April 27, 2007
Volume
#29, Issue #13
AFSCME MEMBERS SWARM THE CAPITOL TO LOBBY FOR INVESTMENT IN WISCONSIN'S
FUTURE - Over 500 AFSCME members from all three Wisconsin
Councils participated in AFSCME's
third annual Lobby Day on Wednesday, April 25. Public employees met with legislators and
staff to lobby
on the value of public services. Of primary concern was the state budget, including aid to
local
governments, state employee jobs and compensation, health care reform and child care
assistance.
Lobby Day was a rousing success with legislators across the state saying AFSCME's voice
was heard
loud and clear in the halls of the State Capitol.
WORK ON THE 2007-09 STATE BUDGET BEGINS - The Joint
Committee on Finance today began
voting on portions of the Governor's proposed 2007-09 State Budget bill (SB-40).
The committee, which is
split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, is expected to take four to six weeks to
complete its
work on SB-40 before sending it on to the Senate and Assembly.
Today's agenda was easy, with the committee taking up the "low hanging fruit"
first before getting to the
big issues like school funding, transportation and Medicaid later in May. Even with a
modest agenda,
committee deliberations lasted most of the day, marked by the usual partisan speechmaking
and by
frequent breaks to work out agreements on issues.
AFSCME OPPOSES THE PRIVATIZATION OF GPS MONITORING OF SEX OFFENDERS -
Governor
Doyle's budget proposes $10 million per year funding and 122 new staff to implement a
strong and
effective GPS program, continuing Wisconsin's strong record of tracking and monitoring sex
offenders.
Some argue that the state should, instead, simply outsource GPS monitoring of sex
offenders.
AFSCME knows that sex offenders are best supervised by our trained Wisconsin probation and
parole
agents. Core government functions, such as the supervision of sex offenders, should not be
parceled out
to profiteers from other states. Call or email your legislator to tell them to support the
Governor's GPS
program.
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