Wisconsin state Rep. Jill Billings in studio discussing the upcoming governor’s race, the recent 1,000-year flood in southeast Wisconsin, her off-session work — that included agrivoltaics and data centers — and an update on the Prairie Springs Science Center project at UW–La Crosse.

Billings, a member of the state Building Commission, has spent seven years pushing to get Phase 2 of the UW-L science center into the state budget. While she didn’t say whether she’d personally like to take the wrecking ball to Cowley Hall to kick off the project, she did confirm the final go-ahead is expected at the commission’s October meeting. Construction would then begin in spring 2026 and wrap up in 2028.

On the governor’s race, Billings said she believes Democrats have a “deep bench” of candidates, but she won’t make a primary endorsement. She also made clear she has no plans to run for governor or lieutenant governor herself.