Politics
Wisconsin veterans push to make Veterans Day a paid state holiday
Veterans gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Wednesday called on lawmakers to make Veterans Day a paid holiday for state employees, after Republicans on the budget committee stripped the proposal from Gov. Tony Evers' 2025-27 budget. Wisconsin currently offers state workers a floating personal holiday in lieu of an automatic day off on Nov. 11.
MADISON, Wis. â As communities across Wisconsin marked Veterans Day on Wednesday, veterans gathered at the State Capitol renewed a push to make Nov. 11 a paid holiday for state employees, arguing that recognition for military service should come with more than a ceremony.
Wisconsin observes Veterans Day, but it is not among the nine regular paid holidays granted to state workers. Instead, state employees receive an additional personal holiday in recognition of Veterans Day, which they can use at their discretion. Nov. 11 is not automatically a paid day off.
Gov. Tony Evers proposed changing that in his 2025-27 state budget. According to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Republicans on the Legislature's budget committee voted to eliminate several provisions from the governor's proposal, including the one that would have made Veterans Day a state holiday.
Will Jackson, who served in the Marine Corps for eight and a half years, including a deployment to Afghanistan, took the day off work to attend the Capitol ceremony. He said the issue is one lawmakers should take up.
"It could be something that legislation should work on," Jackson said. "I believe wholeheartedly that every veteran is absolutely important to the fabric of our country."
Jackson said the day carries meaning beyond a break from work. "Veterans Day, for me personally, is a time to remember the sacrifice of so many," he said.
Mary Parker, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the state chair of America250, also attended the ceremony. Her father served in the military for 30 years, including three tours in Vietnam, before he died in April.
"I wish they would make it a legal state holiday," Parker said. "It's good that we have time to come together because of this event, but it would be nice if it would be a state holiday."
The push comes as veterans' advocates argue that a formal paid holiday would better honor service members and ensure that state employees who are veterans, and their families, can observe the day without using personal leave. Opponents on the budget committee have not publicly detailed their reasons for removing the provision, and the debate is likely to continue into the next legislative session.
For now, Wisconsin state employees who want to mark Veterans Day with a day off must draw on their personal holiday or other leave. Veterans at the Capitol said they hope lawmakers will revisit the proposal.