The Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently released a memo providing updates on Wisconsin budget and unemployment insurance numbers. Tax Collections The memo reports that Wisconsin’s tax collections for the first nine months of the current fiscal year (through March) increased by 5 percent over the same period for 2018-19. However, numbers for April and May […]
Wisconsin Budget Update: DOA Spending Cuts, General Fund Update, UI Projections
Date Mon, May. 11, 2020 - 11:18am By Hamilton
Like most Wisconsin businesses and citizens, Wisconsin government is facing significant negative economic consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the state heads into the second fiscal year of the 2019-21 biennium, agencies and legislators are analyzing the numbers and looking at how to adapt the state budget for 2020-21 and beyond. Unemployment Insurance Trust […]
Additional DOR Auditors Generate 11.8 to 1 Return on Investment
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 12:35pm By Hamilton
According to a Department of Revenue (DOR) report from the end of December, new tax auditors hired in the 2015-17 budget cycle generated an 11.8 to 1 return on investment for the state in fiscal year 2019. The 2015-17 state budget required DOR to annually report to the Joint Finance Committee on the estimated tax […]
DHS Projects $39.8 Million Medicaid Shortfall
Date Thu, Jan. 23, 2020 - 2:02pm By Hamilton
In a report sent to the Joint Finance Committee at the end of December, the Department of Health Services (DHS) projected a $39.8 million Medicaid shortfall over the next two years. DHS noted this shortfall is less than one percent of the $6.7 billion Medicaid general purpose revenue (GPR) budget for 2019-21. The letter from […]
Medicaid Budget Projected to End in the Red
Date Mon, Oct. 7, 2019 - 3:12pm By Hamilton
On Sept. 30, the Department of Health Services (DHS) submitted an updated projection for the state’s Medicaid budget to the Joint Finance Committee. DHS estimates the Medicaid expenditures will exceed the budget by $21.4 GPR at the end of the 2019-2021 biennium. The main reason cited for the negative projection is a decrease in the […]
Gov. Evers Signs 2019-21 Budget Bill
Date Wed, Jul. 3, 2019 - 2:36pm By Hamilton
On July 3, 2019, Gov. Tony Evers signed into law the 2019-21 state budget as 2019 Act 9. The governor used his partial-veto authority to change 78 provisions adopted by the Legislature. The final budget includes bipartisan priorities such as a middle class tax cut, water quality initiatives, expansions to dental care access, other health […]
Legislature Passes State Budget
Date Wed, Jun. 26, 2019 - 5:32pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Legislature passed its version of the 2019-21 state budget on Wednesday, June 26, sending the budget to Gov. Tony Evers for review. The budget largely adopts provisions approved by the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), along with an amendment that adjusts language to make it more difficult for Gov. Evers to use his line-item […]
JFC Finishes Budget Votes
Date Thu, Jun. 13, 2019 - 3:25pm By Hamilton
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) has wrapped up its work on the 2019-21 state budget, rounding out the committee process with votes on Medicaid, taxes and transportation over the past few weeks. With an amended budget approved by JFC, the budget now goes to the full Legislature. Legislative leadership said in a post-JFC press conference […]
June 13 – JFC Wraps Up Budget Votes With Tax Cut Plan
Date Thu, Jun. 13, 2019 - 3:20pm By Hamilton
JFC reconvened on June 13 for the last of its votes on the 2019-21 state budget: taxes. The JFC-approved tax plan includes a $322 million middle class tax cut, with the majority of the credit going to individuals with incomes of $150,000 or less. The motion (Motion #150), passed 12-4 along party lines, also includes […]
June 11 – JFC Takes Up CAFOs, Building Projects & More in Second-To-Last Exec
Date Thu, Jun. 13, 2019 - 3:19pm By Hamilton
Under the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), Democrats moved to adopt the governor’s proposals, including providing five positions to regulate CAFOs and increasing Wisconsin pollution discharge elimination system permit fees for CAFOs by over $300. However, the committee instead voted 12-4 along party lines to convert four vacant Department of Natural Resources […]