(The Center Square) – One of the two Republicans in charge of writing Wisconsin’s next state budget says it will be a while before there’s anything to take back to voters or the governor.
Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, told reporters at the Joint Committee on Finance’s first public budget hearing of the year in Kaukauna that it will be weeks before lawmakers make any real decisions on a new state spending plan.
“We’re just starting the budget process. We haven’t gotten anything real substantive, obviously, and won’t probably for another month and a half,” Marklein explained. “There’s a state supreme court decision out there that I think we need to get that resolved…before we’re going to make any huge budget decisions at any agency.”
Marklein said earlier in the week that the Joint Committee on Finance is waiting on the final revenue projections from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, which aren’t due until mid-May, to make those budget decisions.
Marklein and other top Republicans at the Capitol have also said they are waiting to see how cooperative Gov. Tony Evers will be this budget session.
There’s been talk about sending the governor a tax cut proposal first, to see if he will sign it or veto it.
“The budget is a compromise document,” Marklein said. “I mean the two houses, we compromise and talk about things all the time. So, I think there’s always an opportunity for a compromise. Whether it’s between the houses or with the governor’s office.”
Marklein, and JFC co-chair Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, have declared Evers’ budget dead on arrival.
Though on Wednesday, Born said there is support for one of the governor’s ideas.
“Like with any plan, there are some good things in it,” Born added. “One part of that is closing the Green Bay Correctional Center. There are some things that need to be worked on.”
Lawmakers are supposed to have a new budget to the governor by the end of June. Neither Born nor Markelin on Wednesday said if they’re on track with that timeline.
