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      Understanding the Budget Process Week by Week

May 30th, 2019

 Executive Sessions Continue

 State Rep. Steve Doyle

State Capitol
PO Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708

(608) 266-0631
(888) 534-0094

Rep.Doyle@legis.wisconsin.gov

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Joint Committee on Finance 

I want to start out by thanking members of the committee from both sides for their continued work to pass a budget for Wisconsin. This process is never easy, but I'm confident my colleagues will continue to work together and create a budget that works for all Wisconsinites.

These are the following agencies that were exec'd on Tuesday: District Attorneys, Public Defenders, University of Wisconsin System, and Natural Resources. The main issues revolved around lack of funding for the UW System and Department of Natural Resources.  

University of Wisconsin System

Governor Evers' proposed budget called for a $150 million investment into the UW System, a higher rate than any point in the past decade. However, the Joint Committee on Finance didn't accept that proposal. Instead, they made a motion to fund UW System programs at nearly $70 million less than what the Governor proposed, but decided to continue the tuition freeze for another two years. 

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Raymond Cross is the seventh president of the University of Wisconsin System. In addition to his career in academia, Cross has experience as a design engineer, small-business owner, and consultant. He also served with the United States Army in Vietnam and was awarded four medals for his service. 

Cross believes that the Joint Finance Committee missed an opportunity to meet the future needs of this state by rejecting Governor Evers' proposal, describing it as a "kick in the shins." Nonetheless, it's important that adequate funding is provided to the UW System so they can produce professionals who want to work in high-demand fields. 

 
Further Budget Motions 
Department of Natural Resources 
  • The Governor declared 2019 as "The Year of Clean Drinking Water" by proposing $70 million to address water pollution and efforts to replace the 170,000 lead pipes across the state. JFC voted to cut $43 million from that proposal, approving only a few of Evers' initiatives.  
District Attorneys & Public Defenders 
  • The Joint Finance Committee adopted some of Evers' provisions, but introduced their own omnibus and passed the following: 
    • Hiring of 20 prosecutor positions
    • $25.6 million to increase pay from $30 to $70 per hour for private lawyers who are assigned by the state to represent clients who can't afford legal representation.   
    • 2% raises for assistant district attorneys, deputy district attorneys, assistant state public defenders, and assistant attorneys general.

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Further Executive Sessions 

Overall, there are six agencies that still need to be exec'd on: Department of Health Services, Department of Children and Families, Department of Agriculture Trade, and Consumer Protection, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Revenue. On top of these six agencies, the Capital Budget still needs to be exec'd on. It is unclear when each agency will have its executive session, but as they occur I will continue to send out budget updates. 

Wisconsin's Stewardship Program

Many of you have contacted me regarding the vote to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. The committee still has not scheduled a session to vote on the program, but when the time comes I'm hoping they will continue to preserve and protect Wisconsin's outdoor heritage.

This program not only reflects our Wisconsin outdoor heritage, but also our conservation values. From its establishment in 1990, it has protected the best of our outdoors by expanding our state parks and forests, preserving wildlife habitat and protecting natural areas. So far, the Stewardship Fund has protected more than 600,000 acres of our natural resources which would have otherwise been lost to development. Our tourism industry, forestry, and hunting and fishing industries have come to depend on the land and water resources that have been preserved by the Fund. I encourage you to contact members of the Joint Finance Committee and tell them to reauthorize the Wisconsin-Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program. 

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Until next time, 

Steve  

 | State Rep. Steve Doyle - PO BOX 8952, Madison 53708  |