The WI Legislature’s powerful Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee (JFC) has finished its work on the 2019-21 state budget . The spending plan now heads to each house of the state legislature–Assembly first, then Senate–for consideration before heading to Gov. Evers desk.
The Committee capped off its deliberations by inserting a GOP tax cut plan into the budget on a 12-4 party line vote.
The Assembly plans to take up the budget on Tuesday, June 25 with the Senate following on the 26th or 27th according to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.
Among the Committee’s previous actions was removing the governor’s proposal to limit the manufacturing and agriculture tax. The credit was enacted to encourage and strengthen manufacturing and agriculture in Wisconsin. According to a 2017 University of Wisconsin-Madison study it created some 42,000 jobs by September 2016, the year the full credit took effect following a three-year implementation.
Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, who earlier expressed skepticism over the budget plan, has indicated that he will vote “no” when it comes to the Senate floor. Nass has cited several issues that concern him with regard to the spending plan including its effect on property taxes, its creating a larger structural deficit and increases to vehicle title and registration fees. There are other GOP fiscal conservatives in the Senate who might join him.
Sen. David Craig, R-Big Bend, announced today that he too will vote against the budget.
This presents a hurdle in the Senate where the GOP holds a 19-14 majority and needs at least 17 votes to pass the bill.
