2007n09 Budget is Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Thursday, November 1, 2007 10:18 AM CDT

Joan Sanstadt, News Editor

On Oct. 26 Gov. Jim Doyle signed the state’s 2007-09 Biennial Budget n the second latest budget in state history. But this budget only missed setting this record by a single day. Back in 1971 the state adopted its budget on Oct. 27.

The $57.2 billion spending plan had been due on July 1. However, state law had allowed spending to continue under the same provisions as the previous budget until the new one was in place.

The signing ceremony took place on the UW-Madison campus, signaling the importance state leaders place on the UW System to the state both now and in the future.

Doyle used his veto pen sparingly because, he said, he’d been involved in the negotiations with lawmakers on the final compromise.

The governor did use those veto powers to allow local governments to increase property taxes by 3.66 percent this year, instead of the 2 percent that was in the compromise budget approved by both houses. In the second year of the biennium, the increase will revert to 2 percent.

In the state senate

There was fallout over the budget, however. Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson (D-Beloit) was ousted by her fellow Senate Democrats only hours after Senate approved the measure on a party-line 18-15 vote.

(History seems to indicate being a woman in a leadership position in the State Senate must not be easy. Former Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer (R-West Bend) lost her re-election bid to a fellow Republican during a primary contest a few years back. Rep. Shirley Krug (D-Milwaukee) suffered a similar fate back in 2001.)

Robson was replaced as majority leader by her caucus only a few hours after the Senate passed the compromise budget.

The new Senate Majority Leader is Senator Russ Decker, 54, (D-Schofield) who has served in the State Senate since 1990. A journeyman bricklayer, Decker has served on the Joint Committee on Finance since 1995 and most recently had been co-chair of that committee. During his tenure he has also served on agriculture and rural development committees.

Decker said a universal health care plan is still one of his priorities.

New leadership in the Senate will likely lead to some new committee assignments.

In the state assembly

In the Assembly the budget vote of 60 in favor and 39 against could not possibly be called a party-line vote. That’s because of the 99 members, 23 Republicans joined 37 Democrats to vote in favor of the budget; while 29 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted against the measure.

Reaction

Most agricultural items in the budget are in other stories in this week’s issue. Those stories include reaction from the state’s agricultural organizations and from DATCP Secretary Rod Nilsestuen.

In other reaction, the Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce (WMC) Association praised the budget because it controlled spending without raising business taxes or taxes on sales or income. WMC called it “a common ground budget.”

Budget effects

Other things in the budget that are not precisely directed toward agriculture, but have a more general effect include:

- Provided two-thirds funding for K - 12 schools;

- Expanded BadgerCare Plus to cover all children and expands Medicaid coverage - and removed depreciation from the eligibility calculation;

- A $1 increase in the tobacco tax;

- Increased funding at the University of Wisconsin;

- Increased the annual vehicle registration fee from $55 to $75;

- Increased the cost of a driver’s license by $10;

- Copies of birth certificates will increase from $12 to $20 and copies of death, marriage or divorce records will go to $20 from $7;

- Health insurance premiums paid by workers will be tax deductible starting in 2008;

- State will pay landowners to allow ATV trails to go through their property through incentive grants of $25, $75 or $100 per mile depending on how long the trail is open each year and the payments won’t be considered income on state taxes.

CWD and VHS

The new state budget cut spending for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will still get about $2.3 million annually from the conservation fund but slashed what it has been receiving from the wildlife damage fund. DNR officials said the decreased funding will mean they can test only about a third of the deer in 2007 and in 2008 as they did in the prior two years.

Last week the DNR board approved tougher rules to combat VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia), a fish disease that cases bleeding in a number of fish varieties.

Under the new regulations, no out-of-staters can bring a wet boat or water in a live well into this state. Wisconsin boaters must dry their equipment and empty their bilges and live wells when they leave the waters. The emergency rule will last 150 days, but they can be renewed for another 120 days.

In addition, anglers cannot move live fish off any water in the state.

DMV center vetoed

Representative Lee Nerison (R-Westby) said that while the Governor vetoed the re-opening of the DMV service center in Viroqua in his signing of the budget, a DMV will still have to open somewhere in Vernon County under Nerison’s amendment that became part of the state budget.

Last December, the Department of Transportation (DOT) told Nerison that the Viroqua service center would close on Dec. 27, 2006, because the Viroqua Armory was unable to continue renting their space to them.

The 2007-09 state budget included a proposal to repeal a state law that requires every county to have a DMV service center. Nerison authored an amendment, approved by the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee and included in the state budget, to keep the state law that requires a DMV in every county.

Governor Doyle vetoed a different budget amendment approved by the State Assembly that would have required the Department of Transportation (DOT) to re-open the service center in Viroqua. Nerison pointed out the Governor’s veto does not guarantee the return of the DMV to Viroqua but it does not rule it out either.

People who need DMV services should call the Department of Transportation at 800-924-3570 to find out the hours for the Onalaska, Prairie du Chien, and Richland Center service centers.

Gundrum called to Iraq

State Rep. Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) will be heading for Iraq with other members of his Army Reserves’ 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion based in Ashwaubenon.

The unit was officially put on alert about three months ago. An attorney, Gundrum expects to serve approximately one year in Iraq. The mission of a Civil Affairs unit is to help military commanders by working with civil authorities and populations.

The lawmaker said he expects to leave for Fort Bragg N.C. for training sometime after Thanksgiving, return to Wisconsin to spend Christmas with his wife and six children before heading overseas by the end of January.

Gundrum has served in the Assembly since 1998. State representatives serve two-year terms and when election time 2008 comes around he said he plans to “rely on volunteers” to see that his name is put on the ballot” n and do the campaigning for him.

Energy assistance available

The Department of Administration’s (DOA) Division of Energy Services and the Public Service Commission (PSC) are urging energy customers to contact their local utility if their heat is currently disconnected.

The agencies are also encouraging residents to take advantage of energy-efficiency programs and the state’s low-income bill payment assistance programs to reduce the burden of their utility bills this winter.

Wisconsin law states that consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from Nov. 1 to Apr. 15, if they are connected at the start of the moratorium.

Customers who are currently disconnected must make arrangements with their local utility to pay outstanding bills in order to have their service restored. If a consumer has not made arrangements to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to provide heat until a payment schedule has been established.

Consumers who need to schedule a payment agreement should call their local utility. Here are the phone numbers for the largest utilities in Wisconsin:

- Alliant Energy, 800-862-6222

- Madison Gas & Electric, 608-252-7144

- Superior Water, Light & Power, 715-395-6201

- We Energies 800-842-4565

- Wisconsin Public Service, 800-450-7260

- Xcel Energy, 800-895-4999

If a customer cannot reach an agreement with their utility, they may contact the PSC at 608-266-2001 or 800-225-7729.

There is financial assistance available for eligible households who cannot pay their heat or electric bills this winter. The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) administers low-income and energy assistance programs for the state. WHEAP is part of the state’s comprehensive Home Energy Plus program which also provides assistance with emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, and weatherization and conservation services.

Eligibility is based on income and family size. For example, a family of four which earns $7,743.75 or less in the three months prior to applying for assistance is potentially eligible. For a two-person family the earnings must be $5,133.75 or less. Benefits are based on income levels and energy bills. Consumers do not have to be behind in their energy bill payments to qualify.

For information about WHEAP, including contact information for local energy assistance offices, call 866-HEATWIS (866-432-8947) or visit http://www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov.

For more information about the rules governing utility disconnections, visit the PSC’s website at (pdf): http://psc.wi.gov/thelibrary/publications/general/consumer04.pdf.

Energy-saving tips

Focus on Energy is the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy program. Focus on Energy can help customers make changes around the home so they can stay warm and comfortable this winter without spending more on their utility bills. By having a home energy evaluation conducted, Focus on Energy can help consumers identify ways to make their homes more efficient, which reduces their utility bills. Customers may also be eligible for Cash-Back Rewards if they implement the recommendations from the evaluation.

There are also simple steps consumers can take around the home to save energy during the winter months. These include:

* Open window coverings such as drapes, shades and blinds to use the natural sunlight to heat your home or office, especially on the west and south. Close drapes and shades in the evening to prevent the heat from escaping.

- Close storm windows.

- Use plastic window coverings to reduce drafts through the window seals.

- Caulk and seal leaky window and door frames.

- Use furnaces and appliances that are ENERGY STAR qualified.

- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs; they are 75 percent more efficient and last up to seven years.

- Use a programmable thermostat and set the temperature lower when you are away from home and warmer just before you return.

- Check that no objects are blocking the heating vents, preventing heat flow.

- Clean or replace filters on central air units, furnaces and air handlers frequently, monthly during heating and cooling seasons.

- Close the damper in fireplaces when not in use.

- Close the doors and shut off registers in rooms not being used.

- Use cold water for doing laundry and washing dishes.

- Use the dishwasher only when it is fully loaded.

- Regularly clean the lint out of the dryer.

For more information about Focus on Energy, home energy audits and for more tips on saving energy around the home, call 800-762-7077 or visit http://focusonenergy.com.

Capitol Notes:

- Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. on Nov. 4. Before going to bed on Saturday night it’s a good idea to set the clocks back one hour. Remember the adage, “fall behind; spring ahead.”

- Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said in a formal opinion released last week that federal law precludes illegal immigrants from getting professional licenses and credentials. The Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing had requested the opinion.

- The three states that use the most water are California, Florida and Texas.

- The Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming received a preliminary report recommending the state’s “moratorium” on nuclear power plant construction be lifted. However any new nuclear that would be built must be “economically advantageous” for state ratepayers.

- A $180 million wind turbine project is getting underway in Fond du Lac County. The Alliant Energy plan includes 41 turbines in a 12-square mile area just southeast of Fond du Lac. The turbines are expected to generate enough electricity for 17,000 homes.

- Last week the Assembly Committee on Labor and Industry held a public hearing on AB 294 n the measure that would require all electricians in the state to become licensed. Seventeen people testified in favor of the measure and no one spoke against it. There were also 18 registrations in favor of the bill.

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