February 16, 2007                                                          Volume #29, Issue #5


THE STATE BUDGET: GOVERNOR DOYLE'S FUNDING AND POLICY PRIORITIES FOR 2007-09 -
On Tuesday, Governor Jim Doyle make public his two year budget plan, surprising lawmakers and Capitol
watchers alike with some bold initiatives that spell out his funding and policy priorities for Wisconsin for
the next two years.

HIs budget contains some clever tax hikes on big business and tax breaks for working families, addresses
the ongoing phantom deficits and balances the books by June 30, 2009.

The 1,757 page budget document is a massive 2 year, $60 billion state spending/funding blueprint. It's too
comprehensive tos ummarize here, so we offer highlights this week and will provide more detail in these
updates (as well as in AFSCME Reports and the District Council 48 newspaper) in the months to come.
Here's a list of some high profile budget proposals:

1.    Full funding of the state's commitment to pay for 2/3 of school costs.
2.    Repeal of the QEO on teacher salaries.
3.    An allotment in state employee compensation reserves that will allow for a fair increase in wages.
4.    $15 million more in state aid for local government services.
5.    A major investment in Milwaukee for crime, courts, schools, and more.
6.    A $225 million increase for the UW System and $44 million more for student financial aid.
7.    $140 million in new investment in state highway construction, including $66 million specifically for
       maintenance, as well as an increase in local transportation aids.
8.    A 2.5% per barrel tax on oil compaines, including criminal penalties on companies that pass costs on
       to consumers.
9.    An expansion of BadgerCare Plus to provide health care to all kids in Wisconsin.
10.  A $1.25 per pack increase in the tobacco tax to pay for the Governor's heatlh care initiatives and
        smoking prevention activities.
11.  A 2% increase for nursing homes.
12.  Restoration of 271 state employee power plant jobs.
13.  A $27 million increase in Youth Aids to help counties pay for juvenile corrections, although the
        increase is largely offset by a hike in the daily rate at the institutions.
14.  Property tax levy limits will be increased to 4% or the increase in construction.
15.  Homeowner property tax break in the form of exempting the first $5,500 in home value from the
       property tax.

TRACKING THE STATE BUDGET - For more information on the state budget, including initial reaction by
lawmakers and stakeholders, check out the following websites:

The Wheeler Report:  www.thewheelerreport.com

WisPolitics Budget Blog:  www.wispolitics.com

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) staff are sifting through the budget document and will produce a
much more user friendly summary of the budget by mid-March. The summary document is extremely
useful in getting a quick run down on the budget. For more information about the LFB, go to: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/.

BUDGET HEARINGS COMING SOON: AFSCME MEMBERS TAKE NOTE! - Joint Finance Committee
co-chairs Rep. Kitty Rhoades (R-Hudson) and Sen. Russ Decker (D-Weston) have decided to hold six
hearings on the state budget as follows:

Milwaukee 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 20
De Forest  10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 21
Chippewa Falls 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 27
Prairie du Chien 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 4
Rhinelander 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 11
Green Bay 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Thursday, April 12

We encourage you to attend the hearings to speak or simply register your concerns about the
budget.

We will provide more details about the budget via the Take Back Wisconsin staff.

For more information about anything in this week's update, contact your lobbyists at the AFSCME area
office at 608-836-6666.

"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 Ethics Board: http://ethics.state.wi.us

LEGlSLATlVE HOTLINE NUMBERS:
In Madison, call 266-9960 / Outside Madison, call 800-362-9472