Latest Revenue Numbers Up Over Last Year, Down from January Estimate

On September 1, 2016, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue released the latest general fund (GPR) tax collection numbers for the 2015-16 fiscal year (FY 2016), which ended on June 30, 2016. The latest numbers are based on preliminary reports and show a 3.8 percent increase over the 2014-15 (FY 2015) revenue numbers. The report shows […]

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State Agencies Will Submit 2017-19 Budget Requests on September 15

Kicking off the new budget season, state agencies in Wisconsin will submit their 2017-19 biennial budget requests to the governor next month. Agencies requests are due to the governor’s Department of Administration budget office and to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) on September 15, 2016. In his July 25 budget letter to agency heads, Governor […]

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DHS to Expand Family Care and IRIS Statewide

On July 28, the Department of Health Services announced the expansion of Family Care and IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) program statewide. In their press release, DHS stated that the expansion will be completed by the first quarter of 2018. Currently the Family Care and IRIS programs provide long-term care services to frail elders, and adults […]

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LFB Memo Shows Transportation Shortfall in Next Biennium

On July 27, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released a memo projecting the Department of Transportation (DOT) will need an additional $939 million in revenue to maintain current transportation funding levels in the 2017-19 budget. The memo was requested by Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee (JFC). Along with the release of the […]

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Governor Walker Sends Letter to DOT Secretary on the 2017-19 Budget Request

On June 27, Governor Walker sent the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Gottlieb a letter requesting DOT’s full budget submission in September. Typically, DOT submits their budget request in November. In his letter, the governor asked the secretary to identify efficiency savings and prioritize projects based on needs. He also stated that the request should focus on […]

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DHS’ latest Medicaid projection for 2015-17 is below budget

With the end of the first year of the biennium on June 30, the Department of Health Services (DHS) released their latest estimate on the Medicaid budget for the 2015-17 biennium. DHS projects that at the end of the biennium (June 30, 2017), the Medicaid expenditures will be below the appropriated levels set in the 2015-17 budget. […]

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State Defers Debt Payment

At the beginning of May, the Department of Administration (DOA) announced their decision to defer the payment of $101 million commercial paper principal. Under the 2015-17 biennial budget, the state was expected to retire $131.7 million in commercial paper on May 1, 2016. With this delay of the $101 million payment, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau […]

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JFC May Vote Soon on Long-Term Care Reforms

The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) is considering a Department of Health Services’ (DHS) proposal to reform long-term care services in Wisconsin, otherwise referred to as FamilyCare 2.0. The reforms to expand such services statewide and to integrate personal care with health care will, according to DHS, save at least $300 million over the next […]

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DNR Continues to Move Toward Reorganization of Agency

The Department of Natural Resources is finalizing a plan to reorganize portions the agency, in order manage dwindling staff levels and improve the quality of the DNR’s work with citizens. The DNR originally announced its plan to reorganize in July 2015. During a recent announcement to DNR employees, Deputy Secretary Kurt Thiede announced the final […]

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Room Tax Technical Clarification Bill Advances

Assembly Bill 714/Senate Bill 578 authored by Rep. Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah) and Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) clarifies the definition of tourism entities that collect room tax. The legislation adjusts the creation date of an existing tourism entity to help those created after 1992 but before January 1, 2016. It changes a provision that requires all […]

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