The Joint Committee on Finance held its first executive session at the state Capitol Thursday to begin deliberations on Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed budget.
Before delving into items in the 2009-'11 budget bill, the committee unanimously passed Doyle's request to allocate $38 million in federal stimulus funds to the Department of Workforce Development for job training for dislocated workers, young people and people with disabilities.
""I think this may be the most significant thing we do today, is invest millions of dollars from the federal stimulus package to help people who are out of work get back to work in Wisconsin,"" JFC co-chair Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said.
In their opening statements, Pocan and JFC co-chair Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, acknowledged that passing the budget will involve making tough decisions.
""[The budget] won't be as good as perhaps we would have liked it to have been, but that is facing reality, and we on this committee are also going to have to face the reality of the economic situation,"" Miller said.
Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, urged the Democratic leaders to work with the Republican committee members to make sure the budget does not hurt citizens and businesses with increased taxes.
The committee then voted on several budget items, many along party lines:
Primary enforcement passed 14-1
This item will allow police officers to pull over motorists if they suspect they are not wearing a seat belt. By adopting this provision, the state will receive $15 million in federal funds. The committee unanimously passed the motion to keep the fine at $10 instead of Doyle's proposed $25.
Removal of policy items defeated 12-3
Republican committee members motioned to remove several items from the budget, such as the statewide smoking ban and domestic-partner benefits, for being policy items.
Increased financial fee passed 12-3
This item, passed along party lines, will increase the fee to license a financial agent from $30 to $70, estimated to bring in an additional $2,800,000 annually.
Budget repair threshold defeated 15-0
The JFC shot down Doyle's request to increase the threshold for the introduction of a budget repair bill from a 0.5 percent shortfall to a 2 percent shortfall.
