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State Biennial Budget Process 2025-2027WLA members promote State Library Aid PrioritiesBackground Governor Tony Evers delivered his executive budget proposal to a joint session of the legislature on CLICK HERE for list 2025-2027 JFC members and the libraries in their districts. WLA members play a prominent role in advocating for state library funding. A WLA Library Development; Legislation (LD&L) Committee budget team began meeting with legislative leaders and JFC members
Joint Finance Committee Public Hearings and Review On March 18, the JFC announced dates and locations for four public budget hearings in April at which committee members heard citizen testimony during marathon sessions from 10 AM to 5 PM. A summary of WLA participation at the JFC hearings is LINKED HERE. On June 14, the Joint Finance Committee included the state library aid items endorsed by WLA in a public instruction omnibus motion authored by majority party members. The requested cost-to-continue funding for library service contracts, BadgerLink and Newsline for the Blind, as well as a $1 million/first year and $2 million/second year increase in funding for public library systems was approved on a 12-4 party line vote. Although the $3M boost for system services was half what was proposed in DPI’s budget request endorsed by the Wisconsin Library Association, that $3 million is nonetheless a significant increase that continues the steady rise in system aid dollars since 2018, after seven years of flat funding. A minority party motion covering the same DPI items and including the original $2M/$4M library system aid request failed to pass. The two motions were quite different in many respects, but it can honestly be stated that all 16 JFC members voting on both motions recognized the importance of library services to their constituents and supported additional funding. Once the JFC has completed its review, the budget bill is returned to the full legislature for amendment and floor debate. The version passed by both the Senate and Assembly moves to the Governor’s office for consideration.
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