Prosecutors and public defenders would get a pay raise and counties would be able to hire more assistant district attorneys under a motion the Joint Finance Committee approved today.
The committee also approved funding for overtime within the Department of Corrections as well as investments in contract beds, while it was less than what the governor and agency requested.
JFC made a last-minute change to not take up the Universities of Wisconsin today. Co-chairs declined to say why.
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Public defenders
JFC approved a motion to invest $2 million in the first year of the biennium and $4 million in the second year for a pay raise for district attorneys and public defenders.
That would lead to a pay bump of $2.31 an hour in each year of the biennium, which was the same as what Gov. Tony Evers had proposed.
The first raise would take effect on July 1 and the other July 1, 2026. The state would set aside $11.7 million in general purpose toward covering the costs.
The committee also approved $8.2 million over the biennium for 42 new ADA positions in district attorney offices to increase staffing.
The guv’s budget called for $8.6 million to cover an additional 47 ADA positions.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said today this motion will not cover the backlog in cases.
“I think this motion is a nod in the right direction, but when you consider the loss in federal funding it is not enough,” Roys said.
Co-chair Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, said the motion is based on a workload analysis and “what’s actually needed.” He said the governor’s budget didn’t consider where there’s actually a need.
Corrections
The committee approved $136 million GPR overall, with $64 million for contract beds and inflationary costs covering inmates, $20 million for overtime and $11.2 million in program revenue.
The agency had requested $84 million for population variable costs and contract beds, as well as $47.9 million for overtime and $939,400 in program revenue.
Dems protested the Republican plan for Corrections, arguing the proposal isn’t investing enough in the agency.
Rep. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, specifically objected to the funding allotted to Fox Lake Correctional Institution staffing.
The motion included $2 million over the biennium to provide 16.6 GPR positions annually for health care-related positions at Fox Lake Correctional Institution.
McGuire said he’s disappointed the budget isn’t including enough positions for the institution.
“Unfortunately, it appears, from our view, that this is just as I suspected, kicking the can and not addressing some of the long-term safety issues,” McGuire said.
McGuire added he’s concerned about the lack of investment in overtime and worried the agency will not be able to operate with less than what it requested.
Born said the GOP proposal is “realistic” because the request is already expensive. He added the agency has made progress in decreasing vacancies so it’s “moving in the right direction” with big improvements from the previous session.
The committee also:
- Rejected a Dem motion along party lines to invest $400 million in broadband expansion. Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, said the motion was “not real,” because the state “literally” can’t spend that money with current infrastructure. The governor has pushed for increased investment in broadband with a federal delay in funding.
