Democratic Senators urge action to keep veterans programs open

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WGBW) – Democratic State Senators are requesting a formal hearing on a bill to keep the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP) facilities in Green Bay and Chippewa Falls open and operational.

State Senator Jamie Wall (D – Green Bay) joined State Senator Jeff Smith (D – Brunswick) in sending a letter to State Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R – Tomahawk) and State Senator Chris Kapenga (R – Delafield), requesting the hearing on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, they were part of a press conference, along with Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D – Middleton), to further bring attention to the matter and to publicly ask the Republican-led legislature to bring the bill out of committee and put it on the agenda.

“The Senate and Assembly must meet right away and pass this bill out of committee. They can do it this week. They can do it next week. They can do it any time in the month of September, and we could pass the bill on the floor in October,” Hesselbein said. “It’s a cool day out here today. The weather is gonna get worse. We need to take care of our veterans today, and we need to get this done.”

The senators introduced Senate Bill 385 on Aug. 11, 2025. The bill will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to keep the facilities, slated to close on Sept. 30, 2025, operational. 

This summer, the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee removed the program from Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed budget.

Senator Smith said closing the facilities will eliminate services for dozens of veterans experiencing homelessness. An act that Smith called cruel.

“ I couldn’t be more disgusted at this moment with the majority party and how they’ve chosen the tact they’ve chosen to take when it comes to supporting our veterans,” said Smith.

Wall said the service of veterans is too often taken for granted, and keeping the program that helps veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless get back on their feet is the least the state can do. 

“ If the Bellevue and Chippewa Falls facilities close, we’ll lose 41 beds,” said Wall. “And that means that dozens of Wisconsin veterans will be at risk of spending the winter on the street. And those veterans will be disproportionately from Northern Wisconsin.”

The VHRP provides critical temporary housing, job training, and support services to military veterans experiencing homelessness. The program helps veterans secure permanent housing, increase their income and skills, and rebuild self-sufficiency to reintegrate successfully into their communities. The average length of stay for veterans in the program is six to nine months.

Wall said if the two facilities in Green Bay and Chippewa Falls close, the only Veterans Housing and Recovery Program in the state will be in Union Grove in Racine County.

“There’s value in having these facilities from different parts of the state,” Wall said. “So they can serve veterans where they live. Keep them in touch with their families, and with their friends, and with their communities.”

The bill before the Senate was co-authored by 40 bipartisan members of the Wisconsin Legislature. Senate Bill 385 has a companion bill in the Assembly that also seeks to restore funding to the VHRP facilities to keep them open. That piece of legislation is Assembly Bill 383.

Meanwhile, on the Republican side of the aisle, State Senator André Jacque (R – New Franken) has submitted a piece of legislation to fund services, including funding for the VHRP programs in Green Bay and Chippewa Falls.

Jacque’s Respect Our Wisconsin Veterans Service Act includes over $1.9 million to keep facilities in Green Bay and Chippewa Falls open.  Other provisions include expanded eligibility for a refundable property tax credit for veterans and surviving spouses and directing the Board of Regents to fund the UW Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project to recover and identify MIA Wisconsin veterans.

The Associated Press reports that the Wisconsin Senate will not meet on the floor this month. Its next floor period is scheduled for October.