(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill Monday that would send $72 million to the state’s FoodShare program along with banning candy and soda purchases in Wisconsin’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The bill was a compromise between Evers and Republican legislative leaders as Evers claimed that the state was at risk of going over a 6% error rate on SNAP Program benefits, which would incur more than $200 million in federal penalties. Wisconsin had a 4.47% payment error rate as of late 2024–2025.
“After months of urging and asking the Legislature to approve these funds, I am glad to be able to sign this bill today so we can continue to provide for the over 700,000 Wisconsinites who rely on FoodShare and depend on the state to support this critical program and keep our error rates low,” Evers said in a statement. “In spite of the chaos at the federal level and the continued attacks on our FoodShare program, I am proud of the work my administration has done over the past year to ensure our kids, families, veterans, and seniors across our state receive the resources they need to access basic food and groceries.”
Legislative leaders like Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, questioned whether the state was actually at risk of going over 6% on its error rate.
“We have asked him to show us the data and he hasn’t,” Kapenga told Badger Institute. “But that’s the way he has always operated.”
The Assembly passed the latest version of the bill, 71-22, while the Senate passed the bill 25-8.
