Business owners tell Lt. Gov. Barnes to expand BadgerCare, broadband

At a Wednesday listening session, small business owners from across the state told Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and the state’s economic development agency about the policy changes they believe will help businesses like theirs recover from the pandemic and thrive in the years ahead. High on the list: expanding access to broadband internet and BadgerCare.

The event comes as the Legislature begins its budget process, choosing which measures from Gov. Tony Evers’ $91 billion two-year spending plan to toss and which to keep. Already, the state has spent more than $370 million in federal dollars allocated through the CARES Act to support Wisconsin small businesses, farms and the hospitality and tourism industry. And just yesterday, Evers announced that the state would use more than $46 million in remaining CARES Act dollars to provide $5,000 grants to an estimated 9,300 small businesses across the state that applied for pandemic relief...
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Ken Notes: Interesting, why not make badger care or the government insurance option available to everyone. Wisconsin cold lead the nation in health care reform.