TITLETOWN (NBC 26) — Governor Tony Evers visited Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame Tuesday alongside Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers, as part of a tour for National Travel and Tourism Week.
- Gov. Evers hinted a possible passenger rail line for the 2025 NFL Draft, telling media, "I know our Department of Transportation is meeting with Amtrak and others, so it's our hope that that is absolutely going to happen."
- Gov. Evers added that he hopes a passenger rail line to Green Bay will be made permanent.
- Gov. Evers also called for the state's Joint Committee on Finance to release $10 million in Opportunity Attraction and Promotion Fund money, aimed at promoting Wisconsin as a premiere host and major destination for large-scale events.
- The state's 2023-25 biennial budget invested approximately $34 million to "raise Wisconsin’s profile across the country," according to the Evers Administration.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
We're at Lambeau Field, where Governor Tony Evers visited just after calling for $10 million of state tourism money to be released.
Gov. Evers and Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers toured the Packers Hall of Fame to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week.
The state's biennial budget increased funding for tourism advertising.
Gov. Evers is asking the state's Joint Committee on Finance to release the money, to promote the state as a host of big events.
"It's not like we're asking for anything that's not in the budget," Evers said. "It passed in a bipartisan way, I signed it, and it's time for us to get that money and make sure that tourism has the money they need in order to continue doing the great job they're doing.
The governor also said the state DOT is working with Amtrak to get passenger trains to northeast Wisconsin for the 2025 NFL Draft — and reiterated his hope to bring passenger rail here permanently.
