MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle said in his State of the State speech Wednesday that tough times and sacrifices are ahead.

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Doyle laid out the challenges in his speech, although he did not say how he intends to meet them.

"As we move toward recovery, we will do so facing tough decisions in this state," Doyle said. "As hard as the federal government is working with us, this will be a time of sacrifice. It is a time where we will be responsible with what we have. This is not a time for big new programs."

The State of the State address was more subdued than in past years as the state is facing a projected $5.4 billion budget shortfall, which Doyle warned will grow by hundreds of millions of dollars.

The governor called on Republicans and Democrats to work together on the state's budget problem. Although he didn't give many specifics on how to fix the budget, the governor used his address to prepare lawmakers for the worst and to set the stage for a year of hard work.

"None of what's ahead will be easy. What isn't needed will be cut and, unfortunately, some of what is needed will be cut, too. But that is tough, honest work. Staying even is the new increase," Doyle said.

Doyle said he is hoping the state won't have to solve it alone. He is counting on Wisconsin getting at least $2 billion in help from the federal government's stimulus plan now pending in Congress.

Doyle said he is optimistic the federal plan will put people to work, but it won't be the answer to Wisconsin's budget problem.

The governor on Wednesday also reiterated some of his priorities, including his support for passing a statewide smoking ban and requiring insurance coverage for children with autism.

Doyle also said protecting health care and education are among his priorities.

"We can change school funding in a way that encourages the hiring and retention of good teachers, provides for high standards and encourages efficiencies in our school districts," Doyle said.

Doyle also said Wednesday that Wisconsin needs to do more to combat drunken driving, including legalizing roadside sobriety checks.

"Let's work to allow law enforcement officers to set up controlled, reasonable sobriety checkpoints," Doyle said. "We can pass legislation that will take drunk drivers off the road by making the third offense a felony."

Toughening the state's drunken driving laws is expected to be a major focus of the Legislature this year.

Doyle is expected to give more information on dealing with the state's economic situation when he lays out his budget on Feb. 10.

Some of that budget will likely depend on what ultimately happens with the federal stimulus plan. A version of the plan that passed the U.S. House Wednesday earmarks $2.4 billion for Wisconsin -- with more than half designated as state budget aid. The other big chunk -- $564 million -- is for highways and bridges.

Republicans, Dems React To Governor's Address

Legislative leaders had mixed reaction to Doyle's State of the State address that outlined big challenges the state faces in dealing with a record-high budget shortfall and rising unemployment.

Republican Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon said he wanted the governor to say he wouldn't raise taxes, but he didn't hear those words.

Fitzgerald said he was bothered that the governor called the economic situation a "national" problem.

"We've seen these deficits before, and still we've seen an increase in spending by Governor Doyle by almost 25 percent," Fitzgerald said. "So I don't know if it's as much as a national problem as a problem that we need to deal with as a state. We've been spending more money than we're taking in for a number of years now."

But Fitzgerald said he was encouraged that Doyle talked about having to make some cuts.

Another Republican, Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, said he thinks Doyle used the speech to lay the groundwork for tax increases.

But Democratic Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan of Janesville said the purpose of Doyle's speech was to "create a sense of reality about what's going on in this state and country."

"These are tough times, and there are no bones about it. But I also think it was a message of hope. We talk about the Wisconsin spirit here, and we're going to roll up our sleeves and everybody's going to band together and we're going to get through this thing," Sheridan said.

Sheridan said that when it comes to solving it, everything including tax increases will be considered.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker of Schofield said he didn't hear anything new in the speech. He said that will come when the governor proposes his budget next month.

One of the most vocal reactions to Doyle's speech was a standing ovation when he said more needs to be done about Wisconsin's drunken-driving problem. But there were many groans and grumbles when the governor said sobriety checkpoints should be made legal, indicating that Doyle might have some work to do to get more people on board, WISC-TV reported.