Pfaff, Klein trade plans for state surplus, PFAS relief during Wisconsin state Senate debate at UW-La Crosse

The state of Wisconsin has a budget surplus of more than $3.5 billion, and two area candidates for Wisconsin state Senate have ideas on how the money should be used.

Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) and Republican challenger Stacey Klein of Trempealeau met for a debate Wednesday in La Crosse for the District 32 seat.

Klein said it’s about time local communities had some of that money.

“The state funding for local governments has been stagnant for decades,” Klein told the audience at the UW-L Cleary Center. “The shared revenue bill was a great step in the right direction, but we need to do more.”

Klein agreed that her top priority would be to get money back to the taxpayers.

Pfaff expressed his priorities as well: “Holding down child care costs and making child care more available. We need to make sure that we continue to broaden out our supply chain that we have in this state. We know how to make things in this state, we know how to grow things.”

The issue of groundwater pollution by PFAS chemicals on French Island was also one of the topics brought up by one of the four panelists of journalists.

Pfaff said those who caused the pollution should be held accountable.

Klein said action should have been taken in Madison to release the $150 million in PFAS relief money that was included in the state budget but not tied to anything specific.

The two candidates also spoke out on how to help with child care, road finding, farm assistance and whether to have a flat tax, which was proposed by Republicans this past term.

Pfaff is running for a second term in the Senate. Klein had been a candidate for U.S. Senate this year, but switched to the state race after the spring primary.