Looks like its going to be a long night.
As another fiscal year soon fades into history, the Budget Blog would be remiss without a birthday mention for Gov. Jim Doyle's budget director Dave Schmiedicke.
An amendment to cap UW System tuition at 3 percent was rejected by the Senate on a rare vote that didn't break down along party lines. The amendment, SA 5, was authored by GOP Sens. Tom Reynolds and Ron Brown. Democrats Dave Hansen, Lena Taylor and Russ Decker voted with five Republicans.
SA 4, the Dems' proposed amendment on Seniorcare, was tabled on - get this - a party line vote.
Senate Dems are trying to adjourn the meeting for the night. Minority Leader Judy Robson said the Republicans "secret super amendment" should be looked at under the light of day. "People are ready to go to bed. We still don't have a copy of the amendment."
Senate President Alan Lasee has begun the roll call to reconvene the Senate. For the record, the ten minute break lasted three hours.
As the press pack left Sen. Mary Lazich's press conference on the taxpayers protection fund, the press pack ran smack into Assembly Speaker John Gard, who was passing through the corridor with his staff and Majority Leader Mike Huebsch.
GOP Sen. Mary Lazich said she was very concerned when she found out earlier this week that spending in the budget bill heading to the Senate exceeded growth, and spent more than spending in Gov. Jim Doyle's bill. So she came up with the taxpayer protection fund. "It's one solution I came up with to make sure that doesn't happen again," she explained during a news conference a few minutes ago in her Capitol office.
A major piece of the Republican senators' budget amendment has been revealed. According to Majority Leader Dale Schultz, the amendment will include a "Taxpayers' Protection Fund."
Ran into Assembly Speaker John Gard in the hallway as he was leaving Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz's office. He was reticent to talk about what the senators are up to with their amendment, or what his role in negotiating a package has been. He also wouldn't speculate on whether an amended Senate budget would be passed in the Assembly. "I haven't talked to any of the members about it yet," he said.
This 10-minute break is starting to feel like the three-hour tour from "Gilligan's Island." Senators have abandoned the chamber, and Senate President Alan Lasee, a stickler for promptness, just walked by with his take-out dinner.
Senate amendment 2, in which the Democrats tried to introduce their HOPE property tax relief plan, has been tabled by the body on a partisan 19-14 vote.
Before debate on the Dems' property tax amendment began, Minority Leader Judy Robson pushed counterpart Dale Schultz for clues on what the Republicans' budget would include.
Senate Democrats' amendment to the education budget was tabled on a 19-14 vote.
In the opening rounds of debate over the Democrats' proposed amendment to education funding, former GOP Majority Leader Mike Ellis firmly reminded listeners that it was a Republican Legislature that first approved two-thirds state funding for state schools.
Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz took a few minutes to thank the Joint Finance Committee and his caucus for all their hard work, and the minority party for their patience.
Senate Minority Leader Judy Robson delivered an attack on the GOP budget. "The Republican budget before us does not reflect Wisconsin values. It turns those values upside down," she said.
The full Senate has been called to order. The first item taken up is the Democrats' education amendment. The Dems haven't turned over any more of their amendments, and won't until the Republicans' omnibus amendment is drafted and the Dems can peruse it, a staff source said. Expect a break after the Dems' education amendment is voted on.
A few minutes ago, with observers speculating that the Senate Republican agreement may disintegrate over a provision to eliminate gas tax indexing, Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz took a stroll from his office to the West Wing and the office of Assembly Speaker John Gard.
The Senate remains in recess while drafting of the Republican budget amendment continues.
Multiple sources are saying part of the Republican amendment is a 5 percent across-the-board cut to all state agencies. If approved, the cut would reduce state spending by approximately $110 million.
The hour-long recess has now stretched to two as we await the drafting of the Republican amendment package. Speculation is rampant in the corridors outside the Senate chamber as to what the package entails, with lobbyists and reporters fervently swapping rumors.
The session is called to order, and quickly recessed for purposes of a Democratic caucus. The Senate is supposed to reconvene in an hour.
Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, headed into the office of Assembly Speaker John Gard shortly after noon with Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Rick Graber at his side, says the Senate is ready to pass the budget bill. "We've got the votes," he said, shortly before briefing Assembly Republican leadership on the amendment package his caucus created to reach the magic number of 17 votes.
Senate President Alan Lasee just announced that the Senate would come to the floor at 12:30 p.m. today. The only item on the calendar is AB 100, the state budget bill.
Senate President Alan Lasee appeared in the Senate chamber to gavel the floor session to a start then immediately recessed, just as he did yesterday. Majority Leader Dale Schultz's office is promising an update at noon.
Today's hopes of a Senate vote on the budget were dashed a short while ago with an announcement by Senate President Alan Lasee that the body will adjourn for the day and reconvene tomorrow at 10 a.m. Optimistically, Majority Leader Dale Schultz had scheduled a noon floor session to tackle the budget, but the Republicans remain in caucus, trying to bring together the 17 votes they'll need for passage.
Senate President Alan Lasee convened the Senate at noon, then immediately called a recess. Lasee was the only senator present for the "skeletal" session. Opening the session gives the Senate the option to begin a floor session at any time.
Senate leadership is planning for a possible floor session tomorrow, but Majority Leader Dale Schultz wouldn't confirm that he has the votes to pass the pending state budget.
Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz' job seemed to get a little more difficult today, as Sen. Mary Lazich arose as a possible "no" vote on the budget, even though she voted for it as a member of the Joint Finance Committee.
With the Republican Senate caucus in flux, Senate Minority Leader Judy Robson held a press conference today to show her caucus is unified in voting against the budget bill passed by the Joint Finance Committee and Assembly. "Rock solid. The Senate Democrats are rock solid," said the Beloit Democrat this morning at a news conference in the Senate Parlor.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has put out a document analyzing the changes the state Assembly made to the state budget bill, AB 101. The Assembly passed the bill during an all-night session last Tuesday.
The budget bill, AB 100, passes through the Assembly on a 56-40 vote. Four Republicans voted against the package, Reps. Robin Kreibich, Frank Lasee, Steve Nass and Leah Vukmir.
The Assembly Republicans are doing their best to paint Doyle as a bad budgeter. In his closing remarks, Assembly Speaker John Gard says votes in Joint Finance and motions here tonight by Democrats show "a bipartisan rejection of Gov. Doyle's budget." JFC co-chair Dean Kaufert says it's very telling that more than half the votes in the committee were either 16-0 or 15-1.
The substitute amendment, ASA 1, is passed 59-37. Next is a vote on the budget bill, AB 100, as amended.
The night seemed just about over after the Assembly voted to adopt AA 40, Speaker John Gard's amendment to clean up technical aspects of the budget bill. Then a barrage of Democratic amendments poured in. Republicans are not happy.
In an act of bipartisanship, the GOP-dominated Assembly adopted one of the Democratic budget amendments. The amendment, authored by Rep. Jon Richards, expedites the phase-in for the Social Security tax cut to take effect in three years instead of five. The fiscal impact will be $4 million less in revenues over the biennium. The amendment passed unanimously.
Toward the end of a very long night, Rep. Jim Kreuser says during a break that the Republican budget is constructed with two goals in mind; the governor's office and the 8th Congressional District.
The Assembly stands in recess for a brief Rules Committee meeting, (to set the calendar for Thursday), and a Republican caucus. "Five minutes," promised Assembly Majority Leader Michael Huebsch.
The amendment votes are going by more quickly now as members on both sides seem to be running out of steam. Four different Dem proposals have gone by the wayside in the last few minutes.
Sources on both sides of aisle are saying that the photo ID voter bill will likely be shelved for the night. A Republican source says the vote will be postponed until Thursday because of the late hour.
The Assembly's back in session and there's a sense the session is nearing an end. But the specter of the photo ID voter bill looms at the end of the budget deliberations.
The Assembly's now been informal for nearly half an hour. There are still at least nine more amendments to be dealt with. There are a couple of lawmakers who take advantage of situation by grabbing a little shut-eye right here in their chairs.
GOP Sen. Glenn Grothman, who isn't on the Joint Finance Committee but stayed at the final budget session of the panel all night to educate himself on the document, is doing the same tonight. He can be seen at the east end of the room mostly, peppering the Legislative Fiscal Bureau crew with questions.
It's late. Nobody's too sharp right now. Some of the lawmakers even seem to be nodding off between votes.
Democratic Rep. Spencer Black's AA 24, a proposal to put the Smart Growth program back in the budget, met the same fate as every other Dem amendment tonight: It was tabled.
The Assembly is now onto voting on individual legislators' amendments, with the same results - tabled. Be that as it may, it seems like progress and its the first sign this session may end before the sun comes up.
The Assembly is up to AA 16, which would restore Gov. Doyle's early release prison program. So far every amendment that has come to a vote has been tabled.
We're up to AA 11 now, a package to revise the budget for the UW System. So far each and every amendment offered by the Democrats have been tabled on a 60-36 partisan vote.
The minority party Democrats continue to offer package amendments to the Joint Finance budget bill. The latest, AA 9, is a 45-page amendment to alter the health care proposal put together by the Republicans.
The edgy feel of the proceedings continues. Dem Rep. Marlin Schneider, a notorious Republican-baiter, took the floor to poke at Republicans for asking questions about the amendments.
As the body was about to vote on tabling AA 6 regarding funding for school choice programs, Speaker John Gard stepped to the floor microphone to speak to the amendment. At the same time, Speaker Pro Tempore Stephen Freese, who has been running the meetings from the podium all night, called roll.
The "brief" Dem caucus ended up lasting nearly an hour and a half. The Democrats will come back with a few more K-12 funding amendments, then move to university funding, according to a source.
Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz has dropped by to chat up a few of the Republican Assembly members during the break for a Dem caucus. "I'm having so much fun I don't want to go home," said Schultz, though not quite convincingly.
As the Democrats plan the next phase of their strategy, the Republicans are kicking back. Some are talking on their cell phones, stretching their legs, or conversing with colleagues. Rep. Stephen Freese is watching a movie, "Texas Rangers," on his laptop computer, which is equipped with a DVD player. Rep. Al Ott is plopped down next to him.
With amendments slowly dribbling out, Assembly Democrats have asked for a "brief" partisan caucus. GOP members will not caucus.
As expected of a minority party, the Democrats are dominating the debate at tonight's budget session. If you can call it a debate. Normally, it takes two sides to debate.
The Democrats continue to bring their amendments to the floor and the Republicans continue to table them. The latest, AA 5, is to restore funds to the SAGE program, public school breakfast program and four-year-old kindergarten.
Below is a letter from state budget director David Schmiedicke to Administration Secretary Marc Marotta. Dems have been reading from it to make their case for why the JFC's $458 million increase in school funding is actually a cut.
About an hour and 45 minutes into the session, the first actions are taken as AA 1 and AA 2 are tabled.
Dem Rep. Frank Boyle wound up a long, fiery oratory on the dangers of the Republican education budget by saying the state's schools are in danger of going to hell.
Dems continue to try to sell their HOPE tax relief plan. The 10 minute debate on tabling the amendment has now stretched to nearly an hour.
Some of us in this room have much better things to do, like Rep. Kitty Rhoades. She's celebrating her wedding anniversary with an all-night budget session. Rhoades, whose husband is in the gallery tonight, remarked on the weird turns life can take.
The session begins with an from GOP Rep. Frank Lasee, who proposes to cap tuition increases at state universities to 3 percent.
At 6:30, Speaker John Gard calls the Assembly to session and Rep. Dan Vrakas asked for a quorum call. There are only a couple Democrats and about half the Republicans in the chamber as Chief Clerk Pat Fuller begins to read the list of names, but a quorum's worth scurries in as Fuller runs down the roll.
Assembly Chief Clerk Pat Fuller has just announced the Assembly will convene at 6:30.
Many of the Republican Assembly members are at their seats and ready to go, including Speaker John Gard and Majority Leader Michael Huebsch, but no Democrats are present in the chamber. A very long night is expected, likely an all-nighter like the last Joint Finance session.
The Assembly has adjourned to go into partisan caucus. Expect a lengthy break as the Legislative Reference Bureau toils to draft Democratic amendments.
Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser knocked Assembly Republicans for trying to "intertwine" non-fiscal bills with budget deliberations. He said including the photo ID voter bill, Fair Claims and cloning bills on the agenda this week is meant to be a distraction from the priority at hand.
Assembly Chief Clerk Pat Fuller called roll at about 11:05 as members began to file in. There is a sparse crowd of spectators in the gallery.
-- The Assembly is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. today to begin voting on the budget. Insiders expect a long and grueling day, with upwards of 150 amendments by Democrats, although they say the number could shrink with withdrawals and redundancies, and other hot-button bills that could complicate the process.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a detailed analysis sizing up Gov. Jim Doyle's budget against the revisions made by the Joint Finance Committee.
Republican Sen. Robert Cowles said the state budget bill passed last week by the Joint Finance Committee contains pork, does little if anything to reduce bonding or truly cut spending, contributes to a structural deficit and seems designed as a challenge to the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
See a sampling of press releases on the JFC's budget passage.
Here's a round-up of budget news stories from today's papers:
-- At about 6:15 a.m., following an all-night meeting, the Joint Finance Committee completed its last roll call vote on the 2005-07 biennial state budget, voting 11-5 to approve the wrap-up motion, appropriately titled "Motion 2005."
The committee has come to a vote on the final wrap-up motion, the climactic moment of the JFC budget process, and Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald called a time out just before roll call. He and Co-Chair Dean Kaufert have disappeared into the wings of the hearing room.
Sen. Mary Lazich took exception to Assembly Republicans voting against a motion she introduced just before adjournment. She introduced it, she said, to correct an inconsistency in the statutes in charge for copies between the clerk of courts, who are authorized to charge $1.25, and the register in probate, who are authorized to charge $1.
The sun is rising, a fine time to pass an omnibus motion on general fund taxes, which is what the Joint Committee on Finance did on a 12-4 vote. The Republican proposal for general fund taxes increases decreases general fund revenue by $12.3 million over the biennium compared to Gov. Doyle's budget bill.
Yes, the Joint Finance Committee is still in session. Members are currently trying to wrap their minds around an 8-page motion from Rep. Scott Jensen on utility aid payments. It passes 12-4.
Not surprisingly, the JFC approved the Republican property tax freeze plan 12-4 on a party-line vote. The freeze has been passed twice already, and vetoed each time by Gov. Jim Doyle.
The categorical aids package put together by Republican members passed on a party-line 12-4 vote. The biggest piece of the package is a $38 million reduction in SAGE funding over the biennium compared to Gov. Doyle's budget proposal.
The JFC passed by an 11-5 margin a general school aids and revenue limits motion. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the motion is a reduction from the Doyle budget bill of $337 million in GPR.
It's become apparent, especially over the last couple days, that Sen. Lena Taylor is the Democrats designated filibusterer on the Joint Finance Committee.
As the Republican-controlled JFC turned its attention to the K-12 funding bill it's put together, Dem Sen. Lena Taylor took the opportunity to mention some special guests in the gallery: the Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent and six members of the Milwaukee School Board.
Coming back into session, JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert said he won't draft a motion to include Fair Claims into the budget.
Courtesy of a budget observe, and since I've got the time, here's a list of some expenditures that found their way into the Transpo Fund after the Gov. Doyle passed it to JFC:
The committee has taken a 20 minute break to allow Co-Chair Dean Kaufert time to discuss a possible motion with his caucus, and a source says its to talk about Fair Claims legislation. Kaufert is the Assembly author of so-called Fair Claims legislation that moves onus of litigation on the Fox River PCB cleanup from the paper companies to their insurers, and there has been talk of its inclusion in the budget bill for weeks now. Kaufert has always insisted he's keeping his options open.
The committee approved a motion authored by Rep. Scott Jensen that requires the proceeds from the sale of any state properties in the biennium that exceed $36 million to be put in the budget stabilization fund. The motion passed 16-0.
The committee has given thumbs-up to a Sen. Russ Decker-authored motion to allow betting via video gaming devices that display dog or horse races previously run at another race track.
Sen. Lena Taylor is trying to get a motion to enumerate the construction of the $10 million Bishop's Creek Cultural Center in the City of Milwaukee, and has been filibustering and asking questions of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau for the last half hour. Meanwhile, committee members of both parties are getting up, stretching their legs, and generally ignoring the discussion, and folks in the gallery appear to be growing very restless.
The Republican Transpo/Commerce omnibus motion passed 11-5 through the Joint Finance Committee. Sen. Robert Cowles was the only Republican member to vote against it.
The JFC is still considering motions to amend the Republican Transportation/Commerce omnibus motion. Like last night, the hearing room is surprising full for the late hour.
Meeting is called to order. Never thought I'd be so happy to hear a roll call.
It's the first serious sign that this meeting may actually start. JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald has announced the meeting will begin in 10 minutes. Hallelujah.
Republicans plan to nix Gov. Doyle's planned $10 increase in vehicle registration fees and $16.50 increase for light truck registration fees. Cutting the increase from the budget will decrease transportation fund revenues by an estimated $23 million in 2005-06 and $47 million in 2006-07.
The Republican proposal that will be introduced in Joint Finance tonight eliminates most of the funding increase for the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program. (Budget Paper 605).
Having alerted you many times to the late starts of the Joint Finance Committee, this blogger would be remiss if I didn't say that Gov. Jim Doyle's press conference today regarding the GOP education proposal started 20 minutes late.
In a press conference this afternoon, Gov. Jim Doyle lambasted the Republican education funding proposal that will be brought to the Joint Finance Committee tonight.
The final pieces of the budget have been announced, but committee chairs have said the JFC won't meet until at least 6:30 p.m. to allow committee members and observers to get dinner before what could turn into a marathon session.
Although drafting motions for tonight's Joint Finance session isn't even finished, GOP leaders, JFC members and other Republican legislators gathered in the Senate Parlor to take a victory lap on their overhauled budget bill and jab at Gov. Jim Doyle.
A notice from Speaker John Gard's office says the legislative leadership has planned a 2:30 p.m. press conference in the Senate Parlor at the Capitol to make a "major budget announcement."
The budget hearing room is still barren. Sources are saying co-chairs Scott Fitzgerald and Dean Kaufert are still crunching numbers with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, and the meeting will likely not commence until 2:30-3, and will go later than last night's midnight finish. A JFC press conference prior to the meeting is still unconfirmed.
Gov. Jim Doyle released a statement this morning on the Joint Finance Committee's health care package.
It's noon and the budget hearing room is virtually empty. There's no sign of committee members or their staff, and there's talk the meeting may not commence for until after 1 p.m.
It's noon and the hearing room is virtually empty. Committee members were meeting this morning to go over the final budget pieces and get some last-minute numbers from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. According to the offices of JFC co-chairs Dean Kaufert and Scott Fitzgerald, the committee is considering holding a press conference today.
The committe adjourned shortly after midnight, and is scheduled to reconvene at 11 a.m.. Senate Republicans will meet at 10 a.m. to go over bills.
A late night motion by Sen. Mary Lazich that would shift family planning services funding by giving preference to applicants that are local health departments or tribal health centers.
A late night motion by Sen. Mary Lazich that would shift family planning services funding by giving preference to applicants that are local health departments or tribal health centers.
The omnibus funding motion for medical assistance passed through the Joint Finance Committee on a unanimous vote
JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert gaveled the committee back to order and took up budget paper 112. The committee unanimously approved alternatives 2 and 3 under section A, and alternative 1 under section B.
Republican members have been back at their positions for about the last 15 minutes, and Dems are also ready to go. The atmosphere is lively, or maybe everyone is just a little giddy.
With a $364 million GPR increase proposed for medical assistance, some are wondering where the Republicans are going to come up with the money. As GOP members have said, there will be reductions to the per pupil school funding increase Gov. Doyle proposed. Doyle's budget contains an increase of $248 in 2005-06, and $252 in 2006-07. Sources familiar with committee negotiations say Republican members are considering an increase of about $120-130 per pupil. They will also be helped along by higher tax re-estimates that were released a few weeks ago.
Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair Dean Kaufert delivered an omnibus motion on MA to the committee Democrats and press at about 8:30. In all, the net GPR effect is to increase authorized spending in the budget bill by nearly $365 million and to reduce revenue by $27.6 million in the 2005-07 biennium. The overall effect on the general fund is $392.5 million.
The Joint Finance Committee is taking its second break to finish up and distribute a Medical Assistance package. JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert set a return time for the committee of 7:30.
Gov. Doyle expressed his disappointment over the Joint Finance Committee's decision to delete funding for the Hmong Cultural Center in a statement. Check it out by clicking the link below:
"People ask me, 'What is the committee going to do next, buy some mercury and order it dumped in the lakes?' I tell them no, I don't see that motion coming," said Rep. Mark Pocan, lamenting some of the votes the committee has taken that he feels will hurt the environment. Pocan was trying to persuade the committee to approve more bonding for the nonpoint water pollution program.
Gov. Doyle has been criticized by Republicans for budgetary sleight of hand, but the JFC approved a shell game tactic that defers a shared revenue payment until the next biennium. (Budget paper 677).
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who held a press conference earlier today in the Assembly Parlor, has stopped by the Joint Finance Committee session. Barrett is chatting with Sen. Russ Decker, Decker staffer Barb Worcester, and Rep. Pedro Colon.
Though they shot down Gov. Doyle's attorney consolidation proposal, JFC members were feeling much more generous toward his plan to consolidate state information technology server and network support services from 24 state agencies in the Department of Administration
The Joint Finance Committee voted 15-1 to delete Gov. Doyle's recommendation to transfer certain executive branch state agency attorney and legal staff positions to the Department of Administration by next year.
With the committee back in session, Medicaid has been pushed back due to a few key issues JFC Republicans can't come to agreement on.
As of 3:30, JFC Democrats still haven't received a copy of the Medical Assistance package Republicans have been working on. Co-Chair Dean Kaufert promised the Democrats, who have a 4-12 minority on the committee, a chance to look at the motion before voting on it would begin. That was when the committee broke at 11:30.
The Joint Finance Committee remains in a recess. Word is Senate and Assembly Republicans can't come to a consensus on the Medical Assistance package, but a source close to the talks says he still fully expects the committee to get it together and vote on it yet today.
Though JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert promised committee Democrats a chance to view a draft of the Republican medical assistance proposal, it appears the GOP members are still working on the motion. Sources in the Dem offices say they haven't received a draft, and members of the press have also been waiting for a draft.
JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert has sent the committee on a recess so Democrats can look over a draft of the Republican proposal for medical assistance funding. The committee is scheduled to come back at 1:30 p.m.
An attempt to build a cultural center for the Hmong community has been defeated.
The Joint Finance Committee is underway. The committee will first deal with Assembly Bill 438 and Senate Bill 216, which extend funding for state programs with an anticipated shortfall in the 2003-05 biennium.
It's 10 o'clock, and the committee room is empty save for the committee clerk, pages and a few lobbyists. There are no committee members or staff in sight. No word yet on when today's session will begin.
The Joint Finance co-chairs announced that tomorrow will be spent in working groups as committee members try to find harmony on the crucial areas still left in the budget: schools, medical assistance, transportation funding and taxes.
Sen. Lena Taylor's motion to require all teachers participating in the Milwaukee parental choice program to have earned a high school diploma or equivalent certification seems like an easy pass for the Joint Finance Committee.
Aides had to track down JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald and his Senate colleague Lena Taylor to vote on a motion from Sen. Alberta Darling. The pair were in a room trying to reach a deal on a Taylor motion from earlier that would require Milwaukee parental choice program teachers to have a high school diploma or the equivalency. (More on this later.)
"The biggest problem we have in school choice today is they're hitting the caps." Rep. Pedro Colón.
Sen. Joe Leibham left for the day to attend a previously scheduled meeting with school district officials in Plymouth.
Sen. Russ Decker is continuing to oppose funding initiatives for charter schools, saying his home district has school districts that in the same boat or worse off than Milwaukee and Racine.
Senate Dems on the committee failed in their attempt to get the school choice program to be funded under the same restraints as public schools.
The committee deleted provisions from Gov. Doyle's budget bill relating to posting names of delinquent taxpayers on the Internet, replacing it with language from 2005 Assembly Bill 330. The motion passed 15-0 and was authored by JFC Co-Chairs Scott Fitzgerald and Dean Kaufert.
Two motions by Sen. Lena Taylor to improve health care for her constituents were rejected on party line votes.
The Department of Health and Family Services no longer has oversight over the the health insurance risk-sharing plan following a motion to radically change HIRSP passed 13-2. The motion was authored by Reps. Kitty Rhoades and Dean Kaufert, and Sens. Alberta Darling and Mary Lazich.
Committee is called to order. Rep. Scott Jensen is absent today, and word is the committee will take up school choice, votes Jensen would have to recuse himself of anyway due to his involvement with a school choice group. (Jensens paper butterflies, colored with crayon by his children, are present, however.)
JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald just announced the committee will convene at 2 p.m.
but it may not be long. JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert popped into the hearing room a few minutes ago and things should get started "very soon." Interpret that how you wish.
Check out the list of agencies in front of JFC next week.
The committee adjourned at about 3:20 p.m. Next week, meetings are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, and 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rep. Scott Jensen's butterflies are multiplying.
JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald closed the door on a motion that would have brought the debate over stem cell research into the budget.
Committee Republicans carved $30 million from the Building Commission's proposed bonding schedule.
The JFC unanimously approved a motion that provides more than $2.3 million in payments to local governments whose taxation district contains land enrolled as closed acreage under MFL. Each municipality will pay their county treasurer 20 percent of the amount received.
There will not be a motion before the Joint Finance Committee to prohibit the use of state funding or facilities for stem cell research. The motion was backed by Wisconsin Right to Life.
The pre-meeting debate over a motion to prohibit state money and facilities from being used in stem cell research has got the committee tied in knots. Now it sounds as if the motion doesn't have the votes to pass, and there's a good chance a motion will into be offered.
Half past nine and the JFC Hearing room is virtually empty - just some pages, lobbyists and a couple overly-optimistic reporters. No sign yet of committee members or their staff. The meeting was set to begin at 9 a.m., but the co-chairs said that was a "soft nine."
Below, check out what's on tap for the JFC today.
The JFC spent an entire day on the Department of Corrections, reversing some of Gov. Doyle's proposals while staying with his recommendations on others.
After a lengthy break, the committee is continuing to take up free-standing motions on the Department of Corrections budget. The committee is planning to make an early day of it because some members have family commitments to attend this evening. No word yet on what time tomorrow's meeting will begin.
Saving nearly $9 million over the biennium, the committee voted unanimously to eliminate 59 Department of Corrections unit supervisor and assistant unit supervisor positions. The motion, authored by JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald, also prohibits corrections from creating or employing any more unit supervisors or similar positions to supervise correctional institution security staff if that position does not directly report to the institution's security director. The motion passed 16-0.
Following Gov. Jim Doyle's recommendation and going one better, the JFC voted unanimously to delete more than $700,000 for chemical treatment for child sex offenders.
A little partisan gubernatorial trash talking seeped into the proceedings today. Dem Sen. Russ Decker's heavy criticism of the private business/business employment program drew a hopeful response from one Republican.
A bold initiative in Gov. Jim Doyle's budget, the provision to expand te earned release program in the Department of Corrections, was killed by the JFC on a partisan 12-4 vote.
The committee adopted Gov. Doyle's recommendation to delete $4,314,300 GPR in 2005-06 and $7,827,300 GPR in 2006-07 related to in-state and out-of-state contract beds, and transfer $500,500 GPR annually from purchase of service funding to contract bed funding.
On a unanimous vote, the JFC turned down Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal to privatize health care services for state inmates. "It was a bold move by the governor, but I ust don't think we're ready for it at this point," said JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald.
The meeting was called to order just after 1 p.m. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
The JFC is waiting for motions to be drafted by Legislative Fiscal Bureau Staff. "Obviously we need those people to be out here with us. But the committee is ready to go," joked JFC Co-Chair Scott Fitzgerald.
Read below for the revised agenda for Thursday's Joint Finance session, revised to reflect Wednesday's action.
Public Instruction
Transportation
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Natural Resources
Department of Natural Resources -- Water Quality: Water Resources Account Adjustments (Paper #551)
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and DNR -- Water Quality: Nonpoint Program Bonding (Paper #553)
Department of Natural Resources -- Forestry and Parks (Pending Motion)
Department of Commerce -- Petroleum Inspection Fund (Paper #214)
Building Commission
Building Program
Department of Corrections -- Departmentwide
Department of Corrections -- Adult Corrections
As Sen. Luther Olsen put it, the fox always knows where the henhouse is. "We will always raid this fund," he said, referring to the utilities public benefits fund.
After a five minute break that lasted an hour, the JFC came back at around 6:30 p.m. to tackle a few more issues. The committee will handle "cats and dogs" issues like the Department of Veteran Affairs fuel and utilities funding, and the Department of Health and Family Services fuel and utilities funding and community aids.
A motion by JFC Co-Chair Dean Kaufert to spend $105,000 on his home region UW-Fox Valley provoked "oinking" noises from staffers and legislators.
A task force to study and develop an implementation plan forthe transformation of UW-Waukesha into a campus of UW-Milwaukee will get $30,000 from the state to help them along.
Flunking a UW System class is going to cost you big bucks. A motion written by Rep. David Ward imposes a 100 percent per credit surcharge on classes that are retaken because of a failure on the first attempt.
On the heels of a major cut package in UW System funding, Rep. Mark Pocan's attempts to keep student costs at UW schools down fell far short.
A proposed hike of the University of Wisconsin campus license plates from $20 to $25 was beaten by a bipartisan 6-10 vote. The increase, proposed by Sen. Luther Olsen, would have generated more than $60,000 for scholarships over the biennium, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated.
Not wanting to see a repeat of what happened recently at UW Stout, the Joint Finance Committee approved a drastic penalty for any school that would keep reserve officer training corps from campus.
An avalanche of motions are sitting in front of the Joint Finance Committee. Fifteen motions have been introduced dealing with everything from the merger of the UW-Milwaukee and UW-Waukesha campuses, to restoration of WHEG funding and a tuition freeze, to an increase in UW campus license plates.
After a series of failed Democratic proposals, the Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 along party lines to cut $45 million and 118 jobs from the UW System budget proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle. The $45 million figure includes cuts in student financial aid.
A proposed 3 percent tuition cap for the University of Wisconsin System in the 2005-07 state budget failed in a 12-4 party-line vote.
The Democrats' counterproposal to the Republican cut package includes a reversion back to the governor's level of 15.8 percent annual increases in Wisconsin Higher Education Grant funding, and a 3 percent cap on UW System tuition in 2005-07. The motion decreases program revenue for the UW System by $49.6 million.
The half-hour break to allow Democrats to delve into the UW System and Higher Education Aids budget cuts proposed by the Republicans is now approaching an hour and a half. The Dems went into a closed door meeting and will be emerging shortly with counter-motions to the Republicans' proposed cuts of $45 million from Gov. Doyle's biennial budget proposal.
Committee Dems have asked for a break to look over a comprehensive motion that cuts Gov. Doyle's proposed Higher Educational Aids Board and UW System funding by a total of more than $45 million GPR over the biennium.
Meeting is called to order at 11:30 a.m., just a half hour behind the scheduled time, a new standard for JFC promptness.
It looks like things will be underway shortly at JFC. An announcement was made at 11 a.m. that the committee will meet in five minutes. Most of the Republican Assembly members were in their seats before the scheduled 11 o'clock meeting time, and senators started arriving shortly after their cacus broke up at 11.
