Governor Scott Walker Delivers 2016 State of the State

Governor Scott Walker delivered his 2016 State of the State address Tuesday night. The theme of the speech centered on the economy, jobs, and education.

Walker said he will explore a change to how long students spend in college before earning a degree. “We are also excited to work with the University of Wisconsin System to explore providing a three-year degree that would start in our high schools and continue on many of our UW campuses.”, Walker said.

State Representative Mandela Barnes (D-Milwaukee) said he disagreed with most of what Walker said Tuesday, but did find some merit in a three-year degree program. Barnes said, “I would like to examine it more. I would love to see the plan because as we know, the Governor says a lot of things that sound good and once you research you find the devil right in the details.” 

Walker also said more state money will be invested into public education, while saying it will come from saving from state worker benefit changes. He said, “One area to consider for real reform is the way we administer health insurance for state employees, which some experts believe could save tens of millions of dollars.

While democrats were unsure of what those reforms could mean for state employees, State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) said there's no reason for employees to be worried. “We’ve always had really accountable healthcare for our employees, the issue is cost and quality. So if we can retain the quality and access we will have a good product.” Darling said.