Governor Scott Walker
With committee work expected to resume this week on a proposed state budget, Governor Scott Walker is saying lawmakers are close to having a deal in place to wrap up work on the two-year spending plan.
Walker said Tuesday morning during a stop in Madison that lawmakers “in principle” have an agreement in place that will allow them to resume work on the budget, which is now more than seven weeks overdue. “That’s part of the reason why both the speaker and the senate majority leader were comfortable having the Joint Finance Committee come back in,” Walker said.
Walker said the agreement includes a reduction in the personal property tax and transportation borrowing. It will not raise gas taxes or vehicle registration fees, although the governor said there could be a new fee for electric vehicles.
The Joint Finance Committee is expected to meet Thursday to take up several funding areas, although more controversial areas like education and transportation are not currently scheduled for vote. Walker hopes to have work on the plan wrapped up by early next month.