WATCH LIVE:
MADISON- Governor Evers is delivering his 2021 budget address virtually tonight due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Included in his address will be a proposal to legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use, allow individual municipalities local control over the sales tax, and reducing prescription drug prices.
Tonight’s address is the second of the governor’s tenure. His first budget, proposed in February of 2019 was approved by the republican controlled legislature less than six months later.
Legalizing marijuana and allowing local control over a sales tax increase are expected to be two of the larger sticking points in the budget.
Under the governor’s proposal marijuana would be legalized and taxed beginning in 2023. Estimates show that legalizing the drug would net the state roughly $165 million in new revenue every year. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said earlier this month he would be open to legalizing marijuana for medicinal use but would want to do so in negotiations outside of the state budget.
When it comes to a local sales tax, county and city leaders in many of the state’s largest municipalities have made the request, saying it would provide added revenue for services like road repairs, mental health treatment, and public transportation.
Two years ago the proposal got a hearing in the State Assembly but never amassed enough support to land on the governor’s desk.
The governor’s proposal would allow communities to ask voters if they’d like to increase the local sales tax by 1%.
