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 2020-21. The complete budget, budget in brief, and other executive budget documents from the Department of Administration are available here. Hamilton Consulting Group has compiled a list of highlights from the governor’s proposal here. Information related to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance can be found here.
In an early March interview with The Wheeler Report, finance committee co-chairs Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said that they expect this year’s budget process to follow a similar timeline as the previous budget. The co-chairs plan to send a budget bill to Governor Tony Evers by July 1.