After a long night of delays, discussions and debates, a Wisconsin legislative committee passed three motions on tax cuts, increased voucher school programs and cuts to public education funding.

The Joint Finance Committee passed three omnibus motions concerning BadgerCare, education funding and taxes, with a 12-4 vote on party lines early Wednesday morning after an overnight session.

If passed by the Assembly, Senate and signed by Gov. Scott Walker, the motions will result in an income tax cut of $651 million over the next two years, an expansion of private school vouchers funded by tax dollars and an increase in funding for public schools by $300 per student over the next two years.

All Democratic motions submitted were rejected 12-4 by GOP committee members.

Sen. Jennifer Schilling, D-La Crosse, a minority member of the Joint Finance Committee compared the extremely delayed JFC meeting to an “8th grade lock-in,” after GOP legislators added provisions to their motions and discussed deals into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the JFC turned down $500 million federal funds over the next two years to expand Badger Care through the federal Affordable Care Act, but did approve spending $72 million to compensate hospitals across the state for patients coming in without insurance.

In addition to rejecting federal funds and approving compensated care dollars, the committee also passed provisions that would reduce the BadgerCare eligibility limit for various categories of people, including children, child-less adults, parents, and pregnant women.

With additional funds discovered, Walker proposed a nearly $350 million income tax break over the next two years, but GOP members of the JFC voted to almost double this tax break, and resulted in $651 million cut for Wisconsin residents over the next two years.

Sen. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, was most concerned with corporate tax breaks, in addition to the overall Democratic concern with tax cuts favoring the wealthy rather than using money to fund public schools. However, a Legislative Fiscal Bureau official said less than $4 million from the motion’s additional tax cuts on top of Walker’s cuts, are corporate tax cuts.

Originally, the plan to expand school vouchers included nine counties, but has been expanded to the entire state, with 500 students in the first year and 1000 students in the second, but has a cap of 1 percent of students allowed per district. The program would also be reevaluated after the second year.

Sen. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, said the voucher program uses school districts as an “experiment”, and is unacceptable to do through public policy.
Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine added, “If you want the public to pick up the tab for these private schools, you better make them accountable, just like you make all the other public schools.”

Schilling and fellow Democratic members of the JCF regretted the late night meeting, saying the discussion of such large issues at a late hour does not serve Wisconsin residents.

“I don’t care if there’s a D or an R behind your name, this is wrong,” Schilling said.

Mason said while the outcome is not unimaginable due to the GOP majority, he added the public deserves to have a chance to understand the gravity of the motions, and the issues are too big to not be heard during working hours.

Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, however, maintained that education will remain the largest allocation from the state General Purpose Revenue, and is significantly larger than any other allocation in the budget.