General Fund Would See $1.4 Billion Less Under JFC Motion
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 7, 2019
From WisPolitics.com …
The first motion the Joint Finance Committee plans to take up Thursday would result in the general fund seeing $1.4 billion less over the next two years than what Gov. Tony Evers proposed, according to an analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
What’s more, the motion, which includes rejecting Evers’ call to expand Medicaid, would mean nearly $1.1 billion less in federal aid for the 2019-21 budget.
The committee co-chairs last week laid out a proposal to eliminate 131 items Evers included in his budget. While it included some 70 policy items, the planned motion also includes a series of fiscal items, including some tax hikes.
The biggest fiscal impact would be wiping out the Medicaid expansion, which would draw nearly $1.1 billion in federal money. It also would result in the state spending $324.5 million more in general purpose revenue over the next two years than it would’ve under Evers’ plan.
Meanwhile, Republicans are planning to toss Evers’ proposal to cap a tax credit for manufacturers, which would’ve generated $516.6 million for the general fund over the next two years. He also wants to limit the exclusion for nonfarm capital gains, which would’ve generated $505.1 million. But the committee plans to nix that as well.
Other big-ticket items include keeping a transfer to the transportation fund from the general fund. That carries an $87.8 million price tag.
The LFB memo only summarizes the fiscal impact of the motion compared to Evers’ proposal, not current law. For example, in January, the LFB projected the state would have an additional $2.4 billion in GPR to spend through mid-2021.
The offices of the JFC co-chairs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. An Evers spokeswoman said the administration was still studying the memo.
See the summary of the fiscal impact of the motion starting on page nine.
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JFC to Kill Evers’ Medicaid Expansion Plan; LFB Non-Fiscal Policy Memo
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 2, 2019
From WisPolitics.com …
The Joint Finance Committee’s first actions on Gov. Tony Evers’ budget May 9 will be to pull out a host of his priorities, from expanding Medicaid to allowing illegal immigrants to get driver licenses.
Typically, the JFC co-chairs have the Legislative Fiscal Bureau identify policy items that can be pulled from a guv’s budget.
But in yesterday’s memo, Co-chairs Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and John Nygren, R-Marinette, identified 131 fiscal as well as policy provisions they plan to include in a motion to remove from the document.
Along with the Medicaid expansion — which would save an estimated $324.5 million in general purpose revenue over the biennium — the committee’s first motion will seek to remove the cap the guv proposed on the manufacturing and ag credit. That proposal, which would limit the credit to the first $300,000 of income for manufacturers, would increase tax revenue by $516.6 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The other proposals JFC plans to remove from the budget include:
- Repealing the minimum markup on gasoline;
- Allowing undocumented immigrants to be eligible for driver’s licenses;
- Allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally to pay in-state tuition;
- Legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing the possession, manufacturing or distribution of 25 grams or less of marijuana;
- Ending the transferring of 0.25 percent of general fund tax revenue to the state’s transportation fund;
- And nixing a series of provisions related to the state’s private voucher school and independent charter school programs, including the guv’s plan to freeze the number of slots available in the state’s voucher program and implement new requirements for licensing teachers working in the schools.
Nygren and Darling pledged GOP lawmakers “will live within our means” while making “major investments in the people’s priorities” going forward.
“We believe the proposed budget by Governor Evers’ digs a Doyle-sized deficit,” the pair said in a release. “The governor spends so much, the next budget would start with a $2 billion structural deficit. The bottom line is his budget is unsustainable, irresponsible and jeopardizes the progress we’ve made in the last eight years.”
In all, the LFB identified more than 70 items as non-fiscal policy, according to Darling and Nygren, which they said is the second-highest number of those items in a guv’s budget plan since 2001.
An Evers spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.
The panel is also planning to work off of current law rather than using Evers’ budget as the starting point for its deliberations.
The decision comes after months of speculation over how much or how little members of the Legislature’s powerful budget-writing committee would defer to the guv’s recommendations.
Today’s memo notes that while Evers’ plan will be before committee members, it would take a majority vote to include the guv’s provisions into JFC’s version of the budget — just like it would take a majority vote to adopt a motion from a committee member.
Republicans control the committee 12-4.
JFC members are planning to first take up the Ethics Commission, Historical Society, guv and lt. guv budget sections during their first meeting next week.
They’ll also consider the Department of Administration’s Division of Gambling, the Investment Board, the Employment Relations Commission and the Department of Health Services’ Care and Treatment Services, among several areas.
Members will convene at 11 a.m. May 9 in the Capitol.
See the memo here.
See Nygren’s and Darling’s statement here.
See Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article here.
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Notes from JFC Hearing
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 25, 2019
Yesterday, the Joint Finance Committee held it’s final public hearing on the 2019-21 state budget bill in Green Bay. The SAA was extremely well-represented with the following superintendents and district team members providing testimony:
- Jim Sebert (Fond du Lac)
- Aaron Sadoff (North Fond du Lac)
- Erik Olson (Ashland)
- Patrick Rau (Peshtigo)
- Ben Niehaus (Florence)
- Nate Burkland (Niagara)
- Bec Kurzynske (and her team from Pulaski)
- Mary Pfeiffer (and her team from Neenah)
- Michelle Langenfeld (and her team from Green Bay including Claudia Henrickson and Toni Lucia)
- Bryan Davis (and his team from Shorewood)
- Judy Baseman (and her team from Appleton)
Vanessa Moran (Clintonville Assistant Principal and Howard – Suamico Board Member) also testified. Oostburg Superintendent, Kevin Bruggink, and Director of Finance, Kris De Bruine, submitted testimony.
Many thanks to these SAA members for their leadership.
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Special Education Talking Points
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 17, 2019
In response to member requests, I have put together some additional talking points on the importance of increasing special education categorical aid in the 2019-21 State Budget. These talking points were designed to address several issues including:
- Legislators not adequately understanding how special education services are funded.
- Legislators pushing back against the Governor’s proposed increase in special education aid because of the perceived impact on state-level MOE requirements.
- Legislators pushing the use of per pupil categorical aid as an alternative to increasing special education aid.
In your continued advocacy efforts with your legislators, please feel free to use any of these talking points that you believe best support our position on increasing special education categorical aid.
Please call if you have questions. Thank you.
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Notes from JFC Hearing
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 16, 2019
Yesterday, the Joint Finance Committee held it’s third of four public hearings on the 2019-21 state budget bill in River Falls. The SAA was well-represented with superintendents Jamie Benson (River Falls), Patrick Olson (New Richmond), Bruce Quinton (Pepin), Joe Zydowsky (Menomonie), Mark Luebker (Osceola) and John Humphries (Thorp) providing testimony. CESA 6 Administrator Jerry Walters also provided testimony, as did Osceola Business Manager Lynette Edwards.
Many thanks to these SAA members for their leadership.
For those of you planning to testify at the remaining hearing in Greeen Bay, here are my suggestions:
- Get there early. I know the hearings don’t start until 10:00 a.m., but if you wish to speak before 1:00 p.m. get there by 7:30 a.m.
- You will only have 2 minutes to testify. There will likely be no questions from legislators.
- Bring 1 hard copy of your testimony with your full contact information on it for the committee members.
- Briefly, tell your district’s story (size, location, student body makeup, challenges, etc.)
- Use the information in the SAA’s recent Budget Alert to stay on message. It is very important for us to stay focused.
- Remember, the JFC is in control of the budget process right now. Be respectful and say “thank you”.
Once again, we need a strong showing at the last JFC budget hearing. If you have questions about testifying please call me at 608-242-1370.
Here is the hearing location and time:
- 10 am – 5 pm: Wednesday, April 24, University Union – Phoenix Rooms, UW-Green BayUniversity Union – Phoenix Rooms, 2430 Campus Court, Green Bay, WI 54311
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