Agency Briefings for the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) began this week. On April 6th, the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Workforce Development held their briefings; on April 7th, the Department of Natural Resources and the Public Service Commission held theirs. Over the course of these two days, department heads and their staff discussed their portions of the budget with JFC.
Each agency briefing follows this basic format:
1.) The secretary or department head provides a brief summary of what their agency does and will go over their major budget appropriations.
2.) Committee members ask the secretary and their staff numerous questions on specific programs and funding requests. Each committee member is allotted a certain amount of time or number of questions per agency.
Below, I will briefly discuss some of the requests made from the agencies mentioned above. As there are always changes to the proposed budget, agencies rarely are ever granted their full wish-list.
Department of Public Instruction
Increased Special Education Funding
Mental Health & Student Wellness Aid
Transportation Aid for Students
Increased School Breakfast Reimbursement
Energy Efficiency Grants
Computer Science Education Grants
Public Library System Aid
Driver Education Aid
Department of Workforce Development
Unemployment Insurance Modernization
Pandemic Recovery Grants for Local Workforce Boards
Wisconsin Fast Forward Green Job Training
Apprenticeship Expansion
Investigation and Enforcement of Worker Classification
Family and Medical Leave
Department of Natural Resources
PFAS Action Plan
Stewardship Reauthorization
Trail Maintenance
Increase Deer Carcass Disposal Sites
Urban Forestry Grant Program
Well Compensation
E-Cycle Grants
Proposed Ban on Coal-Tar Based Sealants
Public Service Commission
Major Expansion of Broadband
Energy Program Expansion
Internet Assistance Program
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Water Assistance Program
Civil Penalties for Gas Pipeline Safety
Stay tuned for more updates on the other agency briefings!
Until next time,
Steve
| State Rep. Steve Doyle - PO BOX 8952, Madison 53708 |