Budget Notes

Here are a few interesting stories related to the state budget that caught my attention. 

In this story about the budget, this comment jumped out at me regarding the recent reversal of the Wisconsin Hospital Association to support the sick tax.

But Gundersen Lutheran CEO Dr. Jeff Thompson said Thursday their opposition hasn’t changed.

“While I’m a big fan of getting our own tax dollars back to pay for our health care and relieve the burden on our businesses, this system has such a risk of not being sustainable, and not being sustained by all the federal rules,” he said.

He’s right and it’s nice to see one guy who is willing to see this tax for what it is rather than whore himself for a few bucks in the short term while screwing his customers for years to come. 

On another note, here’s the list of things that the Republican leadership sent out that they find objectionable in the Governor’s new budget:

Taxes & New Revenues
• $1.25 Tobacco Tax
• Hospital Tax
• $1 increase in Tipping Fee
• $175 million transfer from Patients Compensation Fund
• $52 increase in nursing home bed tax
• $3 million increase by prohibiting Real Estate Investment Trusts
• Streamlined Sales Tax
• Note: Proposal does not include Transportation – Governor and Senate Democrats continue to advocate for the Oil Tax
• HSA Tax Deduction Eliminated
• Retirement Tax Exemption – Senate Provision targeted to low income seniors (15,000 Seniors benefits vs. 300,000 under the Assembly plan)
• Property Tax “Freeze” – 4 percent or growth for local units of government, no limit on the Wisconsin Technical College System
• School Levy Credit - $100 million with the Governor’s First Dollar Credit proposal

Immigration
• Tuition remission at UW and WTCS for undocumented immigrants
• Eliminates Proof of Citizenship for Public Assistance

UW System
• 4 percent cap on tuition eliminated

Natural Resources
• Stewardship Reauthorized at $105 million with none of the oversight or reforms proposed by Assembly

Department of Health and Family Services
• Includes BadgerCare Plus for childless adults
• No reimbursement rate increase or pilot program for dental care
• Family Planning Demonstration Project
• Increases Tobacco Control Grants to $15 million per year, an annual increase of $5 per year above current law

Insurance
• Autism Insurance Mandate with $1.3 million in new spending to cover the cost of the new mandate in state health insurance program

Department of Workforce Development
• Expansion of W-2 benefits for pregnant women
• New Trial Jobs program

Other
• Department of Children and Families Created
• Raises for Cabinet Secretaries (while still requiring a $6 million lapse by the Legislature)
• Wisconsin Covenant
• No funding for School Safety Programs

And here is some of the additional spending that the MJS editorial board is demanding that state taxpayers give to Milwaukee. 

These are among the line items that the delegation must fight hard for in these final days:

• Additional funding for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s growth initiative.

• Planning money for a school of public health in Milwaukee.

• $10 million in grants to improve math and science teaching at Milwaukee Public Schools.

• $10 million for new equipment at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

• $17.3 million to partially offset City of Milwaukee property taxes that pay for the school choice program.

• Additional funding for summer jobs for youth and law enforcement in Milwaukee along with other funding for the court system.

1. Egads, Owen!  Thank you pointing this out.  Without people like you, we all might have had people who received health insurance, better educations, a better work environment and money coming into state.  That lousy Doyle!! </sarcasm>

   Posted by on October 13, 2007 at 1307 hrs




2. That “eliminated HSA deduction” thing is not quite accurate.

   On the whole:  SS,DD.

   Posted by dad29 on October 13, 2007 at 1655 hrs




3. Cutting health insurance coverage for individuals and children with autism...that’s sure to make Republicans look heartless.

   Posted by Zachary on October 15, 2007 at 2341 hrs




4. It’s not as easy as it looks like. we should find a better solution to solve all this case.

   Posted by Consultanta imobiliara on March 04, 2008 at 1214 hrs