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Rep. Kaufert calls for separate action on school funding

August 30, 2007 By

After a month of working, but accomplishing little, State Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) is calling on the conference committee to separate funding for schools from the rest of the budget. He says too many districts are being left in the dark right now about what kind of funding they'll be receiving down the road.

Kaufert says even if the education budget is not passed separately, the committee should at least let schools know where their funding will stand.

The Neenah Republican says separating parts of the budget is not the ideal way to handle the spending plan. But given the stalemate in deciding this budget, he feels it's the right way to do it.

WHBY's Rick Schuh contributed to this report.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (MP3 :62)

Filed Under: Budget, Politics & Government

Fitzgerald: Doyle should cancel trip to focus on budget

August 30, 2007 By

A member of the legislature's budget committee suggests Governor Doyle change travel plans, in order to concentrate on the state budget. At the Capitol, the conference committee is still mired in trying to reconcile the vastly different budgets passed by the Assembly and Senate. Senate Minority Leader, Juneau Republican Scott Fitzgerald, said Governor Jim Doyle needs to be more involved . "The governor should cancel his trip to China," said Fitzgerald, adding that Doyle needs to "stay engaged" in "trying to bring together the document."

But Fitzgerald's concerns about the governor's involvement were dismissed by the Democrat's Minority Leader in the Assembly, Kenosha's Jim Kreuser . "He doesn't need to cancel his plans," said Kreuser. "There's ways to get ahold of him. I'm sure there's a red phone in Susan Goodwin's office." Goodwin is Doyle's chief of staff. The Governor is slated to make a trip to China and Japan, September 7th through 18th. Budget conferees met for a couple of hours of wrangling Thursday, without resolving any differences.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Budget, Politics & Government, Top Story

State's manufacturers: success and challenges

August 30, 2007 By

Forget the doom and gloom; Wisconsin manufacturers still know how to compete. It's a sector of the state's economy that's taken some major hits over the past twenty years, but manufacturing in Wisconsin is still a major jobs provider. "There were many people that were willing to write off manufacturing in this state," notes Mike Klonsinski, executive director of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership. "They underestimated some of the resiliency and entrepreneurship of our existing manufacturing base."

In fact, Klonsinski says firms which WEMP aided last year produced an economic benefit to the state of $137 million dollars, much of if from new markets in the U.S. and overseas. Klonsinski says the state's manufacturing output increased by more than two billion dollars last year. That continued growth comes with a challenge: finding workers to fill manufacturing jobs. "We've a significant number of manufacturing workers retiring in the next couple of years," says Klonsinski.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Economy

Medicaid cuts possible during budget impasse

August 30, 2007 By

The Doyle administration is looking for places to cut just in case the budget impasse continues.

Republicans call it a scare tactic. Linda Barth in the Department of Administration calls it something else. Prudent.

For starters, DOA Secretary Michael Morgan is asking Health and Family Services to come up with a contingency plan that would cut Medicaid payments possibly as much as twenty percent.

Barth says that means taking a look at cutting payments to medical providers and which ones. Barth says it's not a matter of trying to scare anyone, it's just a way, she says, to be able to provide services to the people of Wisconsin without a state budget.

By law, the government is supposed to operate at current budget levels until a budget is in place but Barth says a number of tax reforms already passed are now taking effect and that will reduce some tax revenues.

That's why, Barth says, the governor proposed other forms of revenue such as the increased cigarette tax and tax on big oil.

Medicaid may not be the only thing targeted for potential cuts. Roads and prisons are possibilities.

 

 

AUDIO: Jim Dick reports ( :59 MP3 )

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Kewaunee forced to forfeit football game

August 30, 2007 By

The Kewaunee High School football team has forfeited last Friday's 42-7 non-conference win over rival Algoma after using a pair of ineligible players.

Kewaunee school officials learned of the violation on Monday and immediately reported it to the WIAA , as well as officials at Algoma.

The WIAA informed Kewaunee it must forfeit the win.  Kewaunee officials say they'll appeal and because it was an unintentional error, Algoma reportedly wrote a letter to the WIAA on Kewaunee's behalf to support their appeal.

Kewaunee, is the top ranked team in the state's medium division weekly football poll.  Neither of the ineligible players played much and didn't factor into the outcome.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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