“Oftentimes state lawmakers have to decide what programs are we gonna cut, are we gonna increase taxes, you know all these painful decisions that often come about when there’s not enough funding to pay for all the things the state government does. This time we’re in the unusual position of having the opposite quandary so that’s a good thing.” (Mark 3)
That’s Mark Sommerhauser, a researcher for the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which just released a report that summarizes the main points from the governor’s budget proposal.
Sommerhauser says they plan to do more specific reports on major issues from the budget like tax reform and funding for higher education. This report, though, focuses on proposals that could be best set up for compromise in a divided government.
One item that looks like it will have bipartisan support? Sales tax.
“He wants to essentially earmark 20% of all state sales tax revenues to go to shared revenue, to municipalities and counties, and that would be a very sizable increase in the amount of aid that they would receive. We do know that this concept of giving municipalities and counties 20% of state sales tax collections; that is something that Republican lawmakers have also indicated that they’re interested in considering.”
Meanwhile, Governor Evers has proposed over $2.6 billion in state funding for schools, but the legislature has already said they want to lower that amount. Sommerhauser says it is likely that the legislature will propose a lower amount of aid to schools in their version of the budget.
Another controversial measure? Funding for public healthcare and Medicaid. The report says it is unlikely that the legislature will support any expansion of Medicaid in the upcoming budget.
The other two topics on the report discussed how much of the budget surplus the state should use and how much funding should go to transportation.
Sommerhauser says that the Wisconsin Policy Forum wants to highlight that this surplus is not guaranteed in future years.
This means that it is important to consider one time expenses in the budget because not all the money will be available again in 2025.
The governor has proposed several one time items including funding for internet access and funding to pay off roads and bridges. Meanwhile, Republicans say they want to see a budget that’s more conservative on spending.
The Legislative budget-writing committee will weigh the governor’s budget for the next several months. When they’re done, they’ll send it back to the Governor, who can sign the bill as-is or veto it in full, but will likely use a power known as a line-item veto to make specific changes.
Reporting for WORT News I’m Abigail Leavins.
