Overview
- The Legislature’s budget committee approved the bill 12-4 on Tuesday, sending it to special‑session floor votes.
- By late Wednesday, the Assembly recessed without a vote and Senate passage was uncertain after two Republican senators said they would oppose it.
- The package would send $300 checks to single filers and $600 to joint filers tied to 2024 returns with at least 90% Wisconsin income, with payments expected within months.
- It would permanently end state income tax on cash tips and overtime and steer about $600 million to K‑12 schools, including a 50% special‑education reimbursement, plus $50 million for technical colleges to ease property tax levies.
- Leaders say the roughly $1.8 billion plan uses part of a projected $2.37 billion surplus as tax collections run $300–$350 million above earlier estimates, while critics in both parties warn of future budget strain and call the deal a closed‑door compromise.