tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117669792010-02-25T16:14:46.356-06:00Administratornoreply@blogger.comBlogger2701125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-46135385452440950112010-02-25T16:11:00.001-06:002010-02-25T16:14:46.365-06:00

Assembly members of the Joint Finance Committee sparred Wednesday over past and future state budgets at an event sponsored by the Wisconsin Realtors Association.JFC Co-chair Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said the budget picture is beginning to stabilize, noting a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report that showed a shortfall of just more than $9 million heading into the next session. But Rep. Robin Vos,

Administratornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-26269733699844827382010-02-16T11:45:00.003-06:002010-02-16T11:59:34.206-06:00

JFC signed off on using federal money to build a high-speed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee and update the track that connects Milwaukee to Chicago.While the Milwaukee to Chicago line was unanimously approved, the Madison to Milwaukee vote was 12-4 with all Republicans on the committee opposed.Republicans argued that the ongoing costs of subsidizing the rail line between the state's

Administratornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-59447403650251706042010-02-16T10:38:00.004-06:002010-02-16T10:55:51.683-06:00

Republicans said a plan to offer health insurance coverage to individuals on the waiting list for the state BadgerCare Plus Core plan raise the cost of health insurance for everyone else, and end up costing taxpayers money when federal subsidies run dry.Despite those objections, the plan was approved on a partisan 12-4 vote today by the JFC.The plan, BadgerCare Plus Basic, would be paid for

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-58977710536830753912010-02-16T10:08:00.002-06:002010-02-16T10:10:41.122-06:00

The JFC passed legislation to eliminate the $100,000 income cap for individuals to transition from traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, a move that would mirror federal tax policy. The change would take effect in tax year 2010 if passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jim Doyle. The modifications would reduce state tax collections by $12 million in 2010-11, $31.8 million in 2011-12, and $42.1

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-21749255575828951242010-02-16T09:49:00.002-06:002010-02-16T10:07:32.662-06:00

More than $822 million to establish a high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison and to improve the line between Milwaukee and Chicago will be up for a vote today before the Joint Finance Committee. Approval from the JFC would clear the way for work to start on the project, with a goal of a January 2013 completion date. Conservatives, including the GOP's leading guv candidates and

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-6281173636050051322010-01-27T17:13:00.004-06:002010-01-27T17:24:50.258-06:00

Dems are touting a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report released today as evidence that their mix of spending cuts, job creation efforts and revenue increases have helped to stabilize the budget. Republicans said the report shows state finances continue to dangerously teeter toward fiscal disaster. The LFB has revised its projections for the state's gross balance, dropping it almost $220 million to

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-11510321094587382512010-01-27T13:19:00.004-06:002010-01-27T16:00:23.516-06:00

The state's books are projected to be about $225 million off due to a lapsed reciprocity agreement with Minnesota and lagging cigarette sales tax revenues.The Legislative Fiscal Bureau today released its annual update, finding that the state has a projected gross balance of $55.7 million. Once statutory balance is figured in, the net balance at the end of the biennium in mid-2011 is projected to

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-74047487116635154982010-01-27T11:14:00.005-06:002010-01-27T11:46:57.374-06:00

Gov. Jim Doyle said today his warning of another round of budget cuts in last night's State of the State address was a reference to the $200 million in unspecified lapses called for in the 2009-11 budget bill signed last year.Doyle used his veto pen to include an additional $200 million in cuts to state agencies, a move that gave the state a $290 million "cushion," Doyle said."It is very likely I

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-87785275382036127622010-01-14T11:19:00.002-06:002010-01-14T11:27:09.329-06:00

A provision to provide $3 million in competitive grants focused on achieving a statewide policy to ban candy-flavored tobacco products and free tobacco samples was deleted by the JFC.The funding request was made by the Department of Health Services as part of a request to spend nearly $24 million in federal stimulus funding over the next two years for prevention and wellness programs such as

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-59820117903866628412010-01-14T11:10:00.000-06:002010-01-14T11:15:00.447-06:00

Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Ashwaubenon, said a federal plan to map of broadband Internet service availability would create a tool that is "obsolete the second it's created."The committee, despite Montgomery's claims, approved $1.7 million in ARRA funding to produce the map.Montgomery said a better use for the funding would be to purchase the equipment needed to expand broadband.But the majority

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-55538623513848182022010-01-14T10:47:00.002-06:002010-01-14T10:55:20.208-06:00

The Joint Finance Committee today approved spending $1 million in ARRA funding to cleanup leaky underground storage tank sites at the Chrysler Engine Plant site in Kenosha.The funding will be allocated from a pot of nearly $6.4 million in federal stimulus funds set aside by the JFC in August for underground storage tank site remediation.Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, voted against the measure,

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-88576533546936636892010-01-13T16:57:00.001-06:002010-01-13T17:00:09.089-06:00

The Joint Finance Committee will exec tomorrow on the CORE Jobs package proposed by Senate Democrats and vote on a handful of supplemental funding requests through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Among the 13.10 requests is one from the Department of Health Services to use nearly $5 million over the next two fiscal years to plan and implement a statewide health information exchange.

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-7626966620198484292009-12-17T13:03:00.005-06:002009-12-17T16:28:16.968-06:00

Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake says there are several pieces of federal legislation pending that could alleviate the potential $150 million GPR shortfall for the BadgerCare Plus and Childless Adults Core programs. But she said they are not counting on the federal government to bail the programs out."We can't sit back and wait," she told the Joint Finance

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-75956099276937769022009-12-17T11:14:00.006-06:002009-12-17T16:04:36.534-06:00

Department of Administration Deputy Secretary Dan Schooff and Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee today tangled over the impact of stimulus funds, with Republicans saying reports on jobs created by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are overblown.Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Ashwaubenon, disputed Schooff's accounting of how many of the 8,284 jobs reportedly created by the

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-10015087850877149392009-12-16T10:42:00.001-06:002009-12-16T10:48:11.924-06:00

With plans already in place to cut more than $600 million in all funds from the state's health care programs, the state is facing potential cost overruns for the bienniums of up to $150 million in GPR for the BadgerCare Plus and Childless Adults Core Plan, according to an analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.But the memo also notes pending federal legislation could result in additional

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-90521335478429422212009-11-12T10:28:00.001-06:002009-11-12T10:30:05.506-06:00

Wisconsin could be eligible for up to $250 million in federal education funding under the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" program, according to the U.S. Department of Education.Education Secretary Arne Duncan is kicking off the program today, and the department announced each state's potential intake of funding from the program. Wisconsin is listed as a Class 3 state, meaning it -- along with

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-14851433566185910822009-11-12T08:46:00.003-06:002009-11-12T09:03:05.744-06:00

DOA Secretary Michael Morgan issued the following statement responding to a Pew Center report that Wisconsin is among the most fiscally challenged states in the country:"In no way can Wisconsin be compared to the nation's most financially troubled states, especially California. "While Wisconsin has been affected, like all states, by the national economic downturn, we have balanced our budget by

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-20997153351312478662009-11-11T14:03:00.001-06:002009-11-11T14:06:09.075-06:00

The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Pew Center on the States has identified Wisconsin as one of 10 states facing fiscal peril in a report released Wednesday.The report -- which ranked states based on six factors that the Pew Center blamed for California's budget programs -- gave the Badger State a C+, the 10th worst grade in the nation. States were ranked by change in revenue, size of budget

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-8148911744415020602009-11-03T17:22:00.000-06:002009-11-03T17:24:44.979-06:00

Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona and co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, sent a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan this afternoon raising questions about the Race to the Top program before the state fast-tracks the potentially costly bills. Miller asks for greater detail about the size of the grants, state policies that would gain greater funding, and the federal government's future

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-88588077881727022952009-11-03T13:25:00.001-06:002009-11-03T13:27:04.171-06:00

-- By Greg Bump

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-85378053589403462902009-11-03T11:08:00.003-06:002009-11-03T13:15:04.903-06:00

A bill to publicly finance state Supreme Court campaigns, known as the Impartial Justice Bill, passed the Joint Finance Committee today on a partisan 11-4 vote.Democrats like Sens. Dave Hansen and Lena Taylor said the bill takes the "taint" out of the court."This is about clean elections and fair elections," Hansen said.Republican Reps. Phil Montgomery and Robin Vos assailed the bill as "

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-39819001596187668692009-11-03T10:09:00.001-06:002009-11-03T10:12:44.362-06:00

The start of today's Joint Finance Committee has been delayed as last-minute revisions are made to a bill to make reforms to the Wisconsin Shares program. The meeting was set to begin at 9 a.m., but that start was pushed back until later. A new start time was not set. Among the provisions in the bill are increased background checks for child care providers. Another would add various criminal

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-16798464036234041942009-10-30T16:34:00.004-05:002009-10-30T17:10:20.537-05:00

A package of DUI reforms is still on track to be passed by the end of the fall legislative session despite the bill being pulled from the Joint Finance Committee, Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker's spokeswoman says.The Senate is on the floor Thursday and will take up the bill then. It will then have to move through the Assembly, which is also on the floor Thursday, before it can go to the

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-30455859049170861942009-10-29T15:10:00.002-05:002009-10-29T15:22:54.927-05:00

State Sen. Jim Sullivan is putting the finishing touches on changes to proposed drunken driving legislation that would pay for the reforms through increased assessments on criminals and higher fees for those who have their licenses suspended or revoked rather than a hike in the liquor tax.Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, said changes in the bill have helped cut the expected cost to the $15 million to $30

Administratornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11766979.post-51944285060190714122009-10-28T13:58:00.005-05:002009-10-28T14:46:49.918-05:00

The authors of drunken driving reform bills in the Assembly and Senate are trying to work out a compromise to get legislation passed before the legislative floor session ends next week.If negotiations bear fruit, the legislation could be up for a vote Tuesday before the Joint Finance Committee.The Assembly passed a bill last month that enhanced drunken driving penalties and funded the new

Greg Bumpnoreply@blogger.com0