The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met for three days this week to hear testimony from state agencies on the governor’s proposed budget. Legislators posed questions to the department secretaries on the implementation of budget proposals and asked other questions pertaining to agency services. Both Republicans and Democrats on JFC posed tough questions to agency heads on the budget’s biggest proposals, including self-insurance, the opioid epidemic and transportation funding. Republicans re-ignited their contentious debate with Gov. Scott Walker about how to address the transportation shortfall. Democrats asked pointed questions about DOJ’s testing of sexual assault kits, DNR’s regulation for polluters, DHS’s Medicaid funding and more. See below for coverage on each day’s JFC briefings.
Day 1: DOA, ETF, Elections Commission, Supreme Court, DOC, DSPS
Day 2: DOJ, DVA, DHS, DCF, DOR, WEDC, DOT
Day 3: PSC, DNR, WI Tech College Systems, UW-System, DPI, Historical Society, DWD, LIRC