Governor Walker has proposed a two-year budget that significantly expands resources for voucher and charter schools, and provides a large increase in spending for assessment of pupils and schools. At first glance, it appears to also give Wisconsin’s public schools a raise in general funding, but a closer look reveals that this is largely an illusion.
Increasing health care coverage is an important step in improving the health of Wisconsinites.
Unfortunately, the Governor’s budget decreases coverage by ending BadgerCare for about 89,000 parents
and 6,000 childless adults over the poverty level. This was done in order to add to BadgerCare about
80,000 childless adults with income below the federal poverty level (FPL).
Perhaps as Congress is bogged down on the simple issues like developing a budget, reforming the tax code, and immigration reform they would have some time to take up and support reforms to the juvenile justice system by adopting the latest recommendations from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice – Promoting Safe Communities. The...
New Jackson Hewitt Analysis Only Captures Part of the Full Cost for WI EmployersA report issued last week estimates that employers in states that don't expand Medicaid will pay up to $1.3 billion in additional federal taxes. As Jason Stein reports in an article posted late today on the Journal Sentinel website, the analysis by the...
The Wisconsin Budget Project has prepared a number of short papers about various aspects of the 2013-15 budget bill, and we’re working on a couple more. You can find those papers and much more on the "All Things Budget" part of the Budget Project’s website. We’re using a different format this session. Instead of creating one...
Governor Scott Walker’s budget proposal related to child care and early learning is disappointing. For those hoping for a significant strengthening of YoungStar and adjustments in Wisconsin Shares payment policies will find little to cheer about, except for a modest change in the YoungStar tiered reimbursement system.
With the recent release from the Annie E. Casey Foundation about the significant decline in incarceration and crime rates of youth, there is much good news. Fewer kids are being arrested, fewer are being locked up, more alternatives are being developed, and our communities are safer. Less clear is the reason for the decline(s) and given...
Wisconsin’s first-ever comprehensive report detailing the costs of excessive alcohol use was released today by Health First Wisconsin and its partners. It estimates that excessive alcohol use cost Wisconsinites $6.8 billion a year in 2012, or approximately $1,200 a person. Taxpayers pick up more than 40 percent of the costs, or...
The Governor’s budget proposes partially closing the current gap in BadgerCare by extending eligibility to all adults below the poverty level who don’t have children, and we commend the Governor for that. However, the Governor’s budget stops short of the step states need to take (covering adults to 133% of FPL) to qualify for full...
Two years ago the Wisconsin Legislature approved YoungStar with strong bipartisan support. This was a prudent investment to improve early learning for children from low-income working families receiving Wisconsin Shares subsidy payments.
Join us to build a Wisconsin where every child & family thrives.
Your address helps us identify your legislators and the most relevant messages to send you.