The Joint Finance Committee, the Legislature's powerful budget-writing committee, finished work on their version of the budget bill on June 17, and voted to advance it to the full Legislature. Before they wrapped up work on Thursday night, the Joint Finance Committee approved about $3.4 billion in tax cuts. They also increased general school aids by about $408 million (under revenue limits) to meet the maintenance of effort requirements for federal K-12 stimulus funds.
We expect the full State Assembly and full State Senate to act on the Joint Finance Committee's version of the budget bill during the week of June 28. After that, Governor Evers' will have the option to sign it as is, veto it in part or veto it in full.
You can view a full breakdown of where items of interest to WEMTA stand in the Joint Finance Committee's budget here.
We have also highlighted that status of several key items of interest below:
Remains in the Budget
WISELearn: The Joint Finance Committee approved the Governor's proposal to reduce funding for WISELearn by $150,000 in 2021-22 and by $200,000 in 2022-23.
Library Service Contracts: The Joint Finance Committee approved the Governor's proposal to increase funding for the library service contracts by $12,900 in 2021-22 and by $25,300 in 2022-23 to fully fund the costs of the contracts. The following organizations receive library service contracts: the Milwaukee Public Library; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library; and the Cooperative Children's Book Center.
Public Library System Aid: The Joint Finance Committee approved the Governor's proposal to increase public library system aid by $2.5 million in 2021-22 and by $4 million in 2022-23. Wisconsin Reading Corps: The Joint Finance Committee voted to add an additional $300,000 in 2021-22 and an additional $1.3 million in 2022-23 for the Wisconsin Reading Corps to the budget. The Governor had not proposed anything related to this item.
Remains in the Budget but was Modified
Broadband Expansion Grants: The Joint Finance Committee voted to modify Governor Evers' proposal to provide an additional $147.7 million in state funding to the Broadband Expansion Grant program to instead allow the State's Building Commission to authorize $125 million in state general fund-supported borrowing for Broadband Expansion Grants.
Removed from Budget
TEACH: Governor Evers proposed making several changes to the TEACH program in his budget, including extending the Information Technology Infrastructure Block Grant Program for schools and libraries through June 30,2025, at $3 million per year. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
Internet Access for Low Income Families: Governor Evers' budget included $20 million per year to create a new program housed at the Department of Children and Families that would have made payments to Internet service providers on behalf of low-income families who need help paying for Internet service. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
Broadband Line Extension Grant Program: Governor Evers' budget included a total of $5.3 million to create a Broadband Line Extension Grant program for residential properties that are not served by a broadband provider to help them pay for the necessary line extensions. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
Broadband Planning Grants: Governor Evers' budget included $300,000 per year in funding to make grants to cities, villages, towns, counties, school districts, nonprofit organization and others to support broadband planning; engineering related to broadband infrastructure; and digital inclusion activities. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
Broadband Mapping: Governor Evers' budget would have required Internet service providers to give the state information on service availability by April 1 of each year to assist in statewide broadband mapping efforts. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
Return to Work for Retired Teachers: Governor Evers proposed allowing school districts to rehire a retired teacher without requiring them to suspend their WRS retirement payment if: at least 15 days have passed since the teacher left employment; the teacher did not have an agreement in place to return to employment at the time of retirement; and upon returning to work the teacher does not elect to become a participating employee in the WRS system again. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
Computer Science Licensure Grants: Governor Evers' budget included $750,000 for a new grant program that would have helped schools provide assistance to employees who want to obtain a license or permit to teach computer science. The Joint Finance Committee removed this item from the budget bill.
