Budget
Process 101
With the
budget process getting underway, I
thought it would be beneficial to provide background on the budget and
how it will be shaped over the next few months. Last week, I held
listening sessions in the district, and this was a crucial aspect of the
entire development of the budget.
Before the budget makes its way into the hands of state legislators, all
state agencies- such as the Department of Tourism, Transportation and Health
Services make budget requests and present them to the governor. Oftentimes these are 'wish lists' where state
agencies request funding for all their programs. After reviewing state
agency requests, Governor Walker crafts his budget, delivers his budget
address (which was given on February 8, 2017, you can watch it
here) and then sends it to the Legislature for review.
Once
in the Legislature, the Joint Committee on Finance, a committee made up
of Republicans and Democrats from both the Senate and Assembly, go
through the budget line by line, approving or making changes as they see
fit. However, before they begin that tedious process, they hold
public hearings all around the state to take public testimony from
anyone who wants to speak. Frequently, changes to the budget come
directly from the testimony from the general public. All other members
of the Assembly and the Senate are also given a chance to share their
priorities and thoughts with the committee.
Following the public hearings and listening sessions, the actual process of making changes to
the budget begins as the Joint Committee on Finance goes through the
budget line by line, making changes or removing aspects all together.
After this months-long process, the revised budget is sent to
either the Assembly or the Senate, where they can again make changes if they
see fit. If both houses make different changes to the budget, they must
then convene a conference committee to reconcile versions passed by the
two houses.
Once
an identical version of the budget passes both houses, the Governor
reviews the budget, issuing vetoes if wanted, and then signs this budget
into law. If the legislature disagrees with any of the Governor's vetoes,
they can override them if they have enough votes.
As
you can see, this is a very complex and laborious journey. However, I
strongly encourage you to reach out to let me know your thoughts on the
budget. As mentioned above, oftentimes changes to the budget are created
by ideas from constituents. You can find information pertaining to the
budget
here. If you have any questions on any of this, please call my
office oand we will do our best to answer your questions.
Representative Nygren Wins National Award
Earlier
this week in Washington D.C., Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) received the "Dr.
Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service" from the American
Medical Association (AMA). This award was in response to Rep. Nygren's
leadership on combating the growing opioid and heroin epidemic in
Wisconsin. I look forward to continuing to work with Rep. Nygren as we
continue the battle against opioid abuse.
Thanks largely to Representative Nygren,
Wisconsin is leading the national
fight on the prescription opioid epidemic. The HOPE Agenda, crafted by
Rep. Nygren, has provided Wisconsin with innovative ways to tackle this
growing issue. For information on the HOPE Agenda, click
here.
Upcoming Event in District
The Reunite Families with Nature
event will take place next Thursday, the 9th of March, at
6:00 p.m. I
encourage families to attend this free event at Crossroads at Big Creek
in Sturgeon Bay. This is a great opportunity for families to attend
the
presentation of the book “Last Child in the Woods,” an introduction to
the 30x30 Challenge, and a wooded walk to a campfire and sing-along.
For more information please click
here.
In Closing...