Joint Finance Committee Delays Taking Action on Broadband, Will Vote on DPI Budget May 27

 The Joint Finance Committee was in session today to act on portions of the proposed 2021-23 state budget. They had planned to vote on the broadband provisions in the Public Service Commission budget, but delayed taking action on those items.

Committee Co-Chairs Senator Markelin and Representative Born said that they chose to delay voting on the broadband items after the Governor's announcement that he plans to use $100 million in federal stimulus funds to support broadband expansion.

"The Governor has stated that the details of [the $100 million] will be available on June 1, so we believe it's prudent to wait until after that to take up the Public Service Commission and to act on the broadband expansion," said Senator Marklein. "Obviously it's an important topic to me and an important topic to many members of our caucus."

The Committee will be in session again on May 27 to vote on the Department of Public Instruction budget.

Governor Evers puts $100 million of federal stimulus funds toward broadband

Governor Evers announced on May 18 that he is using $100 million of federal stimulus funds received by the state for broadband expansion grants. The Public Service Commission will begin accepting grant applications starting June 1, 2021 with a due date of July 27, 2021. 

Governor Evers has indicated that this is the first batch of broadband initiatives that he plans to fund with federal stimulus dollars. 

The $100 million in federal funds are in addition to the nearly $200 million in broadband investments included in the Governor's 2021-23 state budget, which the Joint Finance Committee will vote on May 20.  

Key State Budget Vote on Broadband May 20!

The Joint Finance Committee will meet on Thursday, May 20 at 11 a.m. to vote on the Public Service Commission (PSC) items in the state budget related to Broadband. 

The following items from the PSC broadband budget will be taken up on Thursday:

• Increasing funding and staff for the statewide broadband office by $496,300 for the biennium 

• Broadband expansion grant funding of $151.7 million for the biennium 

• Broadband line extension grant program funding of $5.4 million for the biennium 

• Broadband connector program and planning grants funding of $600,000 for the biennium 

• Broadband service reporting requirements for internet service providers to help with broadband mapping efforts

If you support these items, contact your state senator and state representative to let them know how broadband expansion would benefit you and your students! 

ACT NOW To Get Federal Stimulus Funds for Your School Library!

Congress passed a series of stimulus bills related to COVID-19 during 2020 and 2021. Several of these bills provided significant funding to Wisconsin school districts to help them respond to the pandemic. It is critical that we advocate for strong school library programs at the local level! 

 

We break down the opportunities for you to advocate at the school district level for federal stimulus funds to be used to help your school library program. You can view a PDF copy of this guide here. 

Possible projects that could receive stimulus funding include: 

• Expanded hours 
• Reconfiguring physical spaces 
• Summer literacy programs 
• Purchasing devices and hardware

Helpful Advocacy Resources

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has created recommendations for how schools can use the federal stimulus funds, which you can view here. There are specific recommendations for school libraries and digital learning. 

American Library Association: The ALA has created a detailed resource page to help you advocate for your school library at the local level! It includes a sample letter that you can send to your principal, superintendent and school board! They have also prepared this helpful list of ideas on how school libraries can use federal stimulus funds. 

Available Funding Sources

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund: Congress provided dedicated funding to K-12 schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSR) fund in three of the stimulus bills. Most recently, the American Rescue Plan Act provided $1.5 billion to Wisconsin K-12 schools, 90% of which will be passed directly on to local school districts. 

What the Funds Can Be Used For: ESSR funds can be used for a variety of activities including (but not limited to!):

• Providing technology for online learning to all students
• Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software and connectivity) for students
• Summer learning, summer enrichment or comprehensive afterschool programs

What Your School District Is Getting: A break down of how much each Wisconsin school district has received from the ESSR in each of the three stimulus bills can be found on page 11 of this document. 

E-Rate Emergency Connectivity Fund:  The American Rescue Plan Act established a $7.1 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund as part of the E-Rate program. The FCC is required to reimburse 100% of eligible equipment expenses. 

What Funds Can be Used For: Eligible purchases include: Wi-Fi hotspots (including hot spots for buses and bookmobiles); Modems; Routers; Devices that combine a modem and router and connected devices (laptops, tablets, etc.). Purchases can support devices used by students and school staff off-campus! The FCC released guidance on this program on May 10, 2021. You can view the full rules here. 

What Your School District is Getting: Nothing--unless you apply for these funds!

How to Apply For Funds: The FCC has said they want the application process to be quick and easy! The FCC has directed the Universal Service Administrative Company to open a 45-day application window as soon as possible. During the initial application window, schools and libraries may apply for funding for eligible purchases made between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. 

Institute for Museum and Library Services:  The American Rescue Plan Act provided a total of $200 million for the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services is required to provide 89% of the funds to State Library Administrative Agencies. It is not yet clear how much Wisconsin is receiving under this provision. 

Registration for Virtual State Budget Hearing Opening April 19

There are three public hearings left on the proposed state budget. It has been announced that registration for the April 28 virtual hearing will open on April 19 at 10 a.m. here: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/topics/budgetcomments/virtual/. Capacity will be limited to 200 people. 

WEMTA has prepared a talking points document that you can use to prepare testimony, which you can view here. You can also use the toolkit which includes tips on how to prepare testimony for the public hearing, which you can view here. 

If you plan to attend the April 28 virtual hearing, please mark your calendar to register on April 19 at 10 a.m. as we expect the registration limit to be reached quickly. 

Wednesday, April 21^st, 10 am to 5pm

Hodag Dome
665 Coolidge Ave.
Rhinelander, WI 54501

 

Thursday, April 22^nd, 10 am to 5pm

 University of Wisconsin-Stout
Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center
302 10th Ave E
Menomonie, WI 54751

 

 

Wednesday, April 28^th, 10 am to 5pm

Virtual

Pre-registration is required and will open on April 19 at 10 a.m. here: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/topics/budgetcomments/virtual

Don't Forget to Vote April 6 + WEMTA State Superintendent Voter Guide

Wisconsin's Spring Election is Tuesday, April 6, 2021! State Superintendent is the only statewide race on the ballot. WEMTA surveyed the candidates about issues important to school libraries. You can view their answers here. 

Two special elections are being held in State Senate District 13 and State Assembly District 89. There are also many local races for circuit court judges, county executives, city councils and school boards!   

Key Voting Details

See what's on your ballot here. 

Early Voting: The deadline to request an absentee ballot was April 1. However, you can still vote early in-person at your local clerk's office or another location, depending on where you live. Contact your municipal clerk for details. 

Deadline to Return Your Absentee Ballot: Your absentee ballot must be received by the clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

Absentee Ballot Tracking: You can check to see if your absentee ballot was received here.

In-Person Voting: You can vote in-person at the polls on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Joint Finance Committee, Governor Evers Announce State Budget Public Hearings

 Joint Finance Committee Hearings 

Senator Howard Marklein and Representative Mark Born have announced that the Joint Finance Committee will hold four public hearings on the state budget bill--three will be in-person and one will be virtual. These hearings are critical for state budget advocacy. Members of the Committee often make changes to the budget based on the top issues that are raised at these hearings. 

The hearings will be:

In-Person (all starting at 10 a.m.) 

April 9 at UW-Whitewater

April 21 at the the Hodag Dome in  Rhinelander, WI

April 22 at  UW-Stout 

Virtual 

April 28 --pre-registration required but not available yet

Governor Evers Hearings 

Governor Evers will hold six virtual hearings on the budget as well. Pre-registration is required. This is a great opportunity to thank the Governor for investments made in the state budget bill and to provide ideas for how the state could utilize the additional federal stimulus dollars that will be coming to Wisconsin. 

March 18 at 6 p.m. Listening session on Economic Recovery & Opportunity. Register. 

March 25 at 6 p.m. Listening session on Accessible & Affordable Health Care. Register. 

March 30 at 6 p.m. Listening session on Transportation and Infrastructure. Register. 

April 8 at 6 p.m.. Listening session on What's Best for Our Kids. Register. 

April 14 at 6 p.m. Listening session on Justice Reform and Marijuana Legalization. Register. 

April 21 at 6 p.m. Listening session on Climate Change & Our Environment. Register.