Joint Finance Committee Taking Shape, Senate Committee Chairs Announced

Governor Walker will release his 2015-17 state budget within the first few months of the new legislative session, and the powerful Joint Finance Committee will have the first opportunity to make changes to the proposed two-year spending plan.  Joint Finance Committee members will travel the state to conduct public hearings on the proposed budget and then make any changes that they deem necessary---this includes adding, modifying or completing removing items from the Governor's proposal.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) recently named his appointees to the Joint Finance Committee.  Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) will again serve as the Assembly Chair and Representative Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) will serve as the Vice-Chair.  Vos also appointed Representatives Dean Knudson (R-Hudson), Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton),  Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), and Mary Czaja (R-Irma) to the Committee.  Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) gets to appoint two Democratic Representatives to the Committee but has not released their names yet.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) announced this week that Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) will remain the Senate Chair and Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) will serve as Vice-Chair.  Fitzgerald also appointed Senators Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls), Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) and Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) to serve on the Committee. Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) appointed Senators Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) and Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) to the Committee.

Senator Fitzgerald also made the Republican Senate committee appointments this week, which include:

Senate Committee on Education 

Luther Olsen (Chair)

Alberta Darling (Vice-Chair)

Leah Vukmir

Steve Nass

Senate Committee on Education Reform & Government Operations

Paul Farrow (Chair)

Sheila Harsdorf (Vice-Chair)

Steve Nass

Senate Committee on Universities & Technical Colleges 

Sheila Harsdorf (Chair)

Steve Nass (Vice Chair)

Rick Gudex