Tony Evers

• State and Federal grants were incredibly key in helping Wisconsin Small Businesses throughout the pandemic. Currently, many small businesses across Wisconsin are still trying to recover financially from the effects of COVID-19, and pandemic relief is still greatly needed among business owners throughout Main Street Wisconsin. Many of these family owned or operated by 10 or less employees sized businesses have been shut down due to their inability to access capital at the federal, state, or local level, while larger corporations have more access and protections. Have you learned any lessons over the last 2 years in terms of running effective programs to help small businesses?

  YES.

  Wisconsin’s economic strength is built around small businesses and working families, and since taking office, I have focused on doing what’s right for small businesses and moving our state forward.

  When small businesses were suffering from the impacts of the pandemic, I took action, cutting taxes for businesses by nearly half a billion dollars. I also created the Main Street Bounceback grant program to fill empty storefronts around the state. I have invested $100 million in the program, which ensures that there is funding available to help a total of 10,000 small businesses. So far, more than 6,200 small businesses have opened or expanded into vacant storefronts across all 72 counties in Wisconsin.

  Visiting these businesses across the state, I’ve heard incredible stories about how entrepreneurs were able to achieve their dreams of opening or expanding a business. We’ve revitalized main streets in communities across our state through this program, supporting existing businesses and creating new opportunities for shopping dollars to be reinvested right here in Wisconsin.

  We’ve also taken bold action to support existing small businesses across our state. We’ve invested over a billion dollars in recovery funding to help small businesses and other industries impacted by the pandemic. Programs like the We’re All In grants to restaurants and small businesses and the Wisconsin Tomorrow grant program have been a vital resource to helping our small businesses meet the challenges of the pandemic.

  I have also directed more than $115 million in funding to hundreds of small businesses in underserved communities and prioritized an equitable recovery by making transformational investments in non-profits that serve communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

• Would you do anything different moving forward to help create opportunities for small business to access capital at the state, local, and federal level?

  Yes.

  With interest rates on the rise and business costs increasing, small businesses need access to capital and financing options. That’s why in my second term, I will advocate for expanding state tax credit programs and opportunities for loan guarantees when businesses make investments or commit to creating jobs here in Wisconsin. This is an important tool to keep Wisconsin’s economy strong, and one that should have bipartisan support.

• Wisconsin's small businesses are the true backbone of our communities, as they hire locally, sponsor recreational teams and community events, and provide local products and services. The federal government labels a 'small business' as 500 or less employees, however there is a big difference between a business with 500 employees and 5 (as you see in many small businesses across Main Street Wisconsin). Are you in favor for reducing taxes for smaller operations?

  YES.

  We need to ensure our small businesses are able to start strong. That’s why I have already reduced taxes for small businesses and why I am committed to finding additional ways to provide relief to these smaller operations. Last year, I was proud to sign nearly a half billion dollars in tax cuts for Wisconsin small businesses as they power our state’s unprecedented economic growth. I will continue to fight for reduced taxes and in my second term, I will fight for a complete repeal of the personal property tax.

• Would you close loopholes to ensure individuals and businesses are paying their fair share of taxes proportionally to the resources they use?

  YES.

  Yes, I believe we need a tax system that allows small businesses and working families to get ahead. That’s why I’ve proposed additional tax cuts for individuals making less than $100,000 per year, and will continue looking for ways to provide relief in my second term.

• As more small businesses go bankrupt, large businesses are coming in and buying them out-usually leaving them permanently shuttered and creating supply chain issues, subsequently increasing prices for the consumer and elevating health and safety problems. Do you intend to protect small businesses from giant corporations using unfair practices to manipulate or intimidate customers throughout the supply chain and all the way to the end consumer?

  Yes.

  Large corporations should not use unfair practices or manipulation to take over small businesses. In my first term, we’ve taken on price gougers to protect consumers across Wisconsin. I will always prioritize our Wisconsin small businesses and work to protect them from unfair practices. In my next term, I will work with small businesses and family farms to create new local markets for Wisconsin-made and Wisconsin-grown products. By strengthening our supply chain and growing local markets, Wisconsin small businesses will have even greater opportunity to succeed.

• Would you work as Governor to ensure that we enforce the laws that exist already to guard against corporate concentration and/or monopolistic behavior?

  YES.

  I will always look for opportunities to work with lawmakers and the Department of Justice to protect our small businesses and ensure our current laws are being followed.

• Access to affordable healthcare is a struggle faced by rural and urban Wisconsinites alike. This issue is especially burdensome to small business owners on Main Street and on the family farm. In May 2020, more than 1.57 million Wisconsin residents enrolled in Medicaid/BadgerCare. Our small business owners are grateful for BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid to assist with providing health insurance for their themselves and employees; however, there is a hovering fear that if the business turns a better profit and begin to pay higher wages, they will no longer qualify and health insurance will be a cost burden. Some small business owners have voiced that a number of their employees have fallen into a gap when they get increased hours and pay, and no longer qualify for BadgerCare and other benefits, but do not make enough to qualify for highly-priced private insurance. Will you ensure that small businesses will have access to affordable health insurance?

  Yes.

  I will fight for small businesses and all Wisconsinites to have access to affordable health insurance. Immediately after taking office, I removed Wisconsin from a lawsuit that sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I believe the Affordable Care Act is a crucial piece of legislation that has provided millions of people with affordable healthcare. I will also never stop fighting to to expand BadgerCare, which will expand coverage to over 90,000 Wisconsinites who fall into a similar gap, while also securing additional federal investments in our state.. I will also expand access to mental health services and lower prescription drug costs as outlined in my “Less for Rx” Prescription Drug Plan,” which includes placing a $35 cap on insulin copays.

• Do you support BadgerCare expansion to allow more Wisconsinites to still have access to quality health care services?

  YES.

  I have continually called on Republican legislators to pass an expansion of BadgerCare which would allow an additional 90,000 Wisconsinites to receive coverage and save the state $1.6 billion. Wisconsin is one of only 12 states that has not expanded their Medicaid system. I will continue supporting BadgerCare expansion in my next term. I believe in the importance of expanding BadgerCare to support Wisconsin’s workforce, farmers, and small businesses, provide affordable coverage to even more Wisconsin families, and expand initiatives to lower health care costs for everyone across the state. BadgerCare expansion is supported by a wide majority of Wisconsin and I’ll continue to work to bring people together on this issue.

• Accessible and affordable child care is a must to allow parents--especially mothers--to work, whether small business owners or their employees. Children that receive quality early child care, do better on nearly all economic and social measures; they are more likely to graduate, more likely to have higher paying jobs, and have better health both physical and mental. The expansion of the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan lifted 3.7 million children out of poverty and served a buffer for many families as they continue to navigate through the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Wisconsin, close to 90% of families received support from the CTC and 45,000 families were lifted out of poverty. Will you support early child care and education programs in ways that are long-term solutions to the crises they face knowing they are the key ingredient to having a successful Wisconsin workforce?

  YES.

  With near record-low unemployment, it’s critical to expand Wisconsin’s workforce to fill jobs and give small businesses the workers they need to operate and grow. I also know that to fill jobs, it is equally as important to support our workforce by creating and supporting our child care and education programs.That’s why I support a regional approach that tackles specific challenges – like access to childcare, quality education for our kids, apprenticeship and job training programs, and more. I’ll continue to work with local partners and employers to find solutions that work.

• Do you support the expansion of the CTC and what is your plan to ensure the Wisconsin families that benefited from the CTC are able to maintain their households and support their children?

  YES.

  I support an expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which will provide nearly $30 million in tax relief to more than 100,000 Wisconsinites. I will also continue to fight for a new tax credit for family caregivers, providing additional assistance to cover expenses incurred by those taking care of loved ones.

• Small businesses have little to no options in trying to offer paid leave to their employees. Yet paid leave is a critical benefit to potential workers, therefore the lack of paid leave adds another obstacle for small businesses. We are one of only 6 countries in the world without paid leave and that impacts a persons ability to take care of themselves or family members and stay gainfully employed. We are ranked as one of the worst developed countries in pregnancy support and paid leave. Currently, only 11 states throughout the United States provide Paid Family Leave, Wisconsin is not one of them. Do you support a Paid Family Leave policy in Wisconsin?

  We need to pass policies that expand FMLA and paid leave, period. Research shows many health and wellness benefits for both parents and kids. I believe we should have 12 weeks of paid leave nationwide.

• Will you make Paid Family Leave a bipartisan focus for all of Wisconsin?

  Yes.

  Paid Family Leave should have bipartisan support because it’s the right thing to do for our families and Wisconsin’s economy. I’m willing to work with anyone, regardless of party, to expand paid leave in Wisconsin.

• Many small businesses struggle with cash flow because their retirement is their capital investment in the business. Access to retirement guidance for our youngest workers to our oldest needs to be provided. In February 2021, the Wisconsin State Treasurer published the Retirement Security Task Force Report which anticipates that over 400,000 Wisconsin seniors will be living in poverty by 2030 which will require nearly $3.5 billion from public assistance programs. In March 2022, SECURE Act 2.0 was passed, which would require employers that establish defined contribution plans after 2021 to automatically enroll new employees, when eligible, in the plan at a pretax contribution level of 3% of the employees pay. Do you support legislation such as the SECURE Act 2.0 and would you support similar legislations moving forward?

  Yes.

  Too many Wisconsinites are anxious about saving for retirement and lack the tools and support they need to reach their goals. At the start of my first term, I helped better support Wisconsinites in retirement, forming the Task Force on Retirement Security in 2019. I want to make sure people are able to move into retirement with financial security. The bipartisan task force provided recommendations in 2021 to help improve the financial health and wellness of hardworking Wisconsinites across our state so they can safeguard their futures. I support those recommendations and other legislation to help Wisconsinites with retirement security.

• Will you plan to support seniors in Wisconsin and around the nation from falling into poverty?

  I am committed to supporting seniors in Wisconsin by expanding senior and retirement services and cutting rising costs. In my first term, I secured an extension of Wisconsin’s SeniorCare program and expanded it to fully cover pharmacy vaccinations. I’ll continue to support this program and ensure Wisconsin seniors are able to access low-cost prescription drugs. I also took action early on to help better support Wisconsinites in retirement, forming a Task Force on Retirement Security in 2019. I want to make sure people are able to move into retirement and financial security.

• The federal government continues to support all agriculture, but more and more of that support goes to the largest farms. The market that farmers buy and sell in is not equal for all farms. Supporting local food growers is a wonderful advantage to living in Wisconsin, yet we have seen that small family owned farms declined nearly 20% in the last 15 years. Will you prioritize small family farms to increase food security for all Americans?

  In my first term, I prioritized uplifting small family farms and will continue to in my next term. I have signed historic legislation to support Wisconsin’s agriculture industry by expanding dairy exports and strengthening meat processors across the state. In my second term, I will continue to find innovative ways to connect Wisconsin’s agriculture industry with new markets and strengthen the state’s agriculture supply chain.

• Will you address small agriculture as a business venue and access to capital and land especially for historically marginalized farmers?

  Yes.

  Yes, I will address small agriculture as a business venue and provide access to capital and land especially for historically marginalized farmers. It is important to uplift our farms and small businesses as they serve as the backbone of our economy.