Monday, May 12, 2008

Budget repair bill

I received this from the Wheeler Report.

This is the most comprehensive document I have seen to date describing the details of how the budget repair bill is being worked out:

DETAILS OF BUDGET REPAIR BILL PROVISIONS

The following are the provisions of the budget repair bill agreement to be considered by a conference committee today, the Senate (at 11 a.m., Tuesday) and the Assembly (no specific time set yet):

  • DOA secretary authority to lapse or transfer funds to the General Fund. Require $69 million during each year of the 2007-09 and 2009-11 fiscal biennia. This is in addition to the $200 million included in Act 20.
  • Limitation on lapse from DOT. Limit transfer from DOT to $50 million; require any lapse be from SEG appropriation for state highway rehabilitation. Authorize $50 million General Fund-supported GO bonds for state highway rehabilitation program.
  • Transfer of Real ID implementation funds. Prohibit JFC from providing an appropriation to supplement to DOT to supplement cost of implementing Real ID. Increase estimated transportation fund appropriation lapses by $9.5 million in 07-08, $12.2 million in 08-09 to General Fund.
  • DOT highway fund program funding adjustments. Provide increases of $20 million in 07-08 for major highway development program and $56,967,500 in 07-08 for state highway rehabilitation program (FED).
  • County transportation aid payment delay to fund state highway maintenance. Permanently delay the April quarterly county general transportation aid payment until July and provide additional funding for state highway maintenance in 08-09.
  • Transportation Fund deficit. Reduce funding by $28 million SEG in 08-09 for major highway development program and provide a corresponding increase from SEG-S (currently authorized transportation revenue bonds) in 08-09.
  • Property tax exemption for low-income housing. Modify property tax exemption for educational, religious and benevolent institutions, women’s clubs, historical societies, fraternities and libraries to extend to low-income housing and exclude low-income housing from the “rent use” requirement under current law.
  • Exemption for non-profit camps from town sanitary district or town special assessments. Extend current law exemption for eligible farmland from special assessments for construction of a sewerage or water system by a town sanitary district or a town to camps.
  • Utility aid hold harmless. Modify Act 20 changes to the utility aid component of the shared revenue program that will take effect in 2009 by creating a hold-harmless payment for qualifying municipalities.
  • Payment of premiums for health or long-term care insurance coverage of retired public safety officers. Authorize DETF to pay premiums for any health care coverage or long-term care coverage for a WRS annuitant who is a “public safety officer” from the individual’s retirement annuity or deferred compensation accounty.
  • “Custody” of persons on probation, parole or extended supervision related to escape. Modify current law related to crime of escape by defining “custody” to include actual custody or authorized physical control.
  • Equalization Aid payment delay. Delay general school aid equalization aid payment by $125 million to the first Monday in July.
  • Four-year-old kindergarten phase-in. Require the program to be available to all eligible pupils. Other requirements.
  • Budget stabilization fund transfer. Transfer $57 million to the general fund.
  • Statutory Balance. Reduce required statutory balance to $25 million for 07-09.
  • Tobacco Securitization. Increase transfer from permanent endowment fund to MA trust fund by $209 million in the biennium (from $50 million annually under Act 20 to $309 million in 08-09).
  • Tobacco use control grants. Increase funding for the grants by $250,000 in 08-09. (Current base is $15 million annually).
  • MA benefits funding reduction. Reduce funding for MA benefits by $24.4 million to reflect savings DHFS (renamed Dept of Health Services, effective 7/1/08), to reflect savings expected to be generated in the program.
  • Training requirements for long-term care insurance. Revise current law relating to the date by which individuals must complete an initial training program before they can solicit, negotiate, or sell long-term care insurance.
  • Expand telephone solicitation (Do No Call) program. Include cell phones.
  • Non-resident snowmobile trail use stickers. Increase fee for annual non-resident snowmobile trail use sticker to $35 effective July 1, 2008.
  • Control of invasive species. Restricts possession, release, control, storage, sale or transport of any fish or viable fish eggs that are of an invasive species.
  • Child care subsidies. Provide $18.6 million for direct child care subsidies under the Wisconsin Shares program. The money is for an anticipated shortfall in the program and covers holding of slots.
  • Deductions for rental payments and interest payments to related entities. Under state individual and corporate income and franchise taxes deductions claimed for certain rental and interest payments by businesses to related entities be added back when computing state total income. (REITs)

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