On Tuesday night, Governor Tony Evers delivered his fourth State of the State address and touted his administration’s accomplishments and implored the GOP-controlled Legislature to tap into the state’s projected $3.8 billion budget surplus for “refunds” for Wisconsinites.

“I am proud to be able to report that the state of our state is stronger and better than it was a year ago or two years ago or even three years ago,” Evers said.

Governor Evers pushed the state’s 2.8% unemployment rate as a sign that the state’s economy is strong, but said more needs to be done to address workforce shortages in the state. To help address those shortages, he said, GOP lawmakers should pass legislation he proposed late last month that would send every Wisconsinite a $150 “surplus refund” check and increase education funding. The legislation would also increase tax credits related to child and dependent care. About $102 million would be used to provide tax relief for expenses incurred by a family caregiver while taking care of qualifying family members. The package also contains $30 million to expand a tax credit to help pay for child care expenses, something Evers said can help address the state’s workforce shortages.

“The great news is we can do all of this and still not spend our entire projected surplus. Under my plan, we’ll still have more than $2 billion left over,” Evers said Tuesday night.

Despite criticism from Republican lawmakers, Governor Evers signed an executive order Wednesday calling a special session for the Legislature to consider his “surplus plan.”

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told reporters after the speech that GOP lawmakers will gavel in, and then gavel out, the special surplus session without considering his proposals.

Also on Tuesday night Evers announced that he would create a Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity. His office said the commission would focus on improving for veterans employment and job training, post-service education, housing and mental health initiatives, among other things.

Speaking to reporters following the address, Speaker Robin Vos  was quoted saying “Governor Evers talked about all of the money that he is allocating, most of which is borrowed from our grandkids through federal government spending,” continuing on to say that “Over the course of the past three years, Governor Evers has never truly led on a single topic.”

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu was also quoted saying that Evers “has failed Wisconsin, time and again,” continuing on to say that Evers is “taking credit for our tax cuts, our responsible budgets, our surpluses — all vastly different from the budgets that he proposed, and that ultimately we forced him to sign into law.”