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Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Joint Finance Committee to meet Friday after a weeklong pause to continue work on state budget
Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee), a member of the Joint Finance Committee, urged Republicans to work to ensure families have access to child care. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee is planning to return to its work on the state budget Friday. It will be the committee's first meeting since early last week when work halted due to a breakdown in negotiations between Republican Senate and Assembly leaders and Gov. Tony Evers. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) said then that his caucus objected to the amount of spending being considered in the budget negotiations. Two members of his caucus — Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) — have both publicly expressed their concerns about the budget being negotiated by Evers and Republican leaders, presenting a challenge in the Senate where Republicans hold an 18-15 majority. To pass a budget without winning Democratic votes, as they did last time, Senate Republicans can only lose one vote. Assembly Republicans have been calling this week for their Senate colleagues to come back to the negotiating table and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he was still in conversation with Evers and, according to WisPolitics, is optimistic the budget could be completed next week. Assembly and Senate Republicans met in a joint caucus Thursday. The committee plans Friday to take up 54 sections of the budget, including ones related to the University of Wisconsin system, the Wisconsin Elections Commission, the Department of Children and Families, Department of Health Services and the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Tourism as part of its work wrapping up the budget. The budget would then need to pass the Senate and Assembly before it could go to Evers for consideration. Child care is a critical piece, as Evers has said he would veto the budget without investment in the state program to support child care providers known as Child Care Counts. The COVID-era program was launched using federal funds to subsidize child care facilities and help them pay staff and keep costs down for families, but the funds will run out in July and the program would end without state money. Republican lawmakers have said they oppose 'writing checks out to providers.' Democratic lawmakers joined child care providers Thursday morning to echo calls for investing state money to continue the Child Care Counts program. Brooke Legler, co-founder of Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN), said Republican lawmakers' proposals are inadequate to meet the crisis and Republican arguments opposing subsidies don't make sense. 'They subsidize farmers. They subsidize the manufacturers,' Legler said. 'Last [session] when they denied the funding for Child Care Counts … they gave $500 million to the Brewers, so I have an issue with them saying they can't subsidize.' Legler said that if lawmakers don't make the investment in child care, they need to be voted out of the Legislature next year. 'The $480 million needs to happen, and if it doesn't, then we need to help Sen. [Howard] Marklein and Rep. [Mark] Born find new jobs in the next election,' Legler said. 'This is not OK, and we need to stop this from happening.' Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee), a member of the Joint Finance Committee, urged Republicans to work to ensure families have access to child care, saying the state's economy relies on parents being able to work and that children are better off when they have a reliable, safe place to stay and learn. 'We cannot allow these critical centers to close their doors and opportunities to be lost to our children forever,' Johnson said. 'If the families don't have quality, dependable child care, if they have to remain at home, or even worse… these are all options that we don't want to face… and these are all options that our children don't deserve. Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said her caucus is prepared to work on the state budget and she has 'continually' been in conversation with Evers and is open to conversations with LeMahieu. 'As of right now, I have not heard from Sen. Devin LeMahieu yet, but my phone is on,' Hesselbein said. When it comes to negotiations happening behind closed doors, Hesselbein said it's 'probably normal.' 'I've talked to other majority and minority leaders in the past, and this is kind of how it's happened in the past,' Hesselbein said. In order for Democrats to vote for the budget, she said, they would need to see significant investments in K-12, special education funding, child care and higher education. 'These are the three things we've talked about — improving lives, lowering costs for everyday people,' Hesselbein said. The UW system with the support of Evers has requested an additional $855 million in the budget. Vos said last week his caucus was instead considering $87 million cuts to the system, though Evers recently said that they were discussing a 'positive number' when it comes to the UW budget. Democrats were critical of the K-12 budget that the committee approved earlier this month for not investing in a 60% reimbursement rate for special education and for not providing any general funding increases to schools. Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), a member of the Joint Finance Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that a budget agreement between Evers and Republicans won't necessarily guarantee Democratic votes. 'I think all of us are going to have to make our own decisions about whether or not the budget is one that we can support or that meets the needs of our districts, and that's as it should be,' Roys said. The committee will also take action on the nearly $50 million for literacy initiatives that has been stuck in a supplemental fund since 2023 and withheld by lawmakers because of a partial veto Evers exercised on a related law. The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the partial veto was an overstep of Evers' powers, striking it down and restoring the language in the law passed by the Legislature. The money is set to expire and return to the state's general fund if not released by Monday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘It's not perfect:' Wisconsin legislators express mixed reaction to bipartisan budget deal
'This budget has involved an awful lot of compromise, both between the houses as well as with the governor's office,' Joint Finance Committee Co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said at a press conference ahead of the meeting. 'A budget is a compromise and this budget is certainly one of those.' (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee advanced the budget deal announced by lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers Tuesday, with the full Senate and Assembly scheduled to take up the budget Wednesday. The committee also passed a $2.5 billion plan for capital projects, which included a measure to start work on a project that will allow for the closure of the Green Bay Correctional Institution by 2029. The agreement announced Tuesday morning was negotiated by Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) and Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein over the last several months and will invest over $1 billion in education and child care and cut taxes by about $1.3 billion. The deal also includes funding plans for the Department of Transportation, including funding for roads, and changes to the state's hospital assessment to help cover Medicaid costs. The committee's action comes a day after the end of Wisconsin's fiscal year. Wisconsin's government continues to run under the current budget until a new one is signed into law. Legislators on both sides of the aisle had similar reactions saying the deal did not contain everything they wanted with some signaling support for the bill and others saying they will vote against it. 'This budget has involved an awful lot of compromise, both between the houses as well as with the governor's office,' Joint Finance Committee Co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said at a press conference ahead of the meeting. 'A budget is a compromise and this budget is certainly one of those.' The committee voted 13-3 with Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) joining Republicans in favor of approving the deal. It also voted 12-4 along party lines to approve the entire budget bill to advance it to the Senate and Assembly floor. The over $2.5 billion capital budget plan grants funding for projects at the UW system, within the Department of Corrections, Department of Health Services, Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Natural Resources. Over $480 million — or about 18% — of the capital projects plan is for projects at campuses across the UW system and was negotiated as part of the budget deal. The plan also includes $225 million for the Department of Corrections, including $15 million for construction project planning for realignment of facilities and the closure of Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) by 2029. Marklein said lawmakers were investing across Wisconsin and the DOC plans would help to start to 'right-size' the state's corrections system. As the state has faced a growing prison population and aging facilities, Evers had proposed a DOC capital budget of over $630 million that included renovating Waupun Correctional Institution and making it a 'vocational village' as well as several other prisons. The plan culminates in the closure of the Green Bay facility. GBCI, which was originally opened in 1898, is one of the state's oldest facilities and houses 381 more people than its intended capacity. Lawmakers have been interested in closing GBCI for years, but were skeptical of Evers' plan to make that happen. Co-chair Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) signaled that the action in the budget is just the beginning of a years-long process. 'I think that this stuff will all be figured out over several budgets,' Born said in response to questions about the capacity of the state's prison and Waupun. 'These fiscal capital projects don't happen in two years, and they won't in this case, either.' Lawmakers who represent parts of the Green Bay area said the inclusion of the GBCI closure date in the budget is a major step forward. 'Formalizing a decommissioning date into state law will ensure decisive action is taken to solve this long-standing issue and prevent the bureaucratic delays which have plagued this situation for far too long,' Rep. Benjamin Franklin (R-De Pere) said. Rep. David Steffen (R-Howard) called GBCI 'unsafe, unstable and unsustainable' and said he is thankful for the step forward. Alluding to Evers' plan, Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha), meanwhile, said there is a plan that lawmakers could have moved forward. He said the item in the budget seemed like a plan that was 'kicking the can down the road.' The budget deal also includes $130 million for a Type 1 juvenile facility in Dane County. The planned 32-bed facility is the second one meant to replace youth prisons Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake — old facilities initially scheduled to close by 2021. The Department of Administration has estimated that with full funding ($124 million in bonding authority) the project could be completed by 2029. Evers repeatedly said investing in Wisconsin's K-12 and higher education systems as well as child care were his top priorities. Republican lawmakers said they were opposed to continuing state payments to child care facilities, supported cutting the UW budget and only supported incremental increases for the state's public schools. The deal includes investment in each area. Several Democratic lawmakers, nonetheless, had mixed feelings about the concessions Evers and Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) got from the majority party. During committee, Democrats proposed investing over $500 million in the UW system, $200 million in child care grants and expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage, though Republicans rejected those ideas. Under the deal, the University of Wisconsin system will get a $250 million increase, according to Evers' office. The motion approved by the committee includes investments for general program operations, mental health, staff recruitment and retention and $94 million for staff wage adjustments. The increase comes despite threats from Republican legislators to cut the UW system by tens of millions and as federal uncertainty, which has led some campuses to tell departments to prepare cuts Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) said lawmakers were short-changing the UW system, despite it contributing heavily to the state's economic successes. 'What they are getting is about 5% of what they said that they needed,' Roys said. Evers and the system proposed an $855 million budget increase over the biennium. 'We're going to continue to see tuition hikes, we're going to continue to see campus closures. We're going to continue to see the doors of opportunity closing for our kids here in Wisconsin, and they're going to have to go out of state or go without access to higher education and I think that's wrong.' Roys voted against the budget in committee, saying it would have needed to do more for the state's kids to get her vote. 'Ultimately, I want a Wisconsin, where every child, no matter who you are or where you're from, have the opportunity to thrive,' Roys told reporters. Stakeholders in the UW system also reacted to the budget deal on Tuesday. UW President Jay Rothman said on social media he is grateful for the support of Evers and the Legislature. 'Today's budget agreement marks the largest overall increase in investment in the UWs over two decades. For generations, Wisconsinites have invested in the UWs to provide affordable and accessible higher education. They should take great pride in what Wisconsin has built,' Rothman said. 'With these new investments, the UWs can do more to provide the educational opportunities students deserve and parents expect.' Public Representation Organization of the Faculty Senate (PROFS), the nonprofit organization of UW-Madison faculty, said it was 'heartened' by the funding increase but worried about some of the concessions that Republican lawmakers got. 'We are concerned, however, that the agreement between Republican legislative leaders and the governor includes teaching-load requirements for faculty and instructional staff, which has always been the purview of the universities themselves, not the Legislature,' the organization stated. Under the agreement, faculty will be required to teach no fewer than 24 credits per academic year. The UW Board of Regents will have to develop a buyout policy for positions not meeting the minimum credit requirements. The budget will also include a similar policy for the Wisconsin Technical College System. The UW portions of the agreement will also include a cap on the number of positions that the system can have funded through general purpose revenue and program revenue and no institution will be allowed to designate more than 10% of its faculty and 10% of its academic staff to administrative duties. Born said it was part of the compromise that Assembly Republicans made. 'It is a positive number, and most of our caucus on the Assembly side… is not happy about that because they know that there are major problems in that system that need work,' Born said. 'We worked through that compromise and gave them $50 million as opposed to $800 million… to get some of those reforms.' Child care providers will get a $330 million investment under the deal, including direct payments to continue once the Child Care Counts program lapses. A 'Bridge' program will provide $110 million to help child care facilities stay open, though it will only last for a year. It also includes funding to kickstart a state-funded child care program targeted at supporting facilities serving 4-year-olds. 'The reality is this is a small amount of money in terms of the need, and it is only for year one, so all that's happening here is we're kicking the can down the road on massive child care closures a year from now… I don't count that as a huge victory,' Roys said. 'To get that money there have been agreements to functionally deregulate child care, to increase ratios, to make it less safe to take away the important protections.' Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), who said he plans to vote for the budget on the floor, said the investment would help make child care in the state more affordable and increase access. 'While it's not perfect, this is where we're at with divided government,' Testin said 'Maybe it's not as far as some would like but it's a step in the right direction.' Funding for K-12 education will increase the special education reimbursement rate to 42% in the first year of the budget and 45% in the second year. Republican lawmakers initially approved a maximum increase of 37.5%, while Evers had proposed a 60% increase. There will be no general aid increase for public schools. School districts will only be able to increase their school revenue annually by $325 per pupil by going to local property taxpayers through the referendum process. Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) said it was a 'little sad' Evers 'had to drag the Legislature kicking and screaming to a place that is frankly insufficient for our needs.' He said the increase to special education funding likely wouldn't end school districts' reliance on raising revenue through property taxes increases. Some Democratic lawmakers and advocates said Evers needed to negotiate higher increases for schools and said the lack of general aid increase in the deal is a reason to reject it. Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) said no general aid increases for Wisconsin's public schools is 'unacceptable,' calling the budget 'Republican-led' and urging people to call their Democratic legislators and Evers' office to tell them to vote against it. 'This budget fails to meet the needs of our children and working-class communities,' Hong wrote in all caps on social media. 'This budget is guaranteed to raise property taxes and pit students and communities against one another.' Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said he would vote 'no' on the budget for similar reasons. 'The final product falls far short of what our neighbors need and frankly what they have demanded since the beginning of this process,' Larson said, noting the lack of general aid, the school revenue increase that doesn't keep up with inflation and the special education rate. 'For these reasons and many more, I will be voting 'no,' unless massive changes are adopted,' Larson said. 'Democrats will be offering several amendments in pursuit of a budget that meets this moment.' The Wisconsin Public Education Network sent out a similar message, and called for people to call Senate lawmakers and urge them to vote against the budget. 'The compromise on the table provides $0 (none, not one pencil's worth) in new state aid for public schools in both years of the biennium — in exchange for a welcome but inadequate increase to the special education reimbursement rate,' the organization said. 'A vote for this budget is a vote for widening our gaps. Public schools will close. We will see another two years of record rates of referenda.' Asked about advocates' desire to try to negotiate for a general aid increase for schools, Evers said on Tuesday that there were some policies that just weren't going to happen. He spoke to the Wisconsin Examiner Tuesday afternoon after attending a Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. event in Middleton to announce a business expansion at Catalent, a bio-health company. 'We have the largest amount of money that we've ever sent to our public schools coming to them, and so I know there are people that wanted everything, and when you're in a situation where you have Republicans and Democrats [who make up] about same size of part of the government, you're going to you're going to have to compromise,' Evers said. 'I do wish we could have put another $5 billion into it of course, but that wasn't going to happen.' The budget needs 17 votes to pass in the Senate and will likely find it from a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Marklein said he was 'confident' that there would be enough votes. Slim margins in the Senate and several Senate Republicans who said they were inclined to vote against the spending package, even ahead of the announcement of a deal, led to Democratic Minority Leader Hesselbein becoming involved in negotiations, which previously have only involved Republican legislators. Republicans have passed the budget before with only votes from their caucus, but in the Senate this year, the caucus can only afford to lose one vote. Several Senate Democrats, including several who are serving their first term, said the budget deal was the result of new legislative maps that took effect for the first time in 2024. Under those maps, Democrats in the Senate flipped four seats, trimming the Republican majority from two-thirds to a margin of 18-15. Freshman Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) said the state would be moving in the right direction with the budget agreement and Senate Democrats helped make it 'palatable.' 'To be clear, this budget is not ideal, but in the spirit of bipartisanship and forward progress, I am pleased to be a part of what Senate Democrats were able to do on behalf of all Wisconsinites,' Keyeski said. Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) said the deal reflects 'bipartisanship and progress.' 'I am proud to see it move forward,' said Habush Sinykin, who is also in her first term. 'What we are seeing playing out in this budget is the consequence of Wisconsin's new fairer maps — legislators working together to find compromise and make meaningful progress for the people of Wisconsin.' Two other Democrats in their first term highlighted local allocations in the budget. Sen. Jamie Wall (D-Green Bay) celebrated $30 million that was included in the budget for a new railroad bridge at Red Maple Road between American Boulevard and Lost Dauphin Road in West De Pere and Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton) highlighted some of the items in the budget that will help her district, including the $137 million investment for UW-Oshkosh's Polk Learning Commons. 'The new, fair maps created a balanced government, and this is the result: a government that can work together to reach an agreement where everyone walks away wishing they'd gotten more but no one leaves feeling kicked in the teeth,' Dassler-Alfheim said. 'I'm hopeful that we can work together to get this over the finish line and move Wisconsin forward, together.' Senate Democrats also said they would do more should they win a majority in future elections. 'Because of the negotiations that we had for this budget, the outcomes were a lot better than they would have been had those individuals not been at the table, had our voices not been at the table,' said Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee). 'And I just want to say that going forward for every budget. It should be like that, and don't worry, when we're in the majority, it will be like that, which will be in 2026.' She told reporters she is leaning towards voting for the budget, but added, 'we'll have to see.' Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) also said electing more Democratic legislators made a difference. 'I am thankful that Governor Evers and my Senate Democratic colleagues were at the negotiating table on our state budget and have gotten some real wins for the people of Wisconsin,' Neubauer said. 'There are critical investments in education, child care and the priorities of Wisconsinites in this budget, but we also know that due to years of underfunding by the GOP majorities, there is a lot that remains to be done.' Andraca praised the new maps in the committee meeting, saying that a nearly 50-50 split in the Senate and Assembly has spurred conversations in a new way. 'Congratulations on the bipartisanship. I think this budget does a lot of good,' Andraca said, but added, 'I'm not sure it does enough to earn my vote at this time.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oshkosh legislators to continue pursuit of full Municipal Services Payment program funding
OSHKOSH – Residents will likely continue subsidizing the cost of city-provided services for state-owned property exempt from property taxes. The Wisconsin Legislature won't be increasing funding to the Municipal Services Payment program after the Joint Finance Committee removed Gov. Tony Evers' proposal from the state biennial budget June 13. The decision means the state will continue to significantly underfund the program at 37.62%, just more than half of Evers' recent resolution of 72%. Dig deeper: Hintz doesn't expect state to boost Municipal Services Payment Program funding despite Evers, Oshkosh proposals The MSP program reimburses municipalities for police, fire and waste management services to property tax-exempt, state-owned facilities like UW-Oshkosh and the Oshkosh Correctional Institution. Oshkosh receives just more than $1 million from the MSP, but the city has around $900 million worth of state-owned property, putting it as the third-largest holder of such facilities in Wisconsin behind Madison and Milwaukee. As a result, taxpayers are left to make up the shortfall. In his recent biennial budget, Evers proposed adding a further $17 million to the MSP's current budget of $18.6 million, which would see the state funding the program at 72%. Oshkosh's common council recently passed a resolution asking the state legislature to fully fund the MSP at 100%, prompting a similar motion on the floor at the Joint Finance Committee. But the issue has seemingly become a partisan one, with the motion being shot down via a 12-4 vote after all 12 Republicans on the GOP-controlled JCF opposed the funding increase. This follows a recent workshop held last month with the Oshkosh Common Council during which State Rep. Nate Gustafson (R-55) said he couldn't commit to supporting the city's resolution of having the state fully fund the MSP. State Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-19) was not present at the workshop but also would not commit to the resolution in a subsequent email to the Northwestern. In contrast, State Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-18) and State Rep. Lori Palmeri (D-54) said they would put forward a standalone bill if Evers' proposal failed. "The citizens of Oshkosh are being taken advantage of,' Dassler-Alfheim told the Northwestern in an interview following the JCF vote. 'It is the state's obligation to pay for their resources that are located here in Oshkosh, so the governor asked for 72% and I would have hoped for a compromise maybe at 50%, but instead we got no increase.' Emails to Cabral-Guevara and Gustafson asking about the apparent partisan nature of the MSP issue were not immediately returned. "There is nothing political about protecting the taxpayers of Oshkosh from footing the bill for services provided by municipalities to state facilities," Dassler-Alfheim said. Read more: State legislators support Oshkosh's resolution for state to fully fund Municipal Services Payment program Created in 1973, the MSP program is supposed 'to make equitable annual payment to municipalities,' yet the state hasn't fully funded it since 1981. According to a budget summary from the JFC, the highest percentage of entitlement cost covered over the last two decades was 88.1% in 2005. MSP funding was reduced for both the 2009-11 and 2011-13 budgets, with the current funding of $18.6 million being set since 2011. Despite Evers' proposal being removed from the state budget, Oshkosh may still have hopes for seeing increased state funding to the MSP. The proposal could be drafted and introduced in either the Assembly or the Senate as a standalone bill in the same language used in Oshkosh's resolution. But that bill would likely have to be referred to the same Joint Finance Committee that removed Evers' line in the budget and voted against the motion for the legislature to fully fund the MSP. 'This is falling on the backs of Oshkosh citizens and that's inappropriate, so I will keep fighting for them,' Dassler-Alfheim told the Northwestern Oshkosh City Manager Rebecca Grill explained the Joint Finance Committee's decision only further compounds the city's 2026 budget process, which starts with a budget deficit of over $3 million. Common council member DJ Nichols then made comments suggesting Oshkosh could contemplate legal action. "All options are on the table," Nichols told the Northwestern. "If the legislative branch can't solve this, maybe it's time to explore if the judicial branch can provide any relief — not just for Oshkosh, but for each of the over 360 municipalities that the JFC has betrayed." In a post on his official Facebook page, Nichols' fellow common council member Kris Larson took further issue with the situation seemingly becoming a partisan issue. 'MSP is a PERFECT example of something that all of your reps should be pushing for, for YOU, as it directly benefits YOU (and would benefit their communities ... which is literally their job),' Larson wrote. 'YOUR ability to pay the most fair property tax rate should not have anything to do with whether your representatives have an R or a D after their name ... but on this subject, it does.' The 2025-27 biennial state budget is slated to pass July 1. Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@ and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville. This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh legislators to continue pursuit of full MSP program funding
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State legislators share Green Bay Correctional closure updates. Here are three takeaways.
As Wisconsin's 2025 state budget approaches its June 30 deadline, northeast Wisconsin legislators are fighting to get the closure of Green Bay Correctional Institution included. In Gov. Tony Evers budget proposal, he included $500 million intended to finance a series of changes to the state's prison system, which would allow for the closure of Green Bay Correctional by 2029. Advocates have been calling for the prison's closure for years, citing rodent infestations, prisoner deaths and homicides, and inhumane conditions. The Allouez Village Board held a special meeting June 12 to hear updates from state Reps. David Steffen, R-Howard; Benjamin Franklin, R-De Pere; and Sen. Jamie Wall, D-Green Bay, on the potential closure of the 127-year-old maximum security prison. Here are three key takeaways from the meeting. There is support throughout the state and on both sides of the aisle for closing Green Bay Correctional, Steffen said, "there's an understanding that this has to be done." If it isn't full bipartisan support, Franklin said, "it is very, very strong." The disagreement comes down to the details of how, Wall said. According to Wall, the Republican caucuses in the Senate and Assembly are interested in different elements of Evers' proposed plan, with senators interested in policy changes like increased vocational training programs and representatives more interested in the physical changes to the current prisons. The Republicans hold majorities in both the Senate and Assembly. A time for the Joint Finance Committee to meet on the Department of Corrections budget has yet to be scheduled, Wall said, which "may be a good sign" as it gives more time for conversations on how to move forward. "Everyone has told me that there has been good conversations that have been happening about this, it's just that they weren't the same good conversations," Wall said. "And whether we can square that circle or not is the challenge." Including a deadline for when Green Bay Correctional will be closed may be what the state needs to get the plans in motion, Steffen said. He and Franklin are fighting for a Dec. 31, 2029, deadline for the prison to be decommissioned to be included alongside funding allocation in the budget. "Every single one of you in here sets deadlines if you want to get things done, and we need one for this project," Steffen said. A 2029 deadline mirrors Evers' proposal, Franklin said, and it is a plausible timeline for the project to be completed. A deadline can "focus people's minds," Wall said, but for those in charge of running the prison adequately until the last inmate is escorted out, the "stakes are quite high" and setting a deadline to "figure it out later" isn't prudent. Budget negotiations between Evers and Republican legislators collapsed in early June, which Wall said has left the Joint Finance Committee "probably a month behind where they should be." As a result, he said, their attention and time is "at a real premium." "We're fighting a battle for the attention of the Republican majorities in the finance committee as well, given the situation that they put themselves in," Wall said. The committee is working hard, Franklin said, "burning the midnight oil" and working weekends. The committee's difficult job, Franklin said, has made getting additions like funding the prison closure challenging. Vivian Barrett is the public safety reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at vmbarrett@ or (920) 431-8314. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @vivianbarrett_. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wisconsin legislators see bipartisan support for closing Green Bay Correctional
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers cut a tribal liaison with prisons from the budget. Tribes say they think it would help.
Flags of the 11 Native American tribes of Wisconsin in the Wisconsin State Capitol. (Wisconsin Examiner photo) At a state prison in Stanley, Wisconsin, participants in a Native American-focused group take part in traditional cultural practices. According to Ryan Greendeer, executive government relations officer with the Ho-Chunk Nation, Stanley Correctional Institution's chaplain recently reached out to the tribe with requests for the group's programming. The chaplain wanted teaching materials, as many materials in the current selection were old. He said that men learn songs and Native language with the materials, as well as history and culture. The chaplain said the men are eager to learn more about all things Native, according to Greendeer. He was also seeking a larger pipe bowl and poles to help build a new lodge. The pipe has a history of ceremonial use. The prison's annual report for fiscal year 2024 mentions a Native American smudge and drum group. The report says that each month, several religious organizations and volunteers come in to hold various services, and the list includes 'Sweat Lodge (Native American).' There were 79 American Indian or Alaska Native people at Stanley Correctional as of April 30, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC). Gov. Tony Evers' budget recommendations for corrections included a tribal liaison position for the DOC. The liaison would be responsible for working with Native American tribes and bands on the agency's behalf. Each of the governor's cabinet agencies has already set at least one staff member to be a tribal liaison. The governor's proposal would create a new position, set aside for the job of tribal liaison for corrections. Evers also proposed creating a director of Native American affairs in the Department of Administration and tribal liaisons in several other agencies, including the Department of Justice and Department of Natural Resources. 'Gov. Evers' commitment has been—and always will be—to ensure that the state maintains strong partnerships with the Tribal Nations by recognizing and respecting the needs and perspectives of the Nations and Indigenous people,' Britt Cudaback, communications director for the governor's office, said in an email. The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee removed the proposed positions in May, along with hundreds of other items proposed by Evers. 'Unfortunately, [Evers] sends us an executive budget that's just piles full of stuff that doesn't make sense and spends recklessly and raises taxes and has way too much policy,' Joint Finance Committee co-chair Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said in May. Tribes already work with the state, including the Oneida Nation, which is located in northeast Wisconsin. The tribe told the Examiner that it continues to work with the state to make sure incarcerated Native Americans have proper access to culturally based practices and resources. With a tribal liaison that can help navigate the corrections system, the tribe's efforts to make sure resources are provided and distributed appropriately make better progress, the tribe said. 'These efforts will continue whether or not a tribal liaison position exists, although the impact on incarcerated individuals who use culturally based resources may be greater as efforts take longer,' the tribe said. The Oneida Nation said it 'supports tribes' efforts to ensure incarcerated members maintain access to appropriate support services as provided by tribal, state, and federal laws.' Maggie Olson, communications coordinator for the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, said the tribe is not located close to the corrections facilities where their tribal members are incarcerated. This is a significant barrier, she said. 'It would be nice to be able to have a better handle on where our people are within the system to ensure they are having their spiritual and cultural needs met,' Olson said in an email to the Examiner. 'It is much easier (at this time) to meet religious needs (think Christianity) within the correctional system than it is to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of Native Americans within the system.' A great first step would be having a dedicated person who can build relationships with incarcerated Native Americans, she said. In a statement, the tribe said the liaison 'would be a start to developing and enhancing tribal input with State initiatives.' The tribe said it wants to work with the DOC on access to supportive services in county jails. Olson said she met DOC Secretary Jared Hoy at an event on June 5 and that they had a great discussion about the potential benefits of a tribal liaison at the agency. 'With the uncertainties surrounding federal funding, we are hopeful state funding will be increased to tribal programs in Wisconsin,' Olson said. The tribe's criminal justice work involves partnership with the DOC. In the St. Croix Tribal Reintegration Program, case managers work with tribal members before and after their release from prison or jail, the tribe said. The program has a memo of understanding with the Department of Corrections, providing guidance for working relationships between tribal reentry and probation. All of the governor's cabinet agencies have consultation policies that say how they will work with tribal governments. Agencies and tribal elected officials have annual consultation meetings to talk about programs, laws and funding that may affect the tribe. Discussions at the annual state-tribal consultation tend to be about high-level policy, but they can delve into specifics, Greendeer said. He gave an example related to tribal members who are on probation or parole. 'For example, a topic that keeps coming up is re-entry programming for enrolled tribal member offenders,' Greendeer said. 'A concern discussed at a recent consultation was that probation/parole officers might not consider tribal norms/values, citing a lack of eye contact in saying a client is disengaged or disconnected.' The co-chairs and vice-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee did not respond to requests for comment. DOC communications director Beth Hardtke did not answer a question from the Examiner about the responsibilities and goals of the tribal liaison position. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
