Joint Finance Committee begins making budget today

Lawmakers on Wisconsin’s powerful budget writing committee are set to meet today [Thursday] to begin crafting the next two-year spending plan. The Joint Finance Committee is expected during that meeting to strip out much of the governor’s policy from the budget bill, before writing their own GOP-authored proposals.  This comes as lawmakers may be considering not passing a full budget — Republican leaders in the Legislature had indicated they were waiting until the state Supreme Court issued a ruling over Gov. Tony Evers veto power. Last month, the court upheld the use of the Democratic governor’s powerful veto pen.  The current state budget will lapse by the end of June, but Wisconsin does not go into a shutdown if a new budget is not passed — Wisconsin keeps state funding going at the current rate.