Wisconsin state Sen. Pfaff on New Year's resolutions for the Legislature, property taxes and healthcare costs

Wisconsin Sen. Brad Pfaff in studio to discuss his New Year’s resolutions for the state Legislature, the debate over property taxes, strategies to address healthcare costs and his outlook for 2026.

We started the show, though, with a bit of Christmas spirit, asking Pfaff when his kids first figured out the truth about Santa Claus.

After that, we dived into the debate over the rise in property taxes and Republicans targeting a provision put in the budget 2.5 years ago, where Gov. Tony Evers used his veto pen to extend $325 in per-pupil funding to school districts for 400 years if they choose. That argument comes, though, as the GOP-controlled Legislature provided no increase in school aid in the latest budget, signed last July.

Building on that, we also talked about a bill by State Rep. Ryan Clancy that would make Wisconsin the first state to shift away from a property tax funding model for K-12 schools.

We also discussed some of Pfaff’s bills aimed at lowering rising healthcare costs, including a $35 cap on insulin in Wisconsin and better drug price transparency.

Finally, we got his outlook for 2026 — a year where the Legislature is only in session for 17 days between January and March, before taking the rest of the year off to campaign.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.