MADISON, Wis. — Republicans who control the Legislature’s budget-writing committee are making a last-ditch effort to pass a new state budget on time, scheduling votes for Friday on 18 different areas of state government they have yet to pass spending plans for.
The agenda the committee’s co-chairs published on Thursday comes one week after budget talks between Republican leaders and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers broke down for the second time this year and just days before the end of the fiscal year.
If a new budget isn’t passed into law by July 1, state funding will continue at current levels until a budget is passed. However, some programs with funding set to expire this year would be eliminated without a new budget in place.
Talks between Evers and GOP leaders are ongoing, but so far, they’ve been unsuccessful. Evers is prioritizing investments in education and child care. Republicans, meanwhile, want to see substantial tax cuts signed into law.
“I had a discussion with Governor Evers this morning, so we’re staying in regular communication as we continue to work through it,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said on Tuesday. “I think the most important thing for us, though, is to figure out if everybody wants to be at the table so that we have the ability to finish our negotiations. That’s the most important part, because it takes three people to tango in this circumstance.”
Assembly Republicans said Tuesday that their caucus is in agreement on budget priorities. Things are more complicated in the state Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 18-15 majority and have been struggling to get the votes they need to pass a new budget.
To become law, the budget must be passed by both chambers of the state Legislature and then signed into law by the governor.
Senate Democrats called for their counterparts to work across the aisle to get the votes they need. “We are here; we’ve always been here. We are ready to work,” Democratic Sen. Kelda Roys said.
Roys also said that even if Republicans reach a deal with the governor, it won’t guarantee Democratic votes in the Senate.
“I think all of us are going to have to make our own decisions about whether or not the budget is one that we can support or that meets the needs of our districts, and that’s as it should be,” she said.
Some of the major items on the finance committee’s agenda for Friday include funding for the Universities of Wisconsin, Medicaid funding, a plan to close the troubled Green Bay Correctional Institution, child care funding, and a decision on whether to continue the state’s stewardship program.
The full agenda is available here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
