The Legislative Fiscal Bureau cannot find record of a budget quite so unbalanced as the state budget faced this year. Nothing can even compare in recent history. With the Wisconsin economy slightly better than the nation's abysmal situation, we have been faced with a $6.6 billion dollar deficit - nearly $1.6 billion in shortfall discovered after work on the budget already had began.
With these real and severe challenges, many had predicted tax increases would be needed to fund the basics of the state and invest in the road to recovery. That has not happened. This budget has no general sales or tax increase, protects the vast majority of Wisconsin residents from an income tax increase, and holds the line on property taxes by making investments in local transportation aids, police and fire services, schools and recycling grants. The budget also increases aid to the schools districts with the highest poverty in the state and invests in technical colleges to ensure they have the resources needed to retrain laid-off workers for new jobs. We also protected the few school districts with the most severe declining enrollment and therefore state funding, like Albany School District, which faced a desperate funding shortfall without the change.
These challenges were met with many significant cuts across the board for the state which amount to more than $900 million less in GPR, general purpose spending, than the last budget. This money was used to fill huge holes in income tax revenue and sales tax decreases. With the help of the federal funding for transportation and education, we have moved ahead without draconian cuts. However, every state agency has been severely cut and must squeeze every nickel out of a dollar - all state employees will have to take furloughs and forgo a promised pay raise that totals a 5 percent cut in pay.
In this budget we work to help grow Wisconsin's economy:
• Fund hundreds of transportation projects that will put thousands of people to work.
• Fund cutting-edge projects and facilities to create jobs for the future.
• Restored a $3.37 million dollar cut to the Wisconsin Technical College System to support worker retraining.
• Fund grants to small businesses and green businesses to help them explore and grow; we also let them purchase goods from the state surplus to save money.
• Fund tourism promotion to help support tourism which brings in $12 billion to Wisconsin.
• Committed funds to areas hardest hit by the recession to help them lure businesses and jobs to their areas.
• Increased financial aid to keep pace with tuition for University of Wisconsin students.
• Protected K-12 education from deep cuts by limiting school aid cuts to 2.5 percent rather than the 5 percent most other agencies will have to take so we can protect the strong Wisconsin education we all value.
• Took out policy items which would have unknown liability increases for Wisconsin businesses and individuals - many of you contacted me on this issue and that removal was a bottom line issue for me to gain my support for the budget.
There is a lot more information available about the 2009-2010 state budget. A helpful resource is the Legislative Fiscal Bureau Web site, which has understandable publications legislators and other citizens can use to help them sift through the state budget. The Web site is: http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/index.html.
There are a few differences between the Senate and the Assembly version of the state budget - those will have to be worked out in Conference Committee before the bill will go to the governor for his signature and possible vetoes. Please keep in touch and call my office any time at (888) 549-0027 or e-mail sen.erpenbach@legis.wi.gov.
- Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, serves the 27th State Senate District.
With these real and severe challenges, many had predicted tax increases would be needed to fund the basics of the state and invest in the road to recovery. That has not happened. This budget has no general sales or tax increase, protects the vast majority of Wisconsin residents from an income tax increase, and holds the line on property taxes by making investments in local transportation aids, police and fire services, schools and recycling grants. The budget also increases aid to the schools districts with the highest poverty in the state and invests in technical colleges to ensure they have the resources needed to retrain laid-off workers for new jobs. We also protected the few school districts with the most severe declining enrollment and therefore state funding, like Albany School District, which faced a desperate funding shortfall without the change.
These challenges were met with many significant cuts across the board for the state which amount to more than $900 million less in GPR, general purpose spending, than the last budget. This money was used to fill huge holes in income tax revenue and sales tax decreases. With the help of the federal funding for transportation and education, we have moved ahead without draconian cuts. However, every state agency has been severely cut and must squeeze every nickel out of a dollar - all state employees will have to take furloughs and forgo a promised pay raise that totals a 5 percent cut in pay.
In this budget we work to help grow Wisconsin's economy:
• Fund hundreds of transportation projects that will put thousands of people to work.
• Fund cutting-edge projects and facilities to create jobs for the future.
• Restored a $3.37 million dollar cut to the Wisconsin Technical College System to support worker retraining.
• Fund grants to small businesses and green businesses to help them explore and grow; we also let them purchase goods from the state surplus to save money.
• Fund tourism promotion to help support tourism which brings in $12 billion to Wisconsin.
• Committed funds to areas hardest hit by the recession to help them lure businesses and jobs to their areas.
• Increased financial aid to keep pace with tuition for University of Wisconsin students.
• Protected K-12 education from deep cuts by limiting school aid cuts to 2.5 percent rather than the 5 percent most other agencies will have to take so we can protect the strong Wisconsin education we all value.
• Took out policy items which would have unknown liability increases for Wisconsin businesses and individuals - many of you contacted me on this issue and that removal was a bottom line issue for me to gain my support for the budget.
There is a lot more information available about the 2009-2010 state budget. A helpful resource is the Legislative Fiscal Bureau Web site, which has understandable publications legislators and other citizens can use to help them sift through the state budget. The Web site is: http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/index.html.
There are a few differences between the Senate and the Assembly version of the state budget - those will have to be worked out in Conference Committee before the bill will go to the governor for his signature and possible vetoes. Please keep in touch and call my office any time at (888) 549-0027 or e-mail sen.erpenbach@legis.wi.gov.
- Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, serves the 27th State Senate District.
