In the just-released federal budget proposal, President Obama is proposing the creation of a $120 million Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant program that would be available to states that are in compliance with the JJDPA core requirements to compete for. A story in Youth Today outlines a plan to combine funds formerly in the JABG and Title II Formula grant categories into this new “race to the top” style program. So, this could mean the end of JABG grants and no guarantee of formula funds coming into Wisconsin – although Wisconsin has made good progress both on compliance in general and moving toward more evidence-based and community-based programming that seems to be at the heart of the incentive plan. Watch what happens as the budget proceeds! (Note: the story seems to group Wisconsin in with other states as being “routinely out of compliance” – yet Wisconsin really has been out of compliance in only one requirement for one year in the past 9 years – perhaps a bit of journalistic license gone too far!).
The Room Where it Happens: Attend a State Budget Hearing
In February, Governor Evers proposed his state budget. Read our reaction here and some of our analysis here (more to come soon!). The Governor’s proposals now go to the Joint Committee on Finance (often called the Joint Finance Committee or JFC). This powerful...
