Column: What’s Miresse up to in Madison?
Hello neighbors,
State Rep. Vinnie Miresse here. On the last day of June, both the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and Child Care Bridge Payments Program expired. Unfortunately, my colleagues across the aisle failed to find long-term funding solutions during the legislative session for each of these critical programs; now Wisconsin families, communities, and local economies are starting to feel the pain from the loss of these vital programs.
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund was established in 1989 to assist Wisconsin in purchasing, maintaining, and ensuring every Wisconsinite had access to our forests, lakes, and rivers. Over the past 37 years there have been 64 projects, 5,100 acres protected, and over $7 million invested from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund in the 71st District alone. Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation economy contributes $11.2 billion to the state’s GDP and provides $5.4 billion in wages; to say that the success of the program paid dividends would be an understatement. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund was named after a Democrat and a Republican governor to celebrate the bipartisan spirit of the legislation. This year, I authored a bill that threaded the needle of compromise between the Governor’s and Republican proposals. Unceremoniously, my bill to reauthorize the program was never given any consideration, and partisan antics are what led to the demise of Knowles-Nelson.
On the very same day, the Child Care Bridge Payments Program lapsed. The child care industry nearly collapsed when the pandemic arrived in 2019. In 2020, revenue generated by child care providers decreased by 36%, and the workforce declined at twice the rate of jobs in other sectors. The state quickly intervened with the Child Care Counts Program, which was effective until its expiration in June 2025. To bridge the gap in funding as the pandemic-era Child Care Counts policy expired and before a long-term solution was established, the state put the Bridge program in place. Once again, my colleagues across the aisle, much like with the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, failed to extend the program, allowing this crucial program to expire and families to pay the price.
The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families estimates that 25% of child care providers will be forced to close without the Bridge payments. Many other providers are facing difficult decisions, such as reducing their services and/or raising their rates. Without access to affordable child care, working families will be forced to choose whether to keep working or quit their jobs to stay home with their children. Across Wisconsin, the Bridge payments have helped over 4,000 providers, enabling care for almost 200,000 children and providing jobs for over 37,000 individuals. Portage County alone has 48 regulated child care providers with spots for over 1,800 children. Through the Bridge program, over $1 million has been paid out to 44 child care providers in Portage County since June 2025.
In the first week after the Bridge payments ended, three programs across central Wisconsin have closed, eliminating 60 spots. Since the beginning of 2026, child care providers in Portage County have been forced to increase rates by $20-25 per week. Many providers had plans in place for the Bridge program expiration and may be able to hold off raising rates or shutting down temporarily, but the effects of Federal chaos and inflation are starting to have profound impacts on costs everywhere. The troubling part about all of this is that my caucus and I proposed bills (AB-317, AB-1018) to rectify this situation, but yet again they were ignored and never given a public hearing, nor were they ever voted on. Good ideas should transcend partisanship, and Wisconsinites want government to work for them, not their party. Wisconsinites deserve government that shows up and makes our lives just a little easier. I will continue to do both.
As always, my office is here to help. If you have questions about state policy or need assistance with government services, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Phone: (608) 237-9171
Email: [email protected]
Website: legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/71/miresse