The state budget approved last week by the Joint Finance Committee could still face some changes in the Legislature.
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) says the budget committee put in a lot of hard work, but he expects members of both chambers to have some different opinions about the final product. He says there are likely to be some differences between the majority party in both chambers, but he's hopeful any differences can be worked out quickly if the budget bill ends up in a conference committee.
The last state budget ended up in a conference committee with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans controlling the Assembly. The battle over the final plan resulted in a budget that was several months overdue. Democrats have said they hope to wrap up their work by the end of this month.
The budget bill will go to the Assembly first, with the hope of bringing it to the floor on June 9th. Sheridan says majority Democrats will begin meeting this week to discuss any changes they'd like to make. However, he's unsure of exactly what the Assembly may remove or add to the plan.