September 21, 2007
Volume
#29, Issue #33
LEGISLATORS INCHING FORWARD ON THE BUDGET – Last Friday, the eight-member
Budget
Conference Committee exchanged proposals about K-12 education, local property tax levy
limits, and
funding for Wisconsin's technical colleges. Assembly GOP conferees made it clear they
would be going to
the floor of the State Assembly Chambers Tuesday to vote on a K-12 / levy limit budget. As
a result, not
much was done Friday in anticipation of the assembly action Tuesday. Of course, Tuesday's
session day
was all about theatre and posturing. The Republican Education Bill passed on a 70-27 vote
(with 20 Dems
joing the Republicans) and the Republican Levy Limit Bill vote was 52-45. The bills that
passed the
Assembly are pretty meaningless because they are only the Assembly's position, not
compromise bills,
but the bills certainly reflect a certain anxiousness on the part of the Assembly
Republican leadership.
In spite of Tuesday, there is some momentum happening now, and there is a clear
willingness to get the
budget done sometime soon. Several years ago, with Senator Chuck Chvala and Representative
Scott
Jensen at the helm of the Senate and Assembly, the budget impasse was solved by the first
week of
October. It is possible that the Huebsch and Robson teams are feeling the pressure to
deliver a budget
around that time given the increasing negative media that both sides are getting for
failing to reach a
compromise nearly three months into the new fiscal year (which began on July 1, 2007).
On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the Conference Committee met again and exchanged
proposals on funding and staffing in the State Department of Corrections. The proposals
treat us pretty
well, and we will continue to birddog the committee to make sure they deliver on
corrections.
Our message to AFSCME members this week is to stay on message and to keep reminding
lawmakers to
build a budget that protects public services and the workers who provide those
essential services.
If you work in a nursing home, be sure that your legislator knows that you support the 5%
increase in
funding for nursing homes and a hike in the cigarette tax that will help pay for that
increase. If you work for
a city streets division or county highway department, call your legislator and ask him or
her to make sure
there is sufficient funding for the transportation portion of the budget, and say that you
want to see an oil
company profits tax enacted to ensure there is enough money for transportation. If you
work in a
courthouse, remind your legislator to provide adequate funding for court services. If you
work at Ethan
Allen, Lincoln Hills, or Southern Oaks Girls School (SOGS), tell your legislator to
support adequate
funding for "Youth Aids" which help pay for the cost of keeping youth offenders
in the juvenile institutions.
These are just a few examples, and we encourage you to call or email your Senator and
Assembly
Representative to urge them to support the issues unique to your workplace.
OTHER LEGISLATIVE NEWS - Long after this budget is history, we
will continue to work with lawmakers
to advocate for our members' interests and to protect the public sector. There is life
outside of the budget!
Note the following hearings that are coming up next week on legislative matters that
affect our union
members:
Residency Requirements for MPS teachers: Tuesday, September 25, the Assembly
Education Committee
will hold a hearing on AB482, which prohibits MPS from imposing residency requirements on
teachers.
The hearing is in Room 417 North at 10 a.m.
Wisconsin Secure Program Facility tour: Tuesday, September 25, members of the Senate
Judiciary and
Corrections Committee will tour WSPF and will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. at the Boscobel
City Hall.
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