Governor Doyle, Legislative Leaders Announce Agreement on State Budget
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle joined with Speaker Mike Huebsch, Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson and Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser to announce a budget agreement.
“For the first time in a long time Wisconsin has a budget – one that funds our priorities and creates opportunity for regular hardworking people,” Governor Doyle said. “Today, the Legislature has done the right thing for our schools; for the safety of our neighborhoods; for the health of our kids and the health of our economy. This has been a difficult process for all of us, but today Democrats and Republicans begin anew, ready to move this state forward, and ready to create opportunity for hardworking Wisconsin families.”
Nearly nine months ago Governor Doyle presented his budget to the Legislature – a plan to create opportunity for middle class families and those trying to get there. He laid out an agenda for how to fund education; make health care more affordable; provide targeted tax relief to middle class families; and create good-paying jobs for our citizens.
When the Governor introduced his budget, he called on Democrats and Republicans to work together to pursue an opportunity agenda for the families and businesses of this state. Today, the leaders of the Legislature answered his call.
The agreement reached today ensures quality education for Wisconsin students. The bill:
Ø Meets Wisconsin’s commitment to fund two-thirds the cost of every child’s education … protecting our schools while taking the burden off of property taxpayers.
Ø Moves forward on the Wisconsin Covenant – our promise to eighth graders that if they work hard, maintain a B average, and take the classes they need to go to college, there will be a spot for them in our state’s universities or colleges.
Ø Makes sure kids get off to the right start, by investing $3 million in four-year-old kindergarten, $3.2 million in school breakfast, and $27 million to create smaller class sizes in the early grades.
Ø Includes reforms in the school financing system that help rural districts with transportation costs, and treat districts with declining enrollment more fairly.
Ø Invests $32 million in financial aid so talented students who have earned their way into our states universities have the resources they need to help them succeed. The funding puts the state on pace to triple financial aid by the end of this fiscal term.
Ø Keeps a promise made to all Wisconsin veterans to provide free college tuition to all Wisconsin veterans by investing $12 million.
Ø Fully funds the University’s Growth Agenda to expand enrollment and train the next generation of nurses, engineers, chemists, biologists, and skilled workers that our economy needs.
The agreement reached today makes health care more accessible and affordable. The bill:
Ø Ensures that at least 98 percent of Wisconsin citizens have access to health coverage through BadgerCare Plus – more than any other state in the nation.
Ø Offers every Wisconsin family the opportunity to buy affordable health coverage for their child, starting at about $10 a month so no family would lose coverage just because their income goes up through BadgerCare Plus. It also expands coverage to more than 70,000 hardworking adults.
Ø Makes every dollar families pay in health premiums completely tax free.
Ø Increases the cigarette tax by $1 to reduce smoking rates and dedicates new funds to pay the cost of tobacco-related illness.
Ø Invests $30 million in smoking prevention and cessation programs.
The agreement reached today creates jobs and opportunity. The bill:
Ø Includes $15 million in the second year to make Wisconsin a leader in renewable energy and the fight against global warming.
Ø Provides tax credits to grow and expand Wisconsin’s bio-industry, tax credits to modernize and expand Wisconsin’s cheese industry, and a tax exemption directed at Wisconsin’s manufacturers to help them with their energy costs.
Ø Increases funding for job training programs so workers can get ahead … with 75 percent of the money devoted toward manufacturing.
Ø Reauthorizes the Stewardship Fund at $85 million per year for 10 years with legislative oversight.
The agreement reached today is fiscally responsible. The bill:
Ø Ends with a surplus of $65 million. The Governor also deposited $55 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund for a total savings of $120 million.
Ø Includes targeted tax cuts so families can deduct more of what they pay for health care, child care, and college, and ends the tax on Social Security benefits. This is real, meaningful relief for middle class families – tax cuts that will make life in Wisconsin more affordable.
Ø Has tight property tax limits. In the last two years, Wisconsin families saw the smallest property tax increases in a decade. This budget, builds on that progress … holding property tax increases to less than the rate of inflation for the average home.
“For the first time in a long time Wisconsin has a budget – one that funds our priorities and creates opportunity for regular hardworking people,” Governor Doyle said. “Today, the Legislature has done the right thing for our schools; for the safety of our neighborhoods; for the health of our kids and the health of our economy. This has been a difficult process for all of us, but today Democrats and Republicans begin anew, ready to move this state forward, and ready to create opportunity for hardworking Wisconsin families.”
Nearly nine months ago Governor Doyle presented his budget to the Legislature – a plan to create opportunity for middle class families and those trying to get there. He laid out an agenda for how to fund education; make health care more affordable; provide targeted tax relief to middle class families; and create good-paying jobs for our citizens.
When the Governor introduced his budget, he called on Democrats and Republicans to work together to pursue an opportunity agenda for the families and businesses of this state. Today, the leaders of the Legislature answered his call.
The agreement reached today ensures quality education for Wisconsin students. The bill:
Ø Meets Wisconsin’s commitment to fund two-thirds the cost of every child’s education … protecting our schools while taking the burden off of property taxpayers.
Ø Moves forward on the Wisconsin Covenant – our promise to eighth graders that if they work hard, maintain a B average, and take the classes they need to go to college, there will be a spot for them in our state’s universities or colleges.
Ø Makes sure kids get off to the right start, by investing $3 million in four-year-old kindergarten, $3.2 million in school breakfast, and $27 million to create smaller class sizes in the early grades.
Ø Includes reforms in the school financing system that help rural districts with transportation costs, and treat districts with declining enrollment more fairly.
Ø Invests $32 million in financial aid so talented students who have earned their way into our states universities have the resources they need to help them succeed. The funding puts the state on pace to triple financial aid by the end of this fiscal term.
Ø Keeps a promise made to all Wisconsin veterans to provide free college tuition to all Wisconsin veterans by investing $12 million.
Ø Fully funds the University’s Growth Agenda to expand enrollment and train the next generation of nurses, engineers, chemists, biologists, and skilled workers that our economy needs.
The agreement reached today makes health care more accessible and affordable. The bill:
Ø Ensures that at least 98 percent of Wisconsin citizens have access to health coverage through BadgerCare Plus – more than any other state in the nation.
Ø Offers every Wisconsin family the opportunity to buy affordable health coverage for their child, starting at about $10 a month so no family would lose coverage just because their income goes up through BadgerCare Plus. It also expands coverage to more than 70,000 hardworking adults.
Ø Makes every dollar families pay in health premiums completely tax free.
Ø Increases the cigarette tax by $1 to reduce smoking rates and dedicates new funds to pay the cost of tobacco-related illness.
Ø Invests $30 million in smoking prevention and cessation programs.
The agreement reached today creates jobs and opportunity. The bill:
Ø Includes $15 million in the second year to make Wisconsin a leader in renewable energy and the fight against global warming.
Ø Provides tax credits to grow and expand Wisconsin’s bio-industry, tax credits to modernize and expand Wisconsin’s cheese industry, and a tax exemption directed at Wisconsin’s manufacturers to help them with their energy costs.
Ø Increases funding for job training programs so workers can get ahead … with 75 percent of the money devoted toward manufacturing.
Ø Reauthorizes the Stewardship Fund at $85 million per year for 10 years with legislative oversight.
The agreement reached today is fiscally responsible. The bill:
Ø Ends with a surplus of $65 million. The Governor also deposited $55 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund for a total savings of $120 million.
Ø Includes targeted tax cuts so families can deduct more of what they pay for health care, child care, and college, and ends the tax on Social Security benefits. This is real, meaningful relief for middle class families – tax cuts that will make life in Wisconsin more affordable.
Ø Has tight property tax limits. In the last two years, Wisconsin families saw the smallest property tax increases in a decade. This budget, builds on that progress … holding property tax increases to less than the rate of inflation for the average home.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 8:02 PM
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