The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released its detailed summary of Governor Evers’ 2023-25 budget proposal yesterday (3/15).
Here are links to the documents:
From a press release: The Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC), Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) announced four (4) public hearings related to the State Budget today.
“As the Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC), we invite you to provide comments and input. Your ideas are an essential part of our process. We also encourage you to visit the website we
have dedicated to the public hearing process. It is a central portal for input to reach the entire committee and it will be a helpful tool when looking for upcoming budget hearings and other documents pertaining to the budget process.”
The public hearing schedule is: (more…)
Governor Evers today announced details of his budget initiatives for K-12 education including an overall increase of $2.6 billion. That figure includes significant investments in special education aid, increases in revenue limits and general aid, increases in the low revenue ceiling and more. The details are provided below. The governor delivers his budget address tomorrow evening at 7pm (WisEye coverage begins at 6:30pm).
From the Governor’s office (see full release):
Overall Investment
To ensure kids and educators have the resources they need to be successful, Gov. Evers is providing an overall state investment of over $2.6 billion in general and categorical aids for public schools. Gov. Evers’ historic education budget proposes: (more…)
Governor Evers is scheduled to give his 2023-25 state budget address next Wednesday evening, Feb. 15 before a joint session of the state Senate and Assembly in the state Capitol. The speech will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Assembly chambers.
At that time, the governor will unveil and highlight his budget proposal, which by law will then be introduced by the Joint Finance Committee. That will mark the start of several months of legislative discussion and debate over the state’s next biennial (or two-year) budget. If all goes as planned. that discussion and debate will result in passage of the budget bill in late June or early July. (more…)
One day after Gov. Evers in his State of the State Address proposed over $1 billion in new spending, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released a memo showing the state will end the current fiscal year with a projected $7.1 billion surplus, $524 million more than previous estimates. The LFB cited several factors that contributed to the $524 million difference, the most significant of which is the $775 million projected Medicaid (Medical Assistance) fund surplus due in large part to the continuation of enhanced federal matching funds enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. A second factor is a $202 million appropriation set aside by the Legislature to fund the repeal of the personal property tax. That money was never used because the proposal wasn’t signed into law. Another factor is a $60.7 million increase in projected tax collections compared to the same earlier estimates. (more…)
In his fifth State of the State address as governor, Gov. Tony Evers outlined proposals to spend nearly $1.3 billion on mental health initiatives, addressing PFAS and bolstering the state’s workforce, among other things. Evers also called for a big boost in state aid to local governments and schools. In his speech, Evers noted the record state budget surplus as well as the record balance in the state’s Budget Stabilization (a/k/a “Rainy Day”) Fund.
Previewing the two-year state budget proposal he will unveil on Feb.15, Evers used his annual State of the State address to tout a proposal to make the “Get Kids Ahead” a permanent state program by investing more than $270 million to ensure every student has access to mental health services.
Details of Evers’ plan were released along with the speech and call for providing: