The Wisconsin Budget Project has updated our comparative budget summary, (LINK) which shows how selected provisions in the budget have been modified in the budget process. Yesterday’s update includes the recent decisions made by the Joint Finance Committee. We’ll be updating the budget summary on a regular basis, so watch this blog (or...
The Joint Finance Committee continues to meet and vote on state budget issues. The next meeting is on Thursday, May 12th. At that time, the Committee is scheduled to make decisions on 28 different topics, including issues related to the Justice Information System Surcharge, veteran affairs, and the Government Accountability Board. Of...
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have developed a measure that allows them to more completely capture the effect of the Recovery Act on Wisconsin poverty levels. By official measures, poverty in Wisconsin rose from 10.2 in 2008 to 12.4 percent in 2009, according to the report. But the official measure of poverty takes only...
This morning, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) held a public hearing to consider the permanent adoption of an emergency rule which repeals previous improvements that were made relating to readability of and access to private insurance policies. Adoption of this rule would be a step backwards for consumer initiatives in...
While those of use working in the juvenile justice system often see the behaviors and challenges that children with mental health problems bring to us, we often see them too late, perhaps do a cursory job of assessing needs, and often turn to an ill-equipped service system too late. Advocates note that (1) only a small percentage of...
The Joint Finance Committee’s second executive session on the budget bill, which will be on Tuesday May 3, will cover 30 different topics. You can find links to all 30 by clicking here. Among the many topics on the agenda are a couple of DHS issues (including the Well Woman Program), library aids and several other DPI issues, one PSC...
In an April 26 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, “State ranks 6th in prekindergarten access," Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) was quoted as saying, "As Wisconsin has added more 4-year-old kindergartens, our fourth-grade reading scores have plummeted." The graph below clearly shows that his assertion is completely false. 4th grade...
The Department of Health Services (DHS) announced yesterday that it will hold another town hall meeting to gather input on Medicaid budget cutting from consumers, community partners and providers. The meeting will be on Thursday, April 28th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Liberty Hall Conference Center in Kimberly (800 Eisenhower Drive)....
The Joint Finance Committee will hold an executive session on Tuesday, Apr. 26, to begin voting on various parts of the biennial buget bill. You can find a full list of the topics to be considered and the links to those papers on this part of the LFB website. Read on for a partial list, which focuses on the topics that are more...
A tax day report by the Immigration Policy Center details the amount of taxes paid by the state’s unauthorized immigrant households last year. According to the IPC, “Tax Day is an appropriate time to underscore the often-overlooked fact that unauthorized immigrants pay taxes.”In 2010, Wisconsin households headed by unauthorized...
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