Seniors would see a new tax break on their retirement income, while others would see some of their wages taxed at a lower rate under a GOP plan the Joint Finance Committee approved along party lines.

The bulk of the increase in the GOP motion — approved 12-4 along party lines — would go into special education. That includes $229 million in the main fund used to reimburse districts for special education costs and another $54.6 million for high-cost special education. 

Co-chair Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, told reporters ahead of the committee meeting this evening that he tax cut will include expanding the income now covered by the second-lowest of the state’s four tax brackets. 

The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee approving boosting the amount of state money going into youth apprenticeship programs and meat inspections, though it was significantly less than what Dem Gov. Tony Evers proposed.

Gov. Tony Evers had backed the state Supreme Court’s call for an Office of Marshals to add 8.4 full-time equivalent staff in addition to the 1.6 positions now working for the court. His budget included nearly $2.3 million to cover the costs.

Thursday’s votes will be the first on two main drivers of state spending. The Department of Public Instruction accounted for nearly 35% of all general fund appropriations in the 2023-25 budget when it was signed into law, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Shared revenue, another item on the committee’s Thursday agenda, is the third-largest general fund appropriation.

The Joint Finance Committee voted unanimously today to increase bonding authority by $732.3 million to provide more revolving loans for clean water and safe drinking water projects. The move would cover for the next four years the state’s requirement for providing matching funds to qualify for federal grants.