State Budget Update
by James L. Palmer, II
WPPA Assistant Executive Director & Director of Governmental Affairs

As I reported in the April issue of the Wisconsin Police Journal, the state legislature’s time and energy is largely devoted at present to the completion of Wisconsin’s two-year $58 billion budget. Typically introduced by the governor every other February, the state budget bill generally requires a thorough review by the Joint Committee on Finance and consideration in the full State Senate and Assembly before it is referred back to the governor for his final approval.

On June 8, the Joint Committee on Finance completed its budget revisions. Among the numerous changes to Governor Jim Doyle’s budget were the following:

ARBITRATION OF DISCIPLINE.

Originally, the budget provided unionized police officers and fire fighters, except those in Milwaukee, with the option of taking disciplinary matters to arbitration. The Joint Committee on Finance rejected that proposal and modified the governor's plan to apply exclusively to fire fighters. A Republican motion to remove the entire provision from the budget failed 7-9.

The WPPA will continue to fight for the governor's proposal when the Finance Committee's budget is considered by the full legislature over the next two months. So far, Republicans who control the Assembly have said that they will not agree to include police officers in the budget bill.

NO MORE FRONT LICENSE PLATES.

The committee voted to reduce the number of license plates that the Department of Transportation is required to issue per vehicle from two to one. The single plate would be displayed on the rear of the vehicle, and the change is estimated to save $249,700 annually.

VETERANS TUITION BENEFIT.

The committee voted to scale back a popular tuition benefit enacted last year for veterans, eliminating the promise of free graduate school and a lifetime to qualify for the aid. Under the committee’s revised budget, veterans would only be allowed to receive free tuition for undergraduate studies and within ten years of leaving the service. The program is enrolling more veterans than initially expected and its costs are skyrocketing. If this revision is signed into law, students in graduate programs prior to January 1, 2008 would continue to receive the benefit until they quit or graduate. Individuals enrolling in graduate school after that date would be ineligible.

MILITARY SERVICE CREDITS.

Under current law, employees participating in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) who began their public employment after serving in the military do not receive WRS credit for their military service if it occurred after 1974. Assembly Bill 43 and Senate Bill 19 would eliminate the arbitrary 1974 limitation and credit military service that occurs at any time. This legislation is not retroactive, meaning that it would only apply to public employees who terminate their WRS-covered employment after the bill becomes law.

Both AB 43 and SB 19 have been approved by committees in their respective houses, and have been referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Wisconsin Retirement Systems. Before that committee can consider the bill, an actuarial study must be completed to assess the costs the measure would create for the WRS. As the Joint Committee on Finance neared the completion of its budgetary revisions, it specifically authorized the funding necessary to conduct that study. Having this information will help the WPPA, as the sole law enforcement group actively lobbying for this measure, to continue to build momentum for it as it moves through the legislative process.

IN CLOSING . . .

The budget process is far from over. The Democratic Senate and Republican Assembly each will take a turn rewriting parts of the budget, meaning that many of the provisions passed by the Joint Committee on Finance could be changed or taken out completely. With each party controlling a house of the legislature, any differences between the budgets they produce will have to be reconciled before going back to Governor Doyle. Lawmakers will be forced to practice the fine art of compromise in a conference committee composed of select lawmakers. This lengthy process may not conclude until sometime in August or September.

Rest assured that the WPPA will do its part to inform the legislature and Governor Doyle of the budget’s impact on our membership. We also continue to work with lawmakers on issues such as residency, protective status for jailers, and a host of issues relating to collective bargaining. Check us out on the web at www.wppa.com to get the latest information on our efforts, or feel free to contact me directly at the WPPA headquarters in Madison.

Have a great summer and, as always, remember to stay safe, stay informed, and stay in touch.