K-12 Education Republicans in the legislature made restoring over $100 million in cuts the Governor made to K-12 funding a top priority. In addition to doing that, they made a number of policy changes to both the charter and choice programs in Wisconsin, including allowing for broader expansion in both arenas. Teacher licensing standards were […]
Public Service Commission
Date Thu, Jul. 9, 2015 - 10:30am By Hamilton
Relating to the Public Services Commission (PSC), the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) repealed authorization for grants to certain nonprofit corporations and reduced the compensation rate for consumer groups and consumer representatives from 100% of the costs of the participating in a PSC hearing to 50% of that cost. The governor’s budget included a proposal to […]
State Budget: Department of Natural Resources
Date Thu, Jul. 9, 2015 - 10:27am By Hamilton
With a few exceptions, the debate over the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) budget was mostly pedestrian. The one exception was the proposal by the governor to remove rulemaking and policymaking authority of the Natural Resources Board, which in effect would have made them merely an advisory council. A firestorm of opposition by conservation and […]
Budget Passes Just in Time…
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:51pm By Hamilton
On the night of July 8, the state budget was passed in the Assembly on a 52-46 vote ending a longer than expected process that featured a number of twists and turns but ended just in time to get the bill to the governor so he can sign it before making his candidacy for President […]
State Budget: State Judiciary and Corrections
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:47pm By Hamilton
In the realm of courts and corrections, JFC’s actions varied between adopting, modifying and rejecting the governor’s proposals. Overall, JFC approved the governor’s proposals to create a new supreme court and circuit court block grant. JFC slightly modified the circuit court block grant by delaying the consolidations of appropriations under the new block grant until […]
State Budget: Prevailing Wage Reform
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:45pm By Hamilton
After much debate over whether prevailing wage reform would be passed as separate legislation, the changes were ultimately placed into the state budget and passed. Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) and Rep. Hutton (R-Brookfield) led the effort to include prevailing wage reform in the budget. Otherwise known as the “Lasee/Hutton Plan,” the changes reformed the […]
State Budget: Motion #999
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:41pm By Hamilton
The wrap-up motion, also referred to as Motion #999, is the final omnibus motion introduced by Joint Finance Committee in every budget. The motion is always a grab bag of surprises as it can include nearly anything, and is not released to the public until official introduction to the committee. Most of the provisions described below […]
State Budget: Health
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:31pm By Hamilton
As a major aspect of state budget, the state’s health services always take up a significant amount of airtime during state budget deliberations. This biennium was certainly no exception for the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), as they made changes to the governor’s proposed changes to state’s long-term care and medical assistance program. Medical Assistance Governor […]
State Budget: Taxes and Economic Development
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:24pm By Hamilton
Tax Package The governor proposed cutting property taxes by increasing state spending on the school levy tax credit by $211 million over two years. Under the budget bill, the governor’s tax credit increase will be delayed, by moving all the payments back one cycle, leaving one payment to the fiscal year after the biennial budget, […]
State Budget: Broadband and Workforce Development
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 9:20pm By Hamilton
Broadband The governor’s budget proposed to change the broadband expansion grants appropriation from a continuing appropriation to a biennial appropriation and authorizes the use of the universal serve fund revenues to fund the grant program. Currently, grant expenditures of up to $500,000 annually from a continuing appropriation, but the governor’s proposal would set the appropriation […]