• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / News / Dems await public hearings on two-year budget

Dems await public hearings on two-year budget

March 20, 2011 By Jackie Johnson

The Democratic members of the Joint Finance Committee want to make sure Wisconsinites in all areas of the Badger State have the opportunity to appear before the committee. Representative Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) says individuals are asking about meeting times and locations. “It’s not atypical to have hundreds of people that come to these hearings and wait hours and hours and hours — sometimes all day — for an opportunity of two minutes to speak before the committee.”

Shilling, a member of the legislative budget panel, says there needs to be at least six meetings throughout the state to give everyone the opportunity to discuss Wisconsin’s next biennium budget plan. “I think this will probably be pretty contentious as we move forward through this budget debate and want to make sure that the public has an opportunity for input and access and transparency to this budget bill.”

Shilling says it’s really important to take the legislature outside of Madison — to the people of the state — because many people can’t take time away from work and family to travel to the capital city. She says the opinions and concerns of taxpayers need to be heard and debated in the light of day.

Four Democrats sit on the 16-person committee, including Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) and Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) — both in the Assembly, and two Senators — Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) and Robert Jauch (D-Poplar).

There’s been talk about holding the public hearings at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee and the Kohl Center in Madison, due to huge interest, but the office of JFC co-chair Robin Vos (R-Burlington) is against that idea. He did say, however, he’d like to have hearings away from the Capitol building to hear from citizens outside of Dane County.

Hearing times and locations have not yet been scheduled.

AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:20

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News



Featured Stories

Pro-life groups condemn Kahl lawsuit to overturn 1849 abortion ban

Wisconsin politicians react as SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade

Republicans gavel in and out of special session to overturn Wisconsin’s abortion law

Juneteenth flag raised at Wisconsin Capitol

Gableman invokes 5th amendment, elections probe found in contempt in open records case

TwitterFacebook

Sports Headlines

Giannis breaks franchise scoring record, Bucks beat Nets in OT

Wisconsin’s Davis declares for NBA Draft

Badgers to face Arizona State in Las Vegas Bowl

Williams likely out for the season with broken hand

Packers releasing TE Jace Sternberger

More Sports

Tweets by @WRN

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2022 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC