The theme Gov. Doyle pushed on Tuesday night was the idea of making life easier on Wisconsin middle class families. He began with addressing the need for affordable healthcare, starting with the need to drive down insurance costs.

"The state will set up a catastrophic insurance pool that will lower rates that private employers can join," Gov. Doyle (D) Wisconsin said.

He called on legislators to outlaw big corporations from forcing their employees to turn to the state funded Badger Care insurance program. Gov. Doyle also asked the legislature to give heating relief to middle class families. He's proposing a $6 million assistance program for families making under $40,000 a year.

"Thousands of Wisconsin families are struggling to pay their December heating bills but they're not eligible for heating assistance because their income is just a little too high," said Gov. Doyle.

The governor also reinforced his commitment to stem cell research. He hopes Wisconsin will eventually capture 10 percent of the worldwide market. We talked to two local representatives to get their reactions and while they both agreed Doyle's speech was very positive. One Republican is holding back on a firm opinion.

"It's difficult to tell in a speech and I'm sure he was putting his best foot forward and I'm interested in seeing the fine print," says Rep. Don Friske (R-Merrill).

Representatives from both sides of the aisle should get that chance soon. During the next few weeks the fine points of those plans should be unveiled. This is an election year for the governor, so the specifics of those plans will be scrutinized not just by the legislature but by the general public as well.