Budget Proposal Highlights
 

Public Schools
Expands School Choice by lifting the cap on school choice enrollment, thus allowing parents in any school district to participate in the statewide school choice program.

Changing the options for teacher licensing to include candidates with real life experience to pass a competency test.

Economy
Forward Wisconsin Development Authority
A new authority is created by combining the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.  The new authority board will only consist of private sector members.  The merger streamlines responsiveness, coordination and accountability for businesses and job creators.

Provides $55 million to the Forward Wisconsin Development Authority to fund a new regional revolving loan fund program.  An additional $60 million will be added over a three year period to the revolving loan funds which are currently allocated to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

University
Extends the tuition freeze for an additional two years

Restructures UW System as an independent public authority, which allows greater flexibility for managing compensation, human resources, procurement, capital projects ect.

Maintains higher education financial aid and increases scholarship money for high school graduates who excel in technical education programs.

Property Tax Relief
Increases school levy tax credit funding by $211.2 million in GPR to reduce property taxes by $105.6 million.  This helps to continue lower property taxes for a typical homeowner for the next two years,  which would amount to six consecutive years of lower property taxes.

Healthcare
Family Care Program expansion and transition to an outcome-based model, while streamlining operations in the Department of Health Services.

Medicaid expansion to include the treatment portion of residential substance abuse treatment. 

Increasing dental access by requiring Department of Health Services to seek a Medicaid waiver to create a pilot program under which dental reimbursements would be increased.

Veterans
Additional staff to recruit veterans and disabled veterans for open state jobs.

Invests $500,000 to maintain the Victory Spark Program which aids veterans businesses.  The program has resulted in 39 startups and 150 new jobs.

Families
Expands support for victims of domestic violence by expanding care and centers for those abused and their children, which includes $5 million to the Department of Children and Families for additional shelter grants, $415,100 each year for additional Global Positioning System Offender tracking and imposing a $20 surcharge on criminal or misdemeanor convictions.