Marti Mikkelson and JR Ross discuss the week in Wisconsin politics in Capitol Notes.
The Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance has removed nearly 400 policy items from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed biennial budget. The removed policies included expansion of Medicaid, plus hot-button issues such as marijuana legalization and a repeal of Act 10 former Gov. Scott Walker’s bill that essentially gutted public unions in Wisconsin. The GOP says it will now craft a budget of its own and Republican leaders have indicated their version may include a tax cut.
In this week’s
Capitol Notes, JR Ross of wispolitics.com says it will be a while before a potential tax cut takes shape.
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Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson advocated for Gov. Tony Ever s proposal to allow a local sales tax option and a 2% increase in state aid to cover budget short falls in Milwaukee.
The Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance held a public hearing in Rhinelander, Wisconsin on Wednesday for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson attended the hearing and stressed the importance of increased revenue for Milwaukee County.
Over the past decade, Crowley said the county has closed a budget gap of roughly $30 million each year, but that the high cost of the county’s pension and state mandated services are rising faster than the county is able to pay for them. If Milwaukee County does not close an additional gap of $300 million over the next 16 years, he said it may come at a cost for residents.
WUWM
Even before COVID-19, homeownership in Milwaukee was declining, and rates of homeownership for Black and Hispanic Milwaukeeans remain well below the rate of white residents.
There is a lack of affordable housing in Milwaukee.
That’s according to a new report released by the Wisconsin Policy Forum on Wednesday. It also found that the city is in need of short term housing, case management programs and eviction prevention resources.
Joe Peterangelo is a senior researcher at the Wisconsin Policy Forum. He says the pandemic has increased the need to make sure everyone has stable housing in Milwaukee, but that communities of color have been affected the most by the lack of affordable housing.
âWeâve given him a broad brush,â said audit committee co-chair Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem.
During the audit committee meeting legislators peppered both Chrisman and WEC administrator Meagan Wolfe with questions about the election. Once completed in the fall, the audit could provide lawmakers ideas on how to improve election administration in Wisconsin, or clarify murky areas in state election law.
Republicans said they hope the audit will help increase public confidence in a presidential election that suffered widespread doubt about its integrity. Those doubts were fueled by false and misleading claims about election fraud pushed by former President Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers.