May 25, 2007
Volume #29, Issue #16
BUDGET UPDATE FOR AFSCME MEMBERS - On Tuesday of this week,
the State Budget-Writing
Committee took up W-2 and child care funding. The Joint Finance Committee voted for an
additional $70
million GPR above the Governor's proposal to fix the deficit in child care assistance. The
committee also
rejected proposals by the Governor and the Department of Workforce Development to plug the
child care
budget hole with a combination of measures aimed at decreasing eligibility, increasing
waiting lists, raising
co-payments, freezing provider rates, and an attendance-based payment scheme, all of which
would have
had a negative effect on low-income families as well as child care providers. The
committee's action is a
victory for AFSCME's newest members, family child care providers.
Joint Finance Committee members also voted to eliminate the proposed child care rating
system and W-2
benefits for pregnant women, and agreed to improve investigations of fraud in W-2 and in
child care
assistance. Of particular interest to AFSCME was the committee's decision to reduce
funding for county
W-2 contracts, based on the legislative Fiscal Bureau's observation that expenditures for
local
administration of W-2 in the first 14 months of the 2006-09 contracts had been less than
anticipated.
On Thursday, the committee will vote on the Governor's proposal to provide a 2% increase
in funding for
nursing homes, and the plan to expand the state's new long-term care program known as
"Family Care".
AFSCME has joined forces with the nursing home industry to lobby for a 5% increase
(instead of the 2%
increase) for struggling nursing homes. AFSCME also is closely monitoring committee action
on Family
Care, especially the proposals that affect county employees who currently provide case
management
services and other vital services to elderly and disabled clients. We'll provide an update
of the committee's
action on nursing homes and Family Care in next week's bulletin.
OTHER LEGISLATIVE TIDBITS - Recently, several AFSCME
members from Council 24's Local 134
(New Lisbon Correctional Institution) testified before the Assembly Corrections and Courts
Committee in
support of Assembly Bill 92, which would create statutory penalties for inmates who
participate in riots in
correctional institutions. AB-92 was presented by Rep. Sheryl Albers
(R-Reedsburg) in response to an
incident at New Lisbon in November of 2004 in which several officers were injured. AFSCME
is working
with committee members to advance this important legislation.
A legislative committee has voted to recommend passage of a bill that would limit
corporate property tax
exemptions. SB-122 would reverse a recent court interpretation of a 1953
law that created a property tax
exemption for property owned by waste treatment facilities to treat industrial waste. A
court decision (the
Newark Decision) recently greatly expanded the interpretation of the law, which could
result in business
property tax exemptions worth hundreds of millions of dollars and a massive loss of
revenue to local
governments. SB-122 preserves the original intent of the exemption as
well as the property tax base of
local governments. SB-122 was approved by the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Utilities and Rail, and
has been sent to the Joint Committee on Finance for further action.
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