May 18, 2007
Volume
#29, Issue #15
WEEK THREE OF THE BUDGET DELIBERATIONS - The 16 member
Joint Finance Committee
continues pouring through the 1,757 page budget, and is rubber-stamping most of the
Governor's budget
proposals -- so far. While there are many controversial initiatives in his budget, it
takes a majority vote of
the committee to take any specific proposal out of the budget. With the
committee evenly divided between
Republicans and Democrats, most votes are 8-8. Similarly, it takes a majority vote to add
anything to the
budget, which hasn't happened often.
On Tuesday (May 15) the committee approved the Governor's school aid plan. On May 17 the
committee
took up Shared Revenue, which provides funds to local governments for vital services
(which AFSCME
members provide). The committee approved the Governor's $15 million increase in Shared
Revenue,
boosting aid from $859 million to $874 million in 2008.
The committee delayed action on the State Employee Compensation Reserves.
The Joint Finance Committee review of the budget is only the first step in the budget
process. After this
committee is finished with its budget deliberations, the budget bill will move to the
Senate and, after that,
the Assembly will have an opportunity to reshape the budget bill. In the end, a joint
"conference
committee" made up of equal numbers of Assembly and Senate members will hammer out a
compromise
budget package.
MILITARY SERVICE CREDIT UNDER THE WISCONSIN RETIREMENT SYSTEM -
The Senate
Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs held a public hearing May 17 on Senate Bill 19,
which would
give credit under the WRS for active military service. SB-19 is the
senate "companion" bill to AB-43, which
got a favorable vote from the Assembly Veterans and Military Affairs Committee earlier
this spring.
AB-43 is now before the "Joint Survey Committee on Retirement
Systems", a committee charged by
statute with reviewing all retirement benefit-related legislation. AFSCMe members who
support
AB-43/SB-19 should contact committee co-chairs Senator Bob Wirch
(D-Kenosha) and Representative
Sue Jeskewitz (R-Menomonee Falls) to urge them to hold a hearing on these bills. Also,
contact your own
Senator and Assembly Representative.
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