MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers has called the Republican-controlled Legislature into a special session next week to take up an $8.5 million package of bills designed to help rural Wisconsin.
The state is in the middle of a crisis that’s caused the loss of one-third of the state’s dairy farms since 2011.
The Democratic governor on Thursday dismissed criticism from Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos that the proposals show he has ignored rural Wisconsin.
Evers calls that criticism “baloney.” He says Republicans and Democrats need to work together for the farmers. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he is “all ears” on the plan.
According to a news release, Evers is calling on the Legislature to act on the following bills:
Executive Order #64 calls the Legislature to act on the following bills:
- LRB-5420/LRB-5439 relating to grants to dairy processing plants.
- LRB-5413/LRB-5433 relating to providing planning assistance to farmers.
- LRB-5416/LRB-5436 relating to farm to school grants.
- LRB-5419/LRB-5438 relating to regional farmer support for stress and mental illness.
- LRB-5424/LRB-5440 relating to creating a Small Farm Diversity grant program, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority.
- LRB-5449/LRB-5450 relating to county-based agriculture positions in the Division of Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- LRB-5412/LRB-5432 relating to promoting production of value-added agricultural products; creating an organic farming education grant program, a grazing education grant program, and a farm to fork grant program; providing resource conservation technical assistance; granting rule-making authority; and making an appropriation.
- LRB-5414/LRB-5434 relating to the Wisconsin Initiative for Dairy Exports and making an appropriation.
Evers said he is confident the Legislature will act quickly on the bills.
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