On Wednesday, September 13, 2017, Gov. Walker’s 2017-2019 Budget will go to the Assembly for a floor vote. Later this week, the Budget will be taken up by the Senate for a floor vote. Once the Governor signs the Budget into law, it will be nearly three months overdue.
The Budget Bill still contains many harmful proposals and provisions for working families.
The State Assembly and Senate now have an opportunity to make changes to the Budget and improve the budget by removing items that hurt working people. It is imperative to make your voice heard in these final days to help create a better Budget for Wisconsin.
Call your legislators at 1-800-362-9472 and tell them to vote NO on Gov. Walker’s Budget.
Harmful Items Still in Gov. Walker’s 2017-2019 Budget
Prevailing Wage Repeal
At 10:30 p.m. last Tuesday, less than three hours after the Republicans’ motion was released to the public, the JFC voted 12-4 to repeal Wisconsin’s Prevailing Wage statutes in a party-line vote, with all Republicans voting for the motion and all Democrats voting against.
For decades, Wisconsin’s Prevailing Wage statutes have ensured that our public construction projects are built by well-trained men and women from our own communities. With a repeal now in the State Budget, our working men and women will likely see their wages cut. It’s important to note the State does not project a savings because Prevailing Wage statutes save taxpayer dollars by making sure the job is done right the first time.
Contact your State Representative and Senator and demand that they vote to remove the elimination of Wisconsin’s Prevailing Wage from the Budget.
Transportation
The transportation portion of the Budget fails to identify a responsible funding source. Instead, it continues to borrow, this time $402 million, and delay projects, such as the north leg of the Milwaukee Zoo Interchange. It creates a new, special annual fee for owners of hybrid cars ($75) and electric cars ($100) – in addition to the existing annual vehicle registration fees we all pay. It also eliminates 200 jobs at the Department of Transportation.
Hidden Goodies for Campaign Donors and Removing Local Control: The JFC-approved transportation plan includes many special interest giveaways. For example, buried in the plan is a $4 million award for a tiny municipal airport in Wood County. It turns out that the airport is adjacent to a golf course owned by major Republican donor who gave $25,000 to the State Republican party in February 2017. Also, a third of the transportation plan document deals with various prohibitions on local control over decisions related to quarry operations and nonmetallic mining operations.
Taxes
The JFC cut taxes for the wealthy and raised taxes on working families. More specifically, the JFC eliminated the state’s “Alternative Minimum Tax,” which is a tax on the wealthy to ensure that they can’t take advantage of other tax loopholes to avoid paying taxes. At the same time, the JFC voted to end the “Working Families Tax Credit,” which - just like its name - is a tax credit for working families. For instance, single-parent families whose income is at or below $9,000 will no longer see a tax credit of $275.
K-12 Education
While this Budget proposes increased funding for education, we must remember that Governor Walker has enacted the biggest cuts to public K-12 education in our State’s history. In all, he has cut more than $782 million from public schools, and this Budget fails to restore this funding loss.
This Budget increases the enrollment for unaccountable voucher schools by increasing the income cap from 125% to 220% of the federal poverty level. This Budget does not alter the income caps for the Milwaukee and Racine voucher schools, set at 300% of the federal poverty level.
The Budget mostly ratifies Gov. Walker’s proposal to establish a permanent, lifetime teaching license, rather than requiring relicensing every five years. The JFC-approved Budget requires new teachers to be given a provisional 3-year license before they can qualify for a lifetime license.
Gov. Walker’s Budget, now approved by the Joint Finance Committee, contains many provisions that hurt Wisconsin working families.
The Legislature this week will be debating the budget and has the opportunity to make changes. Call 1-800-362-9472 and tell your legislators you want a better budget for Wisconsin’s future.
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