Every two years, the Wisconsin State Legislature adopts a revenue and spending plan that runs from July 1 of one odd-numbered year through June 30 of the following odd-numbered year.
The Budget Process
- The Governor proposes a budget, with input from requests from state agencies, which is then introduced in both houses of the state legislature.
- The Joint Finance Committee holds public hearings and may make changes in the budget before sending it to the full legislature.
- The Senate and Assembly may amend the budget further before voting on it. Any differences between their versions are resolved in a compromise version that cannot be amended.
- The compromise budget passed by the legislature is then sent to the Governor, who usually signs it while vetoing portions of the bill.
Governor Walker’s Proposed Budget
Governor Walker introduced his proposed budget for the 2011-2013 biennium on March 1, 2011.
Wisconsin Council of Churches Resource
View or print the WCC Faith and Facts booklet (PDF) on the state budget.
Summaries and Analyses from Non-Governmental Organizations
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Budget Project http://www.wisconsinbudgetproject.org/ provides helpful summaries and analysis of how the budget will affect children and families, especially those with low incomes. View a webcast on the state budget. View The Wisconsin Values Budget, a PDF file of their proposed alternative budget.
Wisconsin Counties Association
The Wisconsin Counties Association, an association of county governments assembled for the purpose of serving and representing counties, released its Preliminary Analysis of the State Budget on March 11. http://www.wicounties.org/files/73c6a6ceb18b4ae9625d1da5e313476c.pdf
Budget Materials from State Government
Department of Administration
The Governor’s “Budget in Brief,” which gives an overview of the Governor’s revenue and expenditure priorities and serves as the state’s fiscal plan and other documents, can be found at www.doa.state.wi.us/executivebudget.
State Legislature
The text of the Budget Bill (AB40/SB27 – the bills are identical), with analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) can be found at:
AB40: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/AB-40.pdf
SB27: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/SB-27.pdf
The LRB’s analysis summarizes the legislation in a shorter, more readable form, and compares the bill with existing law.
The history of the Budget Bill (introduction, hearings, amendments, votes, etc.) can be found at:
AB40: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/AB40hst.html
SB27: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/SB27hst.html
Legislative Fiscal Bureau
2011-13 Summary of Governor’s Budget Recommendations (SB27/AB 40)
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/2011-13%20Budget/Governor/tableofcontents.htm
Analysis of the budget’s impact on County and Local Government, including transportation, K-12 schools and technical colleges http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/LFBPublications_ButtonPages/2011-13_budget.htm
Judicatory Responses to the Proposed Budget
+ ELCA Bishops of Wisconsin Seek Compassion for All in Proposed State Budget
Faith Community Responses to the Budget Repair Bill
See our webpage ”Faith Community Responses to the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill”
