By John Wagner
The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee held meetings this Spring across the state to receive public input on the next biennium budget.
More than 10 groups held a rally at the Wisconsin Capitol on May 27th to support several budget items that have been rejected by the Joint Finance Committee in spite of overwhelming public support at the JFC biennium budget meetings held across Wisconsin this Spring.
Our visit to the Capitol included meetings with state representatives to lobby for support of critical budget items and to deliver a letter to Governor Evers to stand firm and do all in his power to reintroduce these items into the 2025-26 budget.
The critical budget items include:
Expand BadgerCare. This will close a dangerous coverage gap for moderate income Wisconsinites without good health insurance at work. The infusion of federal Medicaid dollars will provide health care to 90,000 additional people and free up over $1 billion in state revenue to backfill expected federal cuts.
Restore funds for Child Care. In order to improve access to high quality affordable child care fairly across the state, protect a direct state investment to child care programs of at least $480 million.
Provide at least a 60% Sum Sufficient Special Education Reimbursement Rate. After decades of underfunding, the proposed increase is a critical step forward. Failure to fund special education harms students and pushes more costs onto local taxpayers.
Protect Predictable Revenue Limit Increases and Increase Spendable Aid for Public Schools. Our schools cannot meet rising needs without real, flexible funding. After 16 consecutive years of state budgets that have not even kept pace with inflation for our public schools, we cannot afford another budget that leaves districts dependent on referenda to survive.
Reject Voucher Schemes such as Decoupling Voucher Funding from School Aid Formulas. Decoupling hides the financial drain of private voucher programs on public schools and lays the groundwork for reckless expansion. Transparency matters, and public dollars belong in public schools.
Honor the Promise to Close Green Bay Correctional Institution. Public funds should invest in futures, not prisons. It’s time to close GBCI and to insist on full funding for TAD, Earned Release, and Alternatives to Revocation, which can make that possible.
Failure to include these items in the state budget will harm many Wisconsinites by forcing low-income families into poverty. Because of the serious consequences to the public, these groups are asking Governor Evers to veto any budget that does not include support for these critical issues.
You can help your friends and neighbors by calling your state representatives and Governor Evers before the end of June, when the budget will be finalized.