The Wisconsin Senate has scheduled committee hearings this week to take up a law change that would allow for 13 weeks of federally-funded extended unemployment benefits in the state. With Wisconsin’s unemployment rate above 7%, these benefits would serve as a lifeline for those who are unable to find work.The Wisconsin Budget Project...
Despite widespread cuts in the budget, a few programs received increased funding. One such program is the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, housed within the Department of Justice. The Task Force investigates crimes against children that take place online, including child pornography and child enticement. Task Force members...
The budget bill proposed by Governor Walker included a 10% across-the-board reduction to all Department of Health Services (DHS) non-staff appropriations, including the tobacco use control grants. However, the Joint Finance Committee, after approving the 10% reduction to the tobacco use control grants, doubled the cut to this valuable...
Lost sometimes in all the rhetoric about this budget – and prior ones – and how we can’t afford to return 17-year olds to the juvenile system is the simple fact that kids should not be housed with adults. No one speaks more eloquently and passionately about this issue than Vicky Gunderson from Onalaska whose son Kirk committed suicide...
The bond between mothers and babies has tremendous lifelong implications. It is widely recognized that the first relationships between an infant and her parent(s) form the basis for all future relationships. This is no less true for low-income moms and babies. A warm, nurturing environment with consistent, loving caregivers is critical...
The budget bill contains 10% cuts to a broad range of public health programs, including Community Health Centers, yet it also has a couple of positive developments relating to targeted funding for dental health care. Community Health Centers are a critical part of the health care safety net. They help uninsured Wisconsinites get access...
In his budget proposal, the Governor accepted the Department of Corrections’ recommendation to close two secure juvenile institutions. Ethan Allen School for boys is going to close, meaning residents will be transferred to Lincoln Hills. The plan also calls for the closing of Southern Oaks Girls School, forcing the transfer of those...
A recent Administrator Memo released by the Division of Juvenile Corrections outlines some of the changes occurring as the result of consolidating three juvenile correctional institutions into one location – at Lincoln Hills School (LHS). While practical challenges remain as a result of the distance from Lincoln Hills to where most of...
Higher education in Wisconsin was hit hard by the two-year state budget Governor Walker recently signed into law. While the UW System received significant cuts, legislators and the Governor made that up in part by providing for a 5.5% tuition increase for in-state undergraduates at system schools in both 2011-12 and 2012-13. At the same...
Wisconsin Shares is a child care subsidy program that helps working families afford quality care for their children while they are at work. Funding for the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program was cut from a base level of $342 million annually to $297.7 million in FY12 and $297.3 in FY13. But it could have been a lot worse; most...
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