May 2, 2008
Volume #30, Issue #13
BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE – GOVERNOR, MAJORITY LEADER AND SPEAKER
MEETING
Rumors continue to circulate in the Capitol that Senate Majority Leader Russ
Decker and Assembly Speaker
Mike Huebsch are close to an agreement on a budget adjustment bill. One sign
that a deal may be imminent
is that Governor Jim Doyle is now meeting with the two leaders, hopefully
indicating that negotiations will soon
come to a close, and an agreement will be announced.
Most of the discussion appears to be focused on the mechanisms to generate
revenue, either new or
borrowed, to close the deficit, or which accounting tricks to use to make the
books balance until the end of
the biennium. This is a positive sign for AFSCME, as the drastic cuts offered in
the Assembly Republican
package appear to have been set aside for now in favor of more reasonable steps
that will preserve public
services. Of course, AFSCME continues to lobby legislators to ensure public
services are maintained in the
final budget adjustment bill.
COMMITTEE TO STUDY HIGH RISK JUVENILE OFFENDERS ANNOUNCED - In
election years,
following the end of the legislative session, the Joint Legislative Council
creates special committees to
study ongoing issues in Wisconsin. This past week, a Joint Legislative Council
Committee was announced
to investigate issues surrounding high risk juvenile offenders. Among the many
issues that will likely be on
the table for this committee are: the cost of incarceration, impact on county
finances, other state models,
and allowing judges to send 17 year old offenders to juvenile institutions.
Joint Legislative Committees are made up of legislators and members of the
general public, with public
members traditionally being individuals with first hand experience with the
issue before the committee.
AFSCME has already contacted the co-chairs of the Committee about the inclusion
of an AFSCME
representative on the Committee given the potential impact recommendations by
this Committee could
ultimately have on our members working in institutions and on county
governments.
LEGISLATIVE WEBSITES. . .For those
"online", here are some good info spots: