The proposal is modeled on bipartisan legislation that was introduced in the 2019-20 legislative biennium, but didn’t advance further despite a survey showing broad support among voters. The proponents estimate it would cost the state about $125 million per year in lost revenue.

The three proposals have been called “the tip of the iceberg, the simplest, low-hanging fruit” among policies to address family caregivers’ needs. 

The three proposals are much more limited than provisions that Gov. Tony Evers included in his draft of the 2021-23 biennial budget. Most of those measures, however — the product of a state task force Evers commissioned early in his term to address the twin challenges of paid caregivers and family caregivers —were stripped out early by the Republican majority on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.