On Thursday June 5, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met for an executive session to consider motions for the following agencies. The Committee includes 12 Republican members and 4 Democrat members; all 12-4 and 4-12 vote tallies were among party lines. Most notable, was in the Environment Improvement Fund, JFC voted to advance a […]
Governor and Republican Legislature Budget Talks at Impasse
Date Fri, Jun. 6, 2025 - 9:19am By Hamilton
Governor Tony Evers said Wednesday evening that budget talks with Republican leaders had hit a wall, despite his agreement to include their top priority—a tax cut. Evers pointed to GOP resistance on funding priorities like K-12 schools, child care, and the UW System as the reason the deal fell apart. His office noted that meetings […]
Updated State Revenue Estimates Push Leaders Toward Budget Talks
Date Fri, May. 23, 2025 - 9:19am By Hamilton
The much- anticipated updated state revenue numbers for the 2025-27 state budget were released recently by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The latest forecast indicates the state is now expected to have $335 million less available through mid-2027 than previously anticipated in January. According to the LFB, the state’s projected ending balance for the 2023-25 biennium […]
Wisconsin Medicaid Faces Enrollment Shifts, Largest Cost-to-Continue and Potential Federal Funding Changes
Date Fri, May. 9, 2025 - 10:31am By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s Medicaid program is undergoing several developments, including a decline in enrollment, increased funding needs to maintain current services, and potential changes at the federal level that could impact future funding and operations. Enrollment Changes Following Policy Shift BadgerCare Plus enrollment fell below 900,000 in March 2025, marking the lowest total since August […]
Joint Committee on Finance Update
Date Fri, May. 9, 2025 - 10:28am By Hamilton
On May 8, the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance removed 612 items from Governor Evers’ 2025-27 budget proposal and voted to reset the budget to “base,” or current spending levels. Items included in the budget motion included all non-fiscal policy items and several of the governor’s major proposals, such as: Democrats on the committee criticized the […]
APRN Modernization Act Released
Date Fri, May. 9, 2025 - 10:26am By Hamilton
On Tuesday, Senators Testin, Cabral Guevera, and Roys were joined by Assembly Representatives Kurtz and Subeck to release this session’s APRN modernization bill. As stated in the cosponsorship memo, “the APRN Modernization Act will bring Wisconsin in line with the National Consensus Model of Advanced Nurse Licensure. It will provide clarity to the scope of […]
Joint Finance Committee Continues State Budget Hearings Across Wisconsin
Date Fri, Apr. 18, 2025 - 9:00am By Hamilton
Next week, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) will hold the final two public hearings on the 2025-27 biennial state budget. Monday, April 28 – Hayward High School Auditorium, 10320 Greenwood Lane, Hayward Tuesday, April 29 – Northcentral Technical College – Center for Health Sciences, 1000 W. Campus Drive, Wausau JFC’s public hearings offer an opportunity […]
Audit and Public Hearing on DEI Initiatives at UW System
Date Thu, Apr. 17, 2025 - 3:10pm By Hamilton
Last Friday, the Legislative Audit Bureau delivered an audit to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee which reviewed certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities at the University of Wisconsin system and select state agencies. The audit was requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee last May and found that certain Wisconsin state agencies and the […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds “400-Year” Veto
Date Thu, Apr. 17, 2025 - 3:06pm By Hamilton
Friday, April 18, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision upheld Gov. Tony Evers’ 2023 partial veto that extended annual school funding increases until the year 2425 by striking numerals and punctuation in the budget bill. The GOP-controlled legislature had passed a two-year increase in schools aids. Gov. Evers used his partial veto authority to, […]
2025-27 Capital Budget Sent to JFC with No Recommendation
Date Thu, Mar. 27, 2025 - 4:04pm By Hamilton
This Tuesday, the State Building Commission (SBC) convened to review Governor Ever’s 2025-27 Capital Budget. In the end, the commission deadlocked 4-4 on the Governor’s plan and are now sending the $4.1 billion proposal to the Joint Finance Committee with no recommendation. This is the fourth consecutive biennium the SBC has deadlocked on the capital […]