"31 Ways in 31 Days" Begins the Process of Rebalancing Wisconsin’s Priorities Now that Wisconsin Act 32, the 2011-13 biennial budget, has been signed into law, the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF) has turned its focus forward to promoting positive change for children and families in Wisconsin. Throughout the budget...

WCCF Commends the Governor on this Move to Help Discourage Kids’ Use of Harmful Tobacco ProductsAs we noted in a May 27th blog post, the Joint Finance Committee voted for a budget amendment to change the tax on moist snuff tobacco products to a weight-based tax. WCCF joined numerous other groups in opposing such a change, for the...

Changes in the state budget and budget repair legislation will make it harder for low-income workers in the public sector to make ends meet, according to a new analysis by the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families. A two-page brief released today examines these changes and their impact on the families of people employed in public...

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau issued a memo last week that has generated some confusion about the state’s fiscal situation, because some people incorrectly interpreted it to mean that the state would have a sizeable balance at the end of the 2011-13 biennium. Instead, the LFB analysis shows that the recently approved 2011-13 budget bill...

Now that the Legislature has completed its work on the 2011-13 budget, the Wisconsin Budget Project has updated its comprehensive (44 page) summary of the budget bill.  It primarily focuses on the issues relating to children and families, and it shows how each policy item evolved over the course of the budget process. Each section also...