WisPolitics Budget Blog

Arlington Hearing Wraps Up

The public hearing at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station wrapped up at about 4:40 p.m.

The JFC will be in action again tomorrow, hearing testimony from the heads of the Department of Justice, the Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Technical College System, Higher Educational Aids Board, and University of Wisconsin System. The hearing begins at 10:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, the JFC lands at the Chippewa Falls County Courthouse, 711 N. Bridge St., for a hearing scheduled from noon to 5 p.m.

One of the recurring themes in the six-plus hours of testimony the committee members heard today was support for the governor's proposal to require insurers to provide coverage to autistic individuals.

At least a half dozen residents stepped forward to voice their support for the initiative, including a 9th grader who said he was diagnosed with autism at age three but through treatment now lives a normal high school life, including participation in sports and music. A mother of an autistic child said she and her husband pay $40,000 per year for therapy for their child.

A representative from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wisconsin stepped up to ask for continued support for the program, and for the $100,000 increase in funding Gov. Doyle has included in the 2007-09 budget.

A representative from the League of Women Voters spoke about K-12 education, saying the current funding formula "is failing our children and making the referendum a way of life for our school districts."

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Autism

UW Academic Staff Oppose Collective Bargaining Language

The Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization is opposing Gov. Doyle's proposal to allow collective bargaining for UW staff and faculty because the language in the budget bill separates staff and faculty into two bargaining units.

Mary Lou Reeb, a UW academic staff member, told the JFC the proposed language "de-couples" the two work groups and could harm the "collegial" work relationship between faculty and staff.

Click here to see a memo from ASPRO to the JFC.

Click here to see a resolution passed by the Council of Academic Staff Senators of the University of Wisconsin Colleges opposing the collective bargaining budget provision.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Joint Committee on Finance, UW Collective Bargaining

Budget Should Invest More in Education of Inmates, Prison Educator Says

The budget includes the creation or restoration of up to 300 Department of Corrections positions, but none of those are for prison educators, said Mickey Kaiser, a teacher at Fox Lake Correctional.

Kaiser said the lack of funding for new correctional educators is "fiscally irresponsible," and will lead to more recidivism.

Kaiser cited a Maryland study that found for $1 million in funding for correctional education, 600 crimes are prevented. Conversely, that same $1 million spent on incarceration prevents only 350 crimes, he said.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Corrections, Joint Committee on Finance

Budget Cuts Not "Fair"

A reduction in the amount of state aid to county fairs is having a "negative effect" on the quality of Wisconsin's 77 county fairs, according to Harry Nienaber, president of the Wisconsin Association of Fairs and general manager of the Central Wisconsin State Fair in Marshfield.

Nienaber said state aid to fairs was $650,000 in 2000, but has dropped to $250,000 currently. At the same time, fairs are dealing with increasing energy and insurance costs.

The cuts have resulted in some fairs lowering premiums paid to prize winners, he said, saying one county fair wasn't able to pay their premiums until they received their state aid check in February.

"Restore that aid," Nienaber said. "It's the best money you can spend and it'll keep the kids busy."

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Joint Committee on Finance, State Fairs

Testimony Moving Swiftly

About 125 people signed up to speak at the hearing. About 40 have spoken so far. Some of those who had signed up to speak left without taking their turn.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Joint Committee on Finance

Group Calls for Expanded Biodiesel Program

A group of biodiesel producers and farmers called on the committee to expand its biodiesel program. An informational workshop was held before the hearing on biodiesel technology.

Read more about the group's agenda here.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Biodiesel, ethanol, Joint Committee on Finance

Columbus Hospital CEO: Hospital Revenue Tax "flawed"

Columbus Community Hospital CEO Ed Harding testified in front of the Joint Committee on Finance, saying Doyle's proposed 1 percent gross revenues tax on hospitals is "genuine," but is flawed and hopes the committee will take it out. Harding continued and said that the tax will "destabilize" the Medicaid program and funding.

He instead hoped the committee would pass a proposed cigarette tax increase.

Read his testimony here.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Hospital Assessment, Joint Committee on Finance, Medicaid

DWD Specialist Testifies in Favor of Doyle's Budget

John Verberkmoes, a quality assurance specialist with the DWD's Bureau of Child Support, testified in favor of the governor's budget provision to eliminate contractors for the Employee Trust Fund agency and requesting additional position authority.

"While requesting additional position authority requires action by this committee, much less scrutiny has been given to hiring contractors," Verberkmoes, a member of the Wisconsin Professional Employees Council AFT Local 4848, said. "Yet as experience has shown, contractors cost the taxpayers of this state more money than utilizing state employees, with much less to show for the investment."

As an example, Verberkmoes said in the Department of Revenue the governor proposes additional revenue-generating jobs "that will help ensure everyone is paying their fair share. Eleven positions could generate over $600,000, and the funding for these positions would not come from GPR dollars."

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Employee Trust Fund, Joint Committee on Finance

Other Issues

The committee has also heard from citizens who are in support of the governor's proposed $950,000 increase in domestic violence prevention funding, and those who would like more funding for legal assistance for the indigent and certified court interpreters. Other advocates are speaking out for more funding for the disabled and an expansion of the FamilyCare program, domestic partnership benefits, increased funding for the UW System and collective bargaining rights for faculty.

Two special education teachers from Lodi testified in favor of the governor's proposal to repeal the QEO.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Joint Committee on Finance

JFC Hears from School District Superintendents

The committee heard from two school district superintendents of widely varying sizes; Markesan School District Supt. Sue Alexander and Madison Supt. Art Rainwater. Both said their budgets have been shrinking.

Alexander said her declining enrollment district faced dissolution, but on the second try residents approved funding to keep the district afloat. Markesan has lost more than $1.6 million in funding in recent years due to declining enrollment, she said. But she urged the committee to adopt the per pupil increases included in Gov. Doyle's budget, and to raise the low revenue limit ceiling by $400.

Rainwater said the issue for his district is the revenue cap, and said his district has lost $53 million in recent years, and will be down $10.5 million this year.

"Give us the resources to meet standards, or be willing to change those standards," Rainwater said.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Joint Committee on Finance, School funding

Nursing Facility Administrator Speaks Against Bed Tax

Terry McGinnity, administrator of the Lodi Good Samaritan Center, a 91-bed skilled nursing facility, spoke against the proposed bed tax increase for nursing homes.

The governor has proposed a 2 percent Medicaid rate increase in each year of the biennial budget. McGinnity said that increase should be 5 percent.

The proposed 2 percent increase would be funded by a raise in the nursing home bed tax, from the current $75 per month to $101 per month in 2007-08 to $125 in 2008-09, according to Doyle's budget.

McGinnity said in 2005-06, his facility experienced a MA deficit of $500,000, a loss of about $25.50 per day for each of the 51 Medicaid residents they serve.

The Medicaid rate at the facility is $136 per day at the Lodi facility, while the rate a private pay resident pays is about $198 per day, McGinnity said.

"We therefore ask 27 percent of our residents, those who pay privately, to pay about $62 a day more for the same care received by the 64 percent of our residents who are Medicaid recipients," he said. "On top of that, these private pay residents are paying $75 a month in a nursing home bed tax and SB 40 suggests they pay $50 more per month in 2008-09. How is this really fair, and when can we expect it to stop?"

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Bed tax, Joint Committee on Finance, Medicaid

Local Officials Give JFC an Earful

Local officials are giving the committee an earful on the delays to the expansion of US Hwy. 51. They say the situation is life-threatening and are frustrated the expansion of the highway to four lanes has been put off.

Alan Harvey, chairman of the Town of Windsor, said the expansion project had been at the top of the DOT's minor project list, but was moved to a major project and put at the bottom of the list. The highway is seriously over capacity, and motorists are "seriously placing our lives at risk" on the roadway.

"We are playing Russian roulette with our loved ones," Harvey said.

He said the project is in a "bureaucratic quagmire," and expansion has been delayed until 2025 or 2030.

In other testimony, the committee is hearing support for the proposed $1.25 per pack increase in cigarettes, and against the proposed 1 percent assessment on hospitals and the "raid" of funds from the patient compensation fund.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Joint Committee on Finance, Transportation

Begin the Testimony

University of Wisconsin-Madison Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Molly Jahn opened up the public hearing by urging the committee to continue investment in post-high school education. She said the state invests $110,000 per child in K-12, but said that investment is lost if those children don't continue their education in the state college system.

Dane Co. Exec. Kathleen Falk spoke next, urging the committee to support the Early Childhood Initiative, and urged them to reauthorize and expand the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program, as Gov. Jim Doyle's budget requests.

Falk criticized the budget for not providing enough aid for counties to house probation and parole holds in county jails. "P & P holds are the single biggest reason Dane County has jail overcrowding," she said. "P & P holds are the state's responsibility; please accept your responsibility and don't put it on the county's shoulders."

Speakers are limited to three minutes each.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Falk, Joint Committee on Finance, UW

Arlington JFC Road Meeting Called to Order

The meeting is called to order promptly at 10 a.m.

Roughly 150 are in attendance. The committee members give brief introductions. About 100 tickets have been handed out for people to speak.

Dane Co. Exec. Kathleen Falk is among the elected officials waiting to speak.

See Falk's release about probation and parole reimbursement to counties here.

Labels: Arlington_Meeting, Falk, Joint Committee on Finance

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Wednesday, March 21, 2007