Other Testimony
The Neillsville School District superintendent said he is happy with Gov. Doyle's proposal to increase aids for special education, bilingual education funding and school transportation aids, but said overall the governor's education budget doesn't go far enough.
Ken Yost, of the Barron County Economic Development Association, asked the committee to support the governor's proposal to boost funding for the Wisconsin West Rail Transit Authority, and also asked for Department of Transportation bonding authority for WWRTA.
As with last week's hearing in DeForest, a large group of high school-age kids is at the meeting today dressed in bright orange long-sleeved t-shirts. They are representing Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco, and they urge the JFC to support Gov. Doyle's proposal to increase the $1.25 per pack increase for cigarettes and to increase funding for smoking cessation and avoidance programs.
Joan Curran of Gunderson Lutheran Health asked the committee to remove the proposed 1 percent tax on hospitals from the budget, saying the proposed tobacco tax increase would do enough to allow the state to capture more federal money for Medicaid. She also urged the committee not to allow a diversion of funds from the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund. Two local physicians also testified that the state should keep its hands off the patients compensation fund.
Three more superintendents of small school districts, Chetek, Mellon and Cameron, testified about the difficulties their districts face. A parent from Chetek and a retired school teacher from Chippewa Falls praised the governor's 2/3 school funding proposal.
Labels: Chippewa_Falls_Meeting, Cigarette_Tax, Health Care, Hospital Assessment, Joint Committee on Finance, Medicaid, Patients Compensation Fund, School funding
