 50 projects in communities across Wisconsin funded through the new Non-State Grant Program, which was created in the 2023-25 biennial budget enacted by Gov. Evers last summer. These grants are targeted at bolstering critical infrastructure and services across key sectors and addressing pressing community needs.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced two new additions to the Rustic Roads Program, which features lightly traveled scenic routes throughout the state. Gov. Evers and WisDOT later announced the publication of the 2024 Rustic Roads Guide. The latest edition features the two new additions and the work of talented local photographers from around the state, including the cover image of the Aurora Borealis over Rustic Road 60 in Vilas County.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced a $631,235 Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) grant to the city of Marinette. The grant will support road construction to improve traffic flow around Fincantieri Marinette Marine as the shipbuilding company grows its operation.
• Gov. Evers went on his annual statewide “Pothole Patrol” tour, which included 11 stops across Wisconsin to fill potholes and highlight the Evers Administration’s efforts to repair and improve infrastructure across the state. This year’s tour marked the governor’s fifth “Pothole Patrol” circuit since taking office, including in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, making this the fourth year in a row the governor has conducted his tour.
• Gov. Evers joined WisDOT, Amtrak, and federal, state, and local leaders in La Crosse to celebrate the launch of the Borealis train, the first new passenger rail train in over 20 years in Wisconsin. In his 2023-25 biennial budget, Gov. Evers proposed more than $3.5 million to support the implementation of a second daily round-trip passenger train between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The final budget, as enacted by Gov. Evers, included $971,200 for the new Borealis route. In just its first month of service, the Borealis train had 18,500 riders.
• PSC awarded $1.48 million to help Wisconsin residents access essential telecommunications services. The Commission awarded a total of 24 grants from the 2024 rounds of the Nonprofit Access Grant Program, the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program, and the Telemedicine Equipment Grant Program, all of which are funded by the Universal Service Fund (USF). The USF was created to promote and assist with the availability and affordability of telecommunications services in Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced an $885,000 TEA grant to the village of Pleasant Prairie. The grant supports a rail project to enable corrugated packaging company WestRock to open a new manufacturing facility, creating 177 jobs in this growing Southeast Wisconsin community.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced nearly $5 million to improve freight rail at facilities in Luxemburg, Reedsburg, and Wrightstown. Funded by the Freight Railroad Infrastructure Improvement Program, the three freight rail projects received a combined total of $4.8 million to make upgrades to agricultural facility equipment, construct new storage at a transload terminal, and install a new industry track.
• Gov. Evers announced the release of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access’ fourth annual report. The 2024 report provides an update on achievements under Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration to expand access, adoption, and affordability of high-speed internet across Wisconsin.  The fourth annual report makes recommendations for the state to efficiently deploy federal broadband funds while sustaining and extending this progress through ongoing state investment and initiatives to advance digital equity.
• Gov. Evers and DOA announced the award of $20.7 million in grants to 22 municipalities for public improvement projects across Wisconsin. The Community Development Block Grant Public Facility grants are administered by DOA for critical public infrastructure projects in low- to moderate-income communities with populations of 50,000 or fewer throughout the state. Projects include improvements, repairs, or expansions of streets, drainage systems, water and sewer systems, and other community facilities.
• Gov. Evers and WisDOT announced that the Surface Transportation Program, funded through the Biden-Harris Administration’s BIL, provided two rounds of funding in 2024, including $200 million for more than 150 local road and bridge improvement projects across Wisconsin and more than $177 million for 76 projects in 16 large urban areas.
• Gov. Evers, along with WisDOT, announced approximately $174 million in state funding through the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) to help local communities across the state complete more than 1,000 local road improvement projects over the next five years. The final 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers provided a new round of supplemental funding for LRIP at $100 million in FY 2023-24.
• Gov. Evers announced that the PSC awarded more than $27.8 million in funding from the Digital Connectivity and Navigators Program to fund 11 projects throughout Wisconsin that will improve internet connectivity by providing access to devices, technology, and digital navigators.
• Gov. Evers announced more than $32 million in federal funding for 56 local improvement projects across Wisconsin over the next four years through WisDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Authorized by the Biden-Harris Administration’s BIL, TAP projects support initiatives that help create or enhance opportunities for safe, non-motorized transportation, such as bike and pedestrian trails and facilities, sidewalks, and “Safe Route to School” initiatives.
• The PSC awarded more than $1 million under the Rural Energy Startup Program to support rural local governments in implementing comprehensive energy planning, renewable resource planning, and energy efficiency audits and projects.
• PSC awarded $8.5 million under the Grid Resilience Program to 19 projects to improve the resilience and reliability of the electric grid, with an emphasis on projects to support small utilities and improve service in rural areas.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced the annual payment of over $2.1 million to help maintain Wisconsin’s nine lift bridges along Lake Michigan.
• Gov. Evers announced over $115 million in grants to local and Tribal communities through DOA’s Flexible Facilities Program (FFP). Funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury Capital Projects Fund as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act, these grants go toward funding public facility expansion or improvement projects designed to provide reliable broadband access to local communities, including libraries, community centers, and multi-purpose community facilities.
• The PSC reported that between 2025 and 2026, Wisconsin customers of the state’s largest utilities are set to save approximately $481 million due to the PSC’s action in rate cases from this year.
• PSC approved 1,516 megawatts of solar projects across the state, including the Vista Sands Solar Project—the largest solar energy project in Wisconsin’s history—which is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 200,000 homes.
• Gov. Evers celebrated a $12.5 million federal grant received by WisDOT to upgrade road safety, expand truck parking by 280 percent, and modernize two safety rest areas along the I-43 corridor between Green Bay and Manitowoc. The investment, through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program, comes from the federal BIL.
• On October 5, Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman and Brown County community leaders, celebrated the progress on the new Interstate 41 (I-41) and Southbridge Road interchange near De Pere and Brown County’s South Bridge Connector project.
• PSC’s Office of Energy Innovation supported the final implementation of two community solar fields in partnership with two electric cooperatives and Community Action Program agencies—the Bluff Prairie Community Solar Farm and the Trenton Solar Array. These projects are designed to bring the benefits of community solar to low and moderate-income customers.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced an over $1.5 million TEA grant to the village of DeForest to complete the road construction needed to serve the new Kwik Trip Inc. distribution center and assist in supporting 398 jobs in South Central Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers and DOA announced $115 million in Flexible Facilities Program awards to 35 local and Tribal communities for the construction and renovation of public libraries and community centers to expand broadband access for residents in need.
• Gov. Evers and U.S. Sen. Baldwin celebrated a $72.8 million federal grant received by WisDOT for the Muskego Freight Rail Yard Bypass Project to improve freight and passenger rail services in Wisconsin. The investment, awarded through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, is funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s BIL.
• Gov. Evers announced that WisDOT received a nearly $32 million federal grant to create a program that will promote transportation improvement projects that incorporate materials that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants Program, the investment is funded through the Biden-Harris Administration’s IRA.
• PSC approved 37 water utility infrastructure construction projects, including wells, transmission mains, elevated tanks, booster stations, water treatment facilities, and water main extensions, worth over an estimated $153 million. The projects included several PFAS treatment facilities to ensure clean drinking water in Wisconsin.

Honoring and Supporting Wisconsin’s Veterans and their Families

• Gov. Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Secretary James Bond, announced that nine nonprofit organizations would be receiving Veteran Mental Health Community-Based Organization Grant funding to promote positive mental health through activities, programs, and services that enhance the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of Wisconsin veterans. The Veteran Mental Health Community-Based Organization Grants are part of Gov. Evers’ $10 million investment in veterans services, which was funded through ARPA and based on recommendations released by the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity.
• During his 2024 State of the State address, the governor announced Wisconsin’s workforce development services now rank fourth in the country for successfully helping veterans find employment. The new ranking underscores Wisconsin’s deep commitment to connecting veterans to jobs employers are seeking to fill.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 215, designating a portion of State Trunk Highway 11 in South Central Wisconsin as the “Corporal Benjamin H. Neal Memorial Highway.” On April 25, 2012, Corporal Benjamin H. Neal died from injuries caused by an improvised explosive device during Operation Enduring Freedom in Zharay, Kandahar Province in Afghanistan.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 216, designating the “Ho-Chunk World War II Code Talkers Memorial Highway” to honor the more than 20 Native Nations that were enlisted to perform the incredible task of using their Indigenous languages to communicate sensitive wartime information.
• Gov. Evers also signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 268, designating the “Eisenhower Bridge of Valor” in honor of heroes in the U.S. Armed Forces, law enforcement, and emergency services, and 2023 Wisconsin Act 269, designating the “Deputy Kaitie Leising Memorial Highway.” Deputy Leising was a member of the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and tragically lost her life in the line of duty on May 6, 2023, at the age of 29.
• Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 270 adding the Mount Horeb Veterans Memorial to state highway maps. With the enactment of Act 270, the memorial will join 16 other veterans’ sites that are statutorily included on Wisconsin’s official state highway map.
• DVA announced that the Veteran Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP), which provides temporary housing, training, and supportive services to veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in order to help them obtain permanent housing, served 225 veterans this year. The average length of stay was 208 days, which is well below the program’s maximum length of stay of 730 days as VHRP continues to get veterans on their feet and into permanent housing quickly.
• DOA assisted 525 Veteran Households through the Veterans Rental Assistance Program.
• This year, Gov. Evers signed a series of bills to support veterans, including allowing spouses of veterans to become members of the state’s veterans’ homes even if their spouse is not a veteran, directing funding to cover some eligible burial expenses for veterans, ensuring Hmong veterans can have veteran status on their driver’s license or ID, and ensuring Wisconsin has qualified individuals filling positions in veterans service offices and veterans homes.
• DVA announced that the Veterans Outreach and Recovery Program continues to serve 16 regions, expanded from the original 12 thanks to a $1.5 million investment of ARPA funds directed by Gov. Evers. Over 1,100 veterans were enrolled in the program in 2024, and VORP assisted 177 veterans with supportive financial assistance.
• DVA announced that County and Tribal Veteran Service Offices continue to work on the front line by connecting veterans directly with local, state, and federal benefits and services, thanks in part to a 100 percent increase in ARPA-funded CVSO/TVSO grants and a 25 percent increase in CVSO/TVSO state funding in the 2023-25 budget signed by Gov. Evers.
• Gov. Evers and DVA celebrated approving $9 million to purchase the building that currently houses the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Purchasing the building, located on the Capitol Square, is the next step in the DVA’s plan to construct a new state-of-the art facility to preserve the state’s veteran history. The museum was also re-accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition for U.S. museums.

Protecting and Conserving Wisconsin’s Natural Resources

• During his 2024 State of the State address, Gov. Evers kicked off the year by urging Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature to once again release $125 million in already-approved funding to address PFAS contamination that was approved and passed by Gov. Evers in the 2023-25 budget in July 2023. As of December 2024, Republicans still have not released this funding, meaning that for over 500 days, this funding has been withheld from Wisconsinites by JFC Republicans.
• Gov. Evers announced, during his 2024 State of the State address, the approval of an additional conservation easement covering 54,898 acres of the Pelican River Forest to complete one of the largest conservation projects in Wisconsin history. Altogether, over 67,000 acres of the Pelican River Forest will be protected, ensuring the forest will remain open to the public in perpetuity for outdoor recreation activities such as fishing, hunting, skiing, trapping, and hiking.
• Gov. Evers, together with DNR, announced that12 projects across the state were approved for more than $7.7 million in grant funding through the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. This announcement came in the wake of the Wisconsin Supreme Court issuing a decision in Evers v. Marklein, a lawsuit brought by Gov. Evers last year, which argued Republican-controlled committees such as JFC were unconstitutionally and unlawfully obstructing basic government functions and operations, including by blocking conservation projects under the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. In its decision, the Court determined Republican lawmakers’ actions to block conservation projects were unconstitutional. As a result, projects considered by the DNR for Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program funding no longer require JFC approval, allowing the agency to exercise its expertise and longstanding, constitutionally decided power to administer these funds.
• DOA announced $16 million for the Transit Capital Assistance Grant Program, funded through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund, which will help fund the replacement of eligible public transit buses. Judicial settlements require Volkswagen to pay more than $2.9 billion into an Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund, for violating the federal Clean Air Act. The state of Wisconsin is a designated beneficiary and has been allocated $67.1 million in total to offset the excess pollution emitted by affected Volkswagen vehicles.
• DNR, along with many partners, saved or protected 544 structures, a majority of them being primary residences, from forest fires this year.
• To date, DNR has awarded Gov. Evers’ $10 million expanded ARPA well compensation and well abandonment grant programs to 684 grantees statewide. This includes the replacement of 393 contaminated wells, the treatment of 106 contaminated wells, the connection to a municipal water supply for three contaminated wells, and the sealing of 182 unused, abandoned wells.  Of the 502 ARPA Well Compensation Grants awarded, 454 of the applicants would not have qualified for funding without this expanded program under the current statutory well compensation grant program.
• Gov. Evers announced the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had reviewed the final nomination package submitted by the state of Wisconsin for a multi-component site in the Bay of Green Bay and determined that it meets all regulatory requirements for accepting the nomination of a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). NOAA’s acceptance of this site for nomination is a significant milestone in the NERR designation process and a step toward bringing the water quality research, educational programming, and technical expertise that comes with such a designation to Northeast Wisconsin.
• DNR received an additional $13.7 million in Recreation Trails Program redistribution funds from Federal Highways and WisDOT for trail repair, reconstruction, and redevelopment projects totaling more than $17 million across the state.
• DNR’s Parks and Recreation Management team successfully transitioned to a 12-month park admission sticker, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Evers earlier this year. This update is expected to improve customer experience and boost admission revenue.
• DNR fisheries staff implemented the Brook Trout Reserves program, a new initiative to protect Wisconsin’s native brook trout populations from changing environmental conditions.
• A critical tool for maintaining wildlife habitat on state-managed lands, DNR conducted over 34,000 acres of controlled burns in FY24, helping the state’s wildlife, including some of Wisconsin’s rarest species, as well as many unique natural areas.
• Gov. Evers announced that the Evers Administration’s Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy (OSCE) had been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to move on to the award negotiation stage for the federal department’s Energy Improvement in Rural or Remote Areas program. The OSCE was later awarded $400,000 for Resilience and Prosperity in Rural Northern Wisconsin to implement 27 microgrid systems across the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Tribal lands and Bayfield County.
• DNR awarded $6 million through their Surface Water Grant Program to nonprofit organizations, lake associations, and municipalities throughout Wisconsin working to restore and protect the state’s surface water resources.
• DNR’s Recycling Program awarded $20 million in grant funding to 1,044 cities, towns, villages, counties, Tribes, and solid waste management systems to help offset residential recycling and yard waste costs associated with the planning and operating of municipal recycling programs. The Recycling Grant Program helped to divert approximately 590,453 tons of refuse from landfills.
• DNR awarded over $623,000 in grant funding through the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant program to help small public water systems, including public schools, mobile home parks, and a nonprofit medical facility, to address PFAS and manganese contamination in drinking water.
• DNR’s watershed grants programs awarded $4.3 million for 34 projects to begin in 2024 and $10.6 million to 41 communities for projects to begin in 2025. These grants will fund projects that reduce nutrient runoff from urban and agricultural areas into the state’s waters.
• DNR created Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans to reduce phosphorus loading to impaired waterbodies in Wisconsin, with the goal of reducing nuisance algal blooms. In the implementation of eight of these TMDL plans covering much of the state, 157 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems have so far reported over 118,000 pounds of Total Phosphorus (TP) captured per year. On average, this represents almost half of the TP removal required for these municipalities to meet their targets to restore and protect water quality.
• DNR’s Stormwater Program, through the Office of Energy, permitted 15 large-scale renewable energy projects across the state, such as solar, wind, or renewable natural gas facilities.
• Gov. Evers took action on 15 bills, including 2023 Wisconsin Act 106, which would provide additional eligibility for funding under the Clean Water Fund Program by expanding options for municipalities to fund water quality improvement projects. The Clean Water Fund Program provides affordable financial assistance to municipalities throughout Wisconsin for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects that protect and improve public health and water quality for current and future generations.
• Gov. Evers, after announcing the state had already achieved more than 40 percent of its tree-planting goal, signed Executive Order #221, increasing the state’s Trillion Trees Pledge tree-planting goal from 75 million trees to 100 million trees by the end of 2030 at an Evers Administration Day of Service event, where members of the governor’s cabinet and their staff planted trees in celebration of Earth Day as part of DNR’s plans to plant approximately 2,200 seedlings total at Governor Nelson State Park.
• Gov. Evers announced that Wisconsin would be receiving a grant of $62.4 million from the Biden-Harris Administration through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under its Solar for All initiative to help fund solar systems for low- and moderate-income households across Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers announced that the PSC awarded $7.8 million from the Energy Innovation Grant Program (EIGP) to 28 projects that will expand access to clean energy and invest in the adoption of innovative technologies and processes. Since the program’s inception in 2017, the PSC has awarded $40 million to 169 EIGP projects statewide to 28 projects that will expand access to clean energy and invest in the adoption of innovative technologies and processes. Since the program’s inception in 2017, the PSC has awarded $40 million to 169 EIGP projects statewide.
• DNR’s wildlife staff completed an extensive multi-year public engagement process resulting in an update to Wisconsin’s Elk Management Plan, allowing both the central and the northern elk herds to continue to grow while also providing hunting opportunities to both Tribal Nations and hunters from Wisconsin through zone and season modifications.
• Gov. Evers announced that DOA is set to receive a total of $4.6 million through President Biden’s BIL and IRA to support the Gile Flowage Land Conservation Project in Iron County and the Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Valley Creek Corridor project in the city of Port Washington. These funds are part of a $75 million federal investment administered by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management to support coastal habitat restoration and conservation in partnership with state coastal management programs and national estuarine research reserves.
• Gov. Evers, a long-time member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, announced that he would be joining the Alliance’s executive committee, which oversees the strategic direction of the bipartisan coalition of governors. Gov. Evers is the first governor from the Midwest to join the Alliance leadership since its inception.
• Gov. Evers celebrated the launch of the U.S. Climate Alliance Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative. The initiative aims to expand the clean energy workforce nationwide and support job and apprenticeship training in innovative industries and technologies by training 1 million new registered apprentices by 2035 across the Alliance’s member states and territories.
• Gov. Evers announced nearly $1.3 million in grants to support quality of life, foster economic development, protect and improve the Great Lakes resources, and create resiliency in Wisconsin’s coastal communities. The 31 grants are administered by DOA Wisconsin Coastal Management Program to be used by local, state, and Tribal governments, regional planning commissions, universities, and nonprofit organizations.
• Gov. Evers, together with DNR, submitted a new proposal to amend the state’s current drinking water standards to reflect the new federal standards for PFAS contaminants, including water standards for three new PFAS compounds for which Wisconsin does not currently have standards.
• Gov. Evers, together with OSCE, released the 2024 Clean Energy Plan Progress Report, highlighting the governor’s and Evers Administration’s continued efforts to bolster clean energy across the state. The progress report showcases Wisconsin’s progress towards minimizing greenhouse gas emissions through the implementation of clean energy sources while working to create thousands of new jobs and lowering energy bills and prices for working families across Wisconsin.
• Gov. Evers, together with the DNR, announced the Lead Service Line Replacement Community Outreach Grant, a new grant program to provide municipal community public water systems with the funds to conduct community outreach efforts in support of ongoing or upcoming lead service line replacement projects. Wisconsin is one of four states leading the renewed effort for replacement by participating in the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators Program, and in May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wisconsin would receive more than $83 million to help the state identify and replace lead service lines under the BIL. In total, Wisconsin will receive more than $900 million in additional funding from the BIL to support the state’s environmental loan programs.
• DNR’s Office of Great Waters announced that in addressing legacy contaminants in the Milwaukee Area of Concern, a major sediment remedial action is moving forward, with an anticipated budget for this multi-year project estimated at $476 million, with significant Federal financial support from Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO), the largest GLNPO project agreement in the nation.
• Gov. Evers, together with WisDOT, announced more than $10 million through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion in Wisconsin, building upon the Evers Administration’s investments in clean energy and infrastructure to help mitigate the effects of climate change, improve the health and well-being of communities across the state, and lower long-term energy costs.
• DNR, in partnership with Healthy Opportunities of Latin Americans (HOLA) and the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, was awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve community understanding of water quality, fish consumption, and related health issues for disproportionately impacted communities in Central Wisconsin.
• The DNR celebrated the completion of the new fish passage around Kletzsch Dam on the Milwaukee River.  The project addressed needed dam repairs and was vital in addressing fish and wildlife habitat loss in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. Overall, in 2024, the DNR awarded $4 million for seven municipal dam repair/removal projects across the state.
• Gov. Evers and DNR announced $4 million in Urban Forestry (UF) grants, funded through the IRA. The funds will go toward work such as removing hazardous trees, increasing the forest canopy through planting, supporting urban forestry workforce development, and using trees to reduce urban heat.
• Gov. Evers, together with the DOA, announced the Wisconsin Executive Residence has completed the final phase of a project to restore the property’s natural shoreline along Lake Mendota by planting native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees to provide erosion control, prevent runoff before it reaches the lake edge, enhance the wildlife habitat, and support pollinators.
• The DNR collaborated with several of Tribal Nations in Wisconsin on key conservation efforts this year:
  • The Ho-Chunk Nation received a nearly $500,000 Urban Forestry Grant and worked with the DNR on prescribed burning;
  • The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians received a nearly $198,000 UF IRA grant and collaborated with the DNR on the Bad River Greenspace Improvement Project to replace diseased trees and trees posing safety issues that received a UF IRA grant;
  • Joint training exercises were held with the Menominee Nation and Forest Products Program staff assisted Menominee Tribal Enterprises with a $952,000 Forest Service Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant to help improve their mill;
  • DNR partnered with the Oneida Nation, Green Bay Packers, Green Bay Packaging, and Wisconsin Public Service to plant 402 trees as part of the “First Down for Trees Initiative”;
  • DNR was awarded $1.9 million through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation – America the Beautiful Challenge Grant and is partnering with the Menominee and La Courte Oreilles Tribes and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission and engaging in intergovernmental collaboration for manoomin/wild rice stewardship, conservation and public education in Wisconsin;
  • Wolf Remains Transfer Partnerships were entered into with the Bad River Tribe, Oneida Nation, and St. Croix Chippewa Tribe to transfer Wolf remains to Tribal Nations for educational, spiritual, and cultural use when the remains are found on or near Tribal lands; and
  • Throughout the year, 198,900 tree shrub seedlings were distributed to Tribes from the State Nursery.
• Gov. Evers, U.S. Sen. Baldwin, and the DNR announced more than $273 million had been allocated to 86 municipalities through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program to improve drinking water quality for Wisconsinites. The funding will help municipalities across the state construct necessary water infrastructure projects, including replacing lead service lines and addressing emerging contaminants such as PFAS.
• PSC approved a financial assistance program to replace customer-sided lead service lines in Racine. The program will result in the replacement of an additional 9,700 customer-side lead service lines annually.
• Throughout 2024, DNR completed habitat management on land open to the public for outdoor recreation, including:
  • 1,700 acres of DNR land added to Princes Point Wildlife Area in Jefferson County. Wetland and upland restoration will occur through 2025 through a partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Ducks Unlimited;
  • 45,750 acres of wetland, grassland, and forest habitat management treatments were completed on Priority Habitat Areas by Wildlife field staff. This includes 28,400 acres of prescribed burns;
  • 15 Waterfowl Stamp, seven Pheasant Stamp, and five Turkey Stamp habitat projects were completed by DNR Wildlife Management and other conservation partners to conserve species’ habitat; and
  • $62,400 of The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoor Fund, built through voluntary contributions from hunting and fishing license purchasers or direct Fund donors, supported management efforts on priority oak, grassland, and wet prairie habitats.
• After extensive engagement with the public, local governments, and Tribal Nations, the DNR delivered the Governor’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) in 2024. This plan evaluates outdoor recreation trends and issues from all these groups and sets forth a plan to meet the recreational needs in the state.
• Gov. Evers announced “125 Years of Wisconsin’s State Parks” as the theme for the 2024 State Capitol Holiday Tree, honoring Wisconsin’s state parks quasquicentennial anniversary the state’s proud and rich history of conservation and protecting natural resources.
• The Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Travel Wisconsin received an Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) Mercury Award from the U.S. Travel Association for the Digital and Social Campaign for the agency’s Seasonal Reports, including the Wisconsin Trail Report, Fall Color Report, and Wisconsin Snow Report. This is the third year in a row Travel Wisconsin has received an ESTO Mercury Award from the U.S. Travel Association.
• Gov. Evers, together with DNR, announced that $444 million has been allocated for financial assistance through the Clean Water Fund Program to 50 Wisconsin municipalities to improve their wastewater infrastructure.
• Gov. Evers, together with DNR, announced the Urban Forestry Grant Program recipients for the 2025 grant year. The grant aims to help fund projects consistent with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy, reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, and improving the quality of life and public health of communities.

An online version of this release is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.