AARP Urges Governor To Help State’s Most Vulnerable

MADISON, WISCONSIN – With a projected state budget surplus of more than $976 million by mid-2015, AARP Wisconsin was hopeful that Governor Walker – in his State of the State speech – would have placed a greater emphasis on providing long-term relief for those most impacted by the recession.

“A better prioritization would have been to use this revenue to meet current obligations, such as the Medicaid shortfall and immediate coverage for low-income childless adults,” said AARP Wisconsin State President Sam Wilson said. “In addition, we should invest wisely in our communities by expanding cost-effective programs like Family Care and bringing back Homestead Tax Credit indexing.

Wilson said the budget surplus presents a great opportunity for Wisconsin not only to invest in our future, but also to pay down our debt and restore programs that were cut during the last budget cycle.

“Many of our state’s most vulnerable citizens have been hardest hit by the recent economic downturn. Those who were hurt the most in the recession should be helped most by the recovery. By making responsible investments we can put our state on more stable financial footing that will benefit all Wisconsinites,” Wilson said.