Here & Now

Transportation & Healthcare Get Budget Spotlight

Frederica Freyberg:
Late in the week, the Joint Finance Committee took up transportation funding. Days earlier, Republicans on the budget committee passed their version of the Medicaid spending plan. Under that plan, Republicans would add $588 million in state funds for the healthcare and other related programs. About $187 million less than what Governor Tony Evers called for. It would increase state funding to hospitals that serve low income Wisconsinites by $60 million, increase nursing home funding by $30 million, funding for personal care workers by $37 million, and funding to counties for children and families by a little more than $30 million. Now the divide between Republicans and Democrats focuses on expanding Medicaid to more than 80,000 low income people in Wisconsin as Governor Tony Evers had proposed in his budget plan.

Chris Taylor:
The governor is committed to a budget for the people. That is his top priority, that is our top priority. We will not stop fighting for Medicaid expansion for the people of this state. But it looks like my Republican colleagues rather spend more money and cover less people.

Alberta Darling:
The governor will say it’s the people’s budget but I will say this is a budget that we really listen to the people and they told us we need to save our nursing homes. We need to invest in our personal care workers and we need to make those priority investments.

Frederica Freyberg:
The Legislature’s budget writing committee took up transportation funding last night, where the committee voted in favor of $484 million in new funding, including a $10 hike in the vehicle registration fee, bringing that to $85 a year, and a $95 increase in the vehicle title fee, bringing that cost to $164.50. The committee also voted to spend $2.5 million for a study on tolling. Governor Evers had proposed an 8-cent a gallon gas tax and a heavy truck fee to raise about $200 million more than the plan passed out of Joint Finance last night. The gas tax and the truck fee were rejected.

Evan Goyke:
Right now we’re on a Democratic plan which is responsible, sustainable. We’re going to debate a Republican plan that relies more heavily on fees and one-time, non-long term solutions.

Luther Olsen:
Cars are more efficient so they’re not burning as much gas. So they’re not paying as much gas tax. So we thought we would help you not be the problem. We are raising your license fee and your transfer fee because we know you want to be part of the solution.