The budget battle lines are being drawn on how much it will cost to track state sex offenders by the new GPS satellite system.
The Department of Corrections is asking for an additional 24-million dollars over two years to implement the sex offender tracking system.
Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) who authored the GPS bill., says the department's figures are wrong. He contends GPS tracking will only cost up to 2 and a half million in the first two years.
Suder says the DOC is just trying to pad its budget to get more people. But Corrections spokesman John Dipko says it still takes people to effectively monitor the technology 24/7. And that DOC went over the new law very carefully to see what's needed to implement it effectively.
Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah), co-chairman of the joint-finance committee, says the copy of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau report he saw is in line with the DOC's request.
But Suder says 34 other states have similar programs operated for less and he thinks Wisconsin can do the same.
All this will be hammered out during next year's budget debate.
gpsva092006.mp3 (618k)