State tax collections continued to exceed expectations in the 2020-21 fiscal year as the state took in $319 million more than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had projected just two months ago. In June, LFB had anticipated $19.25 billion in general fund tax collections in the second year of the

Wisconsin wouldn’t qualify for some $2.2 billion in federal aid for K-12 education if Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the GOP-authored budget in full and Capitol leaders failed to pass a new one, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau says. The LFB memo underscores the risk some insiders have raised for Evers if

The state Assembly this afternoon kicked off debate on the state budget by shooting down a Dem amendment to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The amendment, which mirrored the proposal Gov. Tony Evers put in his budget, was tabled 60-36 along party lines. Evers sought various ways to

The owner of a mythical median-valued home in Wisconsin would see a smaller property tax bill under the version of the budget the Joint Finance Committee approved last week vs. the one Gov. Tony Evers proposed, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The median-valued home, now worth $197,200, would see

The state would face a structural deficit of $286 million for the next biennium under the budget the Joint Finance Committee approved, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. That would be one of the smallest structural deficits over the past two decades. LFB projected the 2015-17 budget would leave a

The Joint Finance Committee’s version of the budget would spend $3.7 billion less in all funds than what Gov. Tony Evers proposed while approving 483 fewer state jobs, according to a summary from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The comparative summary of the JFC budget and Evers’ version shows the committee’s

The Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines Thursday to approve a state budget after adding a $3.4 billion tax cut. But more than $200 million of the proposed cuts would require the Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers to agree on a separate bill to eliminate the personal property tax

The Joint Finance Committee approved a package Thursday that would provide the funding for state employees to get raises of 2 percent in each of the next two years. The package, approved 11-4 along party lines, also included $3.5 million to fund a $5-an-hour increase for correctional officers working at

The $3.4 billion tax package the Joint Finance Committee plans to take up later today would put more into K-12 education and tech colleges to drive down property tax levies while lowering one of the state’s four tax brackets. The package also includes measures to repeal the personal property tax,

Wisconsin would put another $129 million in state money into efforts to expand broadband under a motion the GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee approved Tuesday. Of that, $125 million would be covered through bonds with another $4 million transferred from a separate fund over the next two years toward the effort.

The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines to pump $748.5 million in general purpose revenue into Medicaid and other health programs, matching some of Gov. Tony Evers’ proposals from his budget. But Republicans didn’t include Evers’ calls to expand Medicaid coverage to services such as doulas or to

The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program would be renewed for four years with $32 million annually for preservation and outdoor recreation programs under a motion the Joint Finance Committee approved Thursday along party lines. That’s well short of the 10 years and $70 million annually that Gov. Tony Evers had proposed. The

The Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines this afternoon to put an additional $34.4 million into the Department of Corrections and Juvenile Justice, much of it to help cover overtime for prison guards. But Dems knocked the motion for not embracing the guv’s call for measures meant to reduce

The Joint Finance Committee is looking to round out its work on the state budget June 17 with an agenda that includes general fund taxes, shared revenue and tax relief, and state employee raises. The committee, which is also in Tuesday next week, plans to wrap up its work June

The Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines Tuesday night to increase transportation spending by $357.3 million over current law and use more general purpose revenue to cover those costs. The motion, approved 11-4, would borrow $223.6 million to cover transportation costs, compared to the $555.8 million that Gov. Tony

The Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines Tuesday evening to approve $1.5 billion in building projects. Adding in projects the committee had approved earlier in the process, and its capital budget is about $800 million less than the $2.4 billion that Gov. Tony Evers had proposed. The GOP motion,

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said today he’d like to use $4 billion of unexpected revenue growth to cut taxes. Vos met with Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, this afternoon after the Legislative Fiscal Bureau released new projections showing the state is now expected to take in $4.4 billion

Thanks to “unprecedented” general fund tax collections in 2021, the state is now expected to take in $4.4 billion more through mid-2023 than was anticipated just four months ago, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The net impact of the eye-popping numbers mean lawmakers will have nearly $3.8 billion more

The Joint Finance Committee on Thursday plans to take up Corrections, the state court system, district attorneys and public defenders. The committee’s agenda also includes the state Department of Justice, the Legislature and the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship. The committee also meets Tuesday. It is the first time since the