After a slower start than previous budgets, the Joint Committee on Finance (commonly called the Joint Finance Committee or JFC) abruptly announced on Thursday, June 19, that they are hitting pause. The announcement followed the committee’s postponement of a major vote on the University of Wisconsin System on Tuesday, June 17. The committee had been scheduled to take up several big-ticket items on Thursday, including child care funding and the state’s Capital Budget.

As the news broke across the Capitol on Thursday morning, many Capitol insiders weren’t necessarily surprised by the delay, given the tighter margins of the State Senate and the lingering rumors that GOP leaders are once again in negotiations with Governor Evers.

With the news of the cancelled JFC hearing, legislative leaders issued several statements. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu issued a press release confirming the rumors that the East Wing was once again in discussions with legislative Republicans, however “these discussions are heading in a direction that taxpayers cannot afford.” Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Vos and JFC Chairman Rep. Born said that they had continued to meet with the Governor and while they continue to be focused on “tax relief” and that they hope “Senate Republicans will come back to the table.”

Governor Evers’ spokesperson told the press that “Ultimately, the Senate needs to decide whether they were elected to govern and get things done or not.”

The state’s current fiscal year ends on June 30. If a state budget is not passed on time, the funding levels for the current fiscal year (2024-25) will carry over until the next fiscal year (2025-26).

Below is a summary of the actions of Joint Finance’s meetings on June 10, June 12 and June 17.