In December 2020, Congress passed a 5,600-page spending bill totaling roughly $2.3 trillion. In addition to funding the federal government for nine months to the tune of $1.4 trillion, the bill featured a $900 billion economic stimulus and COVID-19 relief package. The House approved the package by a 359-53 margin, while the Senate passed it […]
Round 2 Federal COVID-19 Relief Legislation: What It Means for Wisconsin
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:04pm By Hamilton
State’s Medicaid Program Projected to End Fiscal Year with Surplus
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:01pm By Hamilton
Despite an unexpected pandemic, Wisconsin is projected to end the current fiscal year on June 30 with a $614.8 million general fund surplus. On January 4, 2021, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) sent the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee the latest update on the overall condition of the state’s Medicaid program. In September, DHS […]
State Projected to End Current Biennium in the Black; Next Biennium in the Red
Date Fri, Dec. 18, 2020 - 10:18am By Hamilton
The Evers administration announced some okay news for the state’s fiscal situation. The state Department of Administration released updated estimates projecting the state will finish the current 2019-21 biennium with a gross balance of $1.2 billion. DOA also projects the state will take in $1.35 billion in new revenue over the course of the […]
2021-22 Joint Finance Committee Membership Announced
Date Fri, Dec. 18, 2020 - 8:55am By Hamilton
The powerful budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) has new chairs on both the Senate and Assembly side for the first time in over a decade. Sen. Howard Marklein (R – Spring Green) will take the gavel for the Senate majority after Sen. Alberta Darling (R – River Hills) steps aside. Joining Sen. Marklein on […]
Current Fiscal Year Savings Targets Announced
Date Fri, Oct. 2, 2020 - 10:55am By Hamilton
On July 22, Gov. Evers announced a directive for state agencies to identify $250 million in additional savings for the current fiscal year (FY 20-21). This is the second round of cuts by the administration to manage state expenditures, as state revenues are down due to pandemic. In April, the governor ordered a five percent cut to state agency […]
State Agencies Submit 2021-23 Budget Requests
Date Fri, Oct. 2, 2020 - 10:50am By Hamilton
The 2021-23 state budget development process is now underway. On September 15, Wisconsin state agencies submitted their 2021-23 state budget requests to the governor and Department of Administration (DOA). In his June budget instructions to the state agencies, Governor Evers directed agencies to assume zero budget growth (with a few exceptions like exceptions for K-12 […]
LFB Releases Better-Than-Expected Revenue Numbers
Date Wed, Sep. 9, 2020 - 10:04am By Hamilton
On August 30, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released the preliminary 2019-20 general fund tax collections. While many budget-watchers anticipated very bad news for state revenues, the LFB report actually showed tax collections up slightly (1.1 percent) over the previous year. Based on the preliminary information, collections totaled $17.5 billion in 2019-20, which is $112.6 […]
Governor Evers Directs State Agencies to Identify More Savings
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2020 - 10:37am By Hamilton
On July 22, Gov. Evers announced a directive for state agencies to identify $250 million in additional savings for the current fiscal year (FY 20-21). This is the second round of cuts by the administration to manage state expenditures, as state revenues are down due to pandemic. In April, the governor ordered a five percent […]
LFB Releases Updated General Fund Tax Collections, UI Information
Date Thu, Jul. 16, 2020 - 11:36am By Hamilton
On July 9, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released updated numbers on Wisconsin’s general fund and the state’s unemployment insurance system. General Fund Collections Due to the coronavirus pandemic, tax collections for June 2020 were $370 million below collections in June 2020. The drop in collections reflects a continued decline over the past three months. […]
Gov. Evers Releases Major Budget Policies for Agencies in 2021-23
Date Tue, Jun. 16, 2020 - 1:14pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers recently provided state agencies with his major budget policies for 2021-23. The budget instructions request agencies prepare budgets without asking for new spending in either year of the biennium. The budget policies direct agencies to assume zero budget growth in both fiscal years of the biennium but provide exceptions for K-12 school […]