November 2, 2007
Volume #29, Issue
#38
GOVERNOR’S PARTIAL BUDGET VETOES: PROPERTY TAX LEVY LIMIT - By now AFSCME
members know the Governor exercised his veto authority to scratch out the 2% limit on
property tax
increases, raising the allowable increase to 3.86%. This will take some of the pressure
off of local
governments as they put together their budgets. AFSCME had asked the Governor to veto the
2% cap.
WHAT THE GOVERNOR DID NOT VETO – CONTRACTING OUT PHARMACY SERVICES AT
STATE
DHFS INSTITUTIONS - Another issue of interest to AFSCME that was not vetoed
was language in the
budget requiring the State DHFS to issue a "request for proposals" and contract
out the delivery of
pharmaceutical services for residents at all DHFS institutions, including Sand Ridge
Secure Treatment
Facility, the Wisconsin Resource Center, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Mendota Mental
Health
Institute, and all three State Centers for the Developmentally Disabled.
Two years ago, AFSCME fought - and successfully defeated - an attempt by some lawmakers to
privatize
pharmaceutical services to inmates in state correctional facilities. Wisconsin’s
Central Pharmacy Services,
located at Dodge Correctional Facility, which serves all of Wisconsin’s 22,000+
inmates, was the target of
big pharmaceutical corporations angling for a contract. AFSCME unearthed vital information
about
privateers overcharging state and local governments for pharmacy services and documented
the loss of
accountability that happens when state or local governments contract out vital public
services paid for
with tax dollars.
Now the pharmaceutical corporations are back, and this time they’ve targeted
institutions under the
control of the DHFS. AFSCME will again fight this effort. We were disappointed that the
Governor did not
veto the RFP requirement, but we will work with the Governor’s office and DHFS to
persuade them of the
foolishness of handing over this important service to the private sector.
LEGISLATORS GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS - Now that the seemingly interminable
State budget is
over, lawmakers are taking up other bills and AFSCME is pushing our own agenda. This week
the Joint
Committee on Finance took up the so-called cable deregulation/video franchising bill,
which supposedly
will bring more competition and, presumably, better prices for consumers. Consumer
protection advocates
balk at this notion, which is largely being advanced by those who stand to benefit from
the bill. The House
of Labor is divided over this legislation, with some supporting it on the hope of new
jobs, and others
opposing it. AFSCME opposes this bill largely because of how it might affect municipal
employees who
provide cable services.
Also on the legislature’s docket is a hearing on November 14 on the
"Frankenstein" veto legislation, which
is a constitutional amendment that would limit the ability of the Wisconsin governor to
essentially rewrite
laws through the use of the veto pen. For example, Governor Doyle was able to strike the
2% and
establish a 3.86% property tax cap by striking certain letters and digits but he failed to
use his veto power
to eliminate the levy limits entirely or to raise the limit of 2% in the second year of
the budget. This
selective striking would be banned under the amendment to limit the veto power.
AFSCME is also working to advance a number of bills, including legislation to change state
statutes to
prevent inmates from filing frivolous, baseless and costly complaints against corrections
staff for simply
doing their jobs. AFSCME is working with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, the Attorney
General
and the Governor’s office on this important change to the "John Doe"
statutes.
For more information call your AFSCME lobbyists at the AFSCME Headquarters at
608-836-6666.
LEGISLATIVE WEBSITES. . .For those
"online", here are some good info spots:
Wisconsin State Legislature: www.legis.state.wi.us/
"Who Are My Legislators": www.legis.state.wi.us./waml/
State of Wisconsin: www.wisconsin.gov/state/home
Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau: www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/
Wisconsin Legislative Council: www.legis.state.wi.us/lc/
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/
Wisconsin Ethics Board: http://ethics.state.wi.us