On June 22, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (Joint Finance Committee or JFC) held its final session on the 2023-25 state budget. After passing a series of motions to complete the budget, the committee voted to incorporate all its changes to date and to recommend the budget bill for passage by the Legislature. The Legislature passed the budget bill along party lines the final week of June, and Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed the budget into law with 51 partial vetoes on July 5.
At each meeting, JFC members vote on motions to reshape the budget as initially proposed by Gov. Evers. The finance committee has addressed most budget items by approving an overall or “omnibus” motion for each agency. Most of these motions have been approved along party lines, with JFC’s four Democratic members also offering alternative motions that have been rejected by the Republican majority.
The committee began the process on May 2 by voting to remove many new programs and significant changes to state law proposed by Gov. Evers. Committee meetings and votes continued throughout May and June. Alongside the JFC budget process, the Legislature is using separate bills to implement new programs and policy changes on issues such as shared revenue, education funding, and PFAS.
University of Wisconsin System
- Motion 129 (majority), adopted 12-4
- Motion 99 (minority), not adopted 4-12
Budget Management and Compensation Reserves
- Motion 115 (majority), adopted 12-4
- Motion 124 (minority), not adopted 4-12
Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority
- Motion 123 (majority), adopted 16-0
Shared Revenue and Property Tax Relief
- Motion 127 (majority), adopted 15-1
- Motion 120 (minority), not adopted 4-12
General Fund Taxes
- Motion 125 (majority), adopted 12-4
- Motion 118 (minority), not adopted 4-12
Miscellaneous Items
- Motion 126 (majority), adopted 12-4
Final Motion and Adoption of the Substitute Amendments
- Motion 2023 (majority), adopted 12-4