It's a start, but bipartisan legislation at session's end missed out on other needs

By Kristin Dassler-Alfheim

This month, the Wisconsin State Senate held its final regular floor period of the 2025-26 session. We voted on a total of 118 items, and we had some bipartisan successes: $125 million was released to address PFAS contamination; changes were made to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to include rural communities; three programs administered by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) were updated to encourage new housing construction; and a workforce home loan program was created to help working families purchase a home. 

These are good policies, and I’m glad we were able to have bipartisan votes to get them done. The problem is that we didn’t do enough. 

Rising costs, from gas prices to utilities bills to health insurance, is the number one concern I hear from constituents. For months, Democrats have had legislation introduced that would curb costs, such as caps on insulin and asthma medications, and tax relief in the form of expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Homestead Credit, and the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit. Yet none of these bills received a public hearing, and all were voted down by Republicans when Democrats offered them as amendments on the last day of session. 

The legislature could’ve done so much more to alleviate the financial burdens that are weighing on everyone from retirees to working families, but we didn’t, because those in power chose not to. It’s frustrating to be told by Republicans to pack it up and go home when there’s so much left to do, but that’s not going to stop me from continuing to advocate for the needs of my community. My office is just a phone call or email away. 

Kristin Dassler-Alfheim is the Democratic State Senator from District 18