(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin legislature looks different in the new year.
Lawmakers in Madison started their new session on Monday, and while Republicans remain in control of both the Assembly and Senate, there will be more Democrats.
“In the Wisconsin legislature, today is a day of tremendous hope,” Sen Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said on social media. “Over a quarter of the legislature is new. The Assembly has 31 new members while the Senate has 6. A majority of the Democratic Assembly caucus are first-time legislators.”
Wisconsin Democrats have those numbers thanks to a string of victories in the November election. Those victories are tied to new political maps that Gov. Evers drew to benefit Democrats across the state.
Wisconsin Republicans this session will go from having a 30-seat majority, 64-34, to having a nine-seat majority, 54-45.
Republicans will also continue to have a majority in the Wisconsin Senate, but barely. Democrats flipped or won five seats in November, turning what was a supermajority 20-10 advantage into just a three-seat, 18-15 advantage.
Larson continued to say he has hope for the new Democratic gains.
“With this new blood comes new ideas and a fresh will to tackle the greatest challenges facing our state. I look forward to working with all of them to improve public education, protect our environment, and promote opportunity for all of our neighbors!” he added.
Lawmakers will tackle a new state budget this spring.
Wisconsin operates on a two-year spending plan, and the current budget expires in the summer.
There are, however, already lines being drawn over the new state budget.
Republican leaders have said their top priority is returning Wisconsin’s $4 billion surplus to the taxpayers. Democrats on the other hand have suggested several different ways to spend it.
Gov. Evers says he will deliver his budget next month and has said he supports the request from the University of Wisconsin to add $855 million to their budget. He’s also said he supports more funding for the state’s public schools, though he has not said much more he wants to spend.