Governor Evers’ Budget Promotes Safety, Strong Workforce

Madison – Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Secretary Dan Hereth today praised Governor Tony Evers for his continued commitment to the safety of Wisconsin citizens.

“Governor Evers has declared 2025 the Year of the Kid and his budget backs up the declaration with investments that focus on the success and safety of Wisconsin children and their families,” said Sec. Hereth. “For DSPS, that means continued funding for staffing and programs that have not only made Wisconsin a leader in efficient licensing of professionals but also keep Wisconsinites safe.”

Wisconsin DSPS has reached record levels of licensing efficiency under the leadership of Gov. Evers and Sec. Hereth.

• Reviewing new license application submissions in 2-5 calendar days, on average.
• Issuing 114,000 new professional licenses in 2023-24, 35% higher than any other two-year period in Wisconsin history

DSPS is set to lose 42% of staff on its licensing teams when the temporary funding used to hire them runs out. Governor Evers’ budget proposes replacing some of those temporary positions with full-time staff, allowing DSPS to maintain a level of responsiveness and efficiency that Wisconsin professionals have come to expect.

If the legislature does not fund any replacements for the temporary positions DSPS is losing, Sec. Hereth believes the time to review application materials could double or triple, putting Wisconsin at a competitive disadvantage with its Midwest neighbors.

“To continue our current level of licensing service, the Governor is asking the legislature to spend about $2 million on staff from the fees DSPS generates. In 2023 alone, the number of additional new licenses we issued year-over-year accounted for $54 million in added wages for Wisconsin professionals and their families,” Sec. Hereth explained. “That’s a tremendous return on investment.”

Governor Evers also proposes bolstering DSPS Call Center staff responsible for responding to the 9,000 combined phone calls, emails, and support tickets the agency receives every week.

“Currently, 22 of our 29 Call Center staff are in temporarily funded positions that will be going away. Governor Evers proposes replacing those with permanent staff, so we don’t slip from our recent 86% call answer rate to the 40% answer rate and hours-long wait times our stakeholders suffered through before he took office,” Sec. Hereth said.

Governor Evers’ budget also makes continuing and new investments that bolster the state’s licensed workforce, including the health professionals on which Wisconsinites rely for treatment to keep their families healthy and safe. The investments include:

• Creating a statewide clinician wellness program.
• Tuition reimbursement for nurses, who have been out of practice, to take the required refresher course and rejoin the workforce.
• Creating a pathway to an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse license, allowing qualified nurses to maximize their expertise.
• Continuing funding for the Youth Firefighter Training grants that introduce middle and high schoolers to opportunities in state fire service, boosting recruitment in aging volunteer departments.
• Continuing funding for the Wisconsin Fund, a grant program that helps identify and fix failing septic systems and keep Wisconsin’s drinking water safe.

Please find more information about Governor Evers’ 2025-27 Executive Budget here, including a transcript of his budget message and the Budget in Brief.

About DSPS

DSPS issues more than 240 unique licenses, administers dozens of boards and councils that regulate professions, enforces state building codes, and maintains the Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which is a key tool in the multi-faceted public health campaign to stem excessive opioid prescribing. A fee-based agency, DSPS is self-sustaining and receives no general fund tax dollars for its day-to-day operations. With two offices and roughly 250 employees, DSPS collaborates with constituents and stakeholders across a wide range of industries to promote safety and advance the economy.

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.