Just before 9 P.M. on Sept. 6, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) completed its work on the 2017-19 state budget. JFC spent long days on Tuesday and Wednesday taking votes on Foxconn and the remaining budget issues: transportation, taxes, and the “wrap up” motion. Statutory language of the budget bill will be finalized in the […]
JFC Resumes Budget Work
Date Fri, Sep. 1, 2017 - 8:28am By Hamilton
After a two-month break, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) have resumed their work on the state budget. JFC met on August 24 and 28 to vote on some outstanding issues including Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Department of Public Instruction (DPI). JFC will meet again on Tuesday, September 5, to finish up their work, […]
Foxconn Package Moves in Assembly, Budget Timing Uncertain
Date Fri, Aug. 18, 2017 - 9:26am By Hamilton
Activities in the capitol over the past two weeks continued to center around Foxconn. The Assembly pushed the incentive package through committee and a floor vote this week. After introducing the Senate version last week and referring it to the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), the Senate has yet to take any action on the bill. […]
What Happens First: State Budget or Foxconn?
Date Fri, Aug. 4, 2017 - 10:17am By Hamilton
It was a big week for Wisconsin with the announcement of Foxconn’s $10 billion investment in a new manufacturing facility in Wisconsin. The governor and Republican legislators were quick to deem the announcement as “transformational” and “historical”, praising the potential investment and job creation with palpable excitement. Meanwhile, some Democrats voiced concerns over the overall […]
Bills of Note: Information Technology Manufacturing Zone (Foxconn Package)
Date Fri, Aug. 4, 2017 - 9:42am By Hamilton
On July 28, Gov. Scott Walker called for a special session of the legislature on economic development. More specifically, the special session was called for the legislature to take up the state’s $3 billion Foxconn incentive package. The day prior, the governor entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Foxconn, with Foxconn committing to investing $10 […]
Deal or No Deal?
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 10:09am By Hamilton
Three weeks after the start of the new fiscal year, the legislature may be one step closer to a budget deal. On Thursday, July 20, Assembly leadership and Assembly Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) members released a letter stating they would accept a compromise on transportation funding offered by Gov. Scott Walker. Walker’s offer would […]
How Late Is This Year’s Budget? A 40-Year Comparison of Budget Enactment Dates
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 8:51am By Hamilton
It’s now three weeks past the July 1 fiscal year deadline for Wisconsin to pass a budget. While it may seem like this year’s budget is slow-moving, delayed budgets are actually quite common. In fact, in the past 40 years, Wisconsin has passed only five out of twenty budgets by the July 1 deadline. The […]
Illinois Tax Increases Cause $51 Million Decrease to Wisconsin Budget
Date Thu, Jul. 13, 2017 - 12:49pm By Hamilton
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released a memo on July 11 stating that tax increases in Illinois’s recently enacted budget would have a $51 million adverse impact on Wisconsin’s 2017-19 state budget. Overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto on July 6, the Illinois legislature enacted a budget that increases taxes by almost $5 billion in 2017-18. […]
Medicaid Ends Fiscal Year with a $325 Million Balance
Date Mon, Jul. 10, 2017 - 9:28am By Hamilton
Now for some positive budget news as the legislature works through budget negotiations: On July 5, the Department of Health Services (DHS) provided the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) members an updated status of the state’s Medicaid program, projecting the program will end the fiscal year with a $325 million General Purpose Revenue (GPR) balance. […]
Wisconsin Budget in Limbo
Date Mon, Jul. 10, 2017 - 9:24am By Hamilton
The completion of the 2017-19 Wisconsin biennial budget remains in limbo. The new fiscal year started on July 1, and with no new budget, the state continues to operate under last fiscal year’s budget. The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) last met on June 15, and has not set another meeting date to take up […]