On March 10, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) announced the dates and locations of a series of public hearings on the 2021-23 state budget: Friday, April 9 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Wednesday, April 21 at the Hodag Dome in Rhinelander Thursday, April 22 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie Wednesday, April […]
Finance Committee, Governor Announce Public Budget Hearings
Date Fri, Mar. 12, 2021 - 9:06am By Hamilton
Republican Leaders React to Governor Evers’ 2021-23 Executive Budget
Date Thu, Feb. 18, 2021 - 4:15pm By Hamilton
On Tuesday, February 16, Governor Tony Evers unveiled his 2021-23 executive budget, which spends $91 billion over two years and contains a variety of policy changes and spending programs. Here, we compiled an extensive overview of the governor’s proposal. Immediately following the governor’s budget address, a group of Republican legislative leaders issued a press release […]
Governor Evers’ 2021-23 Executive Budget Highlights
Date Wed, Feb. 17, 2021 - 4:10pm By Hamilton
On Tuesday, February 16, Governor Tony Evers gave his second biennial budget address and released his 2021-23 executive budget. All told, the governor proposes an operating budget of $45.4 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 and $45.6 billion in FY 2022-23. The proposed state budget adds 308.74 FTE positions by FY 2022-23 compared to FY […]
Drug Costs, Child and Long-Term Care, and Marijuana Legalization Will be Focuses of Gov. Evers’ Budget Proposal Next Week
Date Fri, Feb. 12, 2021 - 9:30am By Hamilton
Governor Tony Evers will unveil his proposed 2021-23 state budget following his budget address on Tuesday, February 16. In various statements and press releases since the beginning of the year, the governor has previewed some of the policies and funding priorities that he will propose. Prescription Drug Prices On February 3, Gov. Evers announced that […]
State Projected to End the Fiscal Year with $630 Million More Than Previously Expected
Date Fri, Jan. 29, 2021 - 9:01am By Hamilton
On Tuesday, January 26, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) sent a memo to the Joint Committee on Finance regarding the state’s fiscal condition. LFB expects that the state will finish the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, with a net balance of almost $1.77 billion. This projected balance is $629.5 million greater than […]
In Third State of the State Address, Gov. Evers Calls for Unemployment System Overhaul and Declares 2021 “Year of Broadband”
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:07pm By Hamilton
On Tuesday night, Governor Tony Evers delivered his third annual State of the State address virtually via YouTube and Facebook. After reflecting on the challenges of 2020 and reviewing the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor set out several of his policy priorities for 2021. Referencing the massive influx of unemployment claims that the […]
Round 2 Federal COVID-19 Relief Legislation: What It Means for Wisconsin
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:04pm By Hamilton
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 […]
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 […]