State Budget Watch: The JFC porks up the budget

The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) was very busy Thursday night into Friday morning making a horrendous state budget even worse. Before the committee adjourned at 5:30 this morning, it stuffed more pork into the budget than the swine barn at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The JFC made sure the budget included funding the following earmarks at a time the state faces a deficit of $6.6 billion:


Information sign for the National Railroad Museum in Brown County

Funding for food banks in Burlington, Union Grove, Lodi, and the Rio Area Food Pantry

Require DCF to provide $50,000 GPR annually, beginning October 1, 2009, to the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley to provide services to homeless individuals and families

Job retraining grant in Rusk County

Development of a public shooting range in Eau Claire County

Funding for new programming for the Root River Education Center in Racine

Construction of a children’s playground in Beloit

Restoration and renovation of Beckman Mill Park in Rock County

Eliminating the sunset of a $4 surcharge on nurse credential renewals

A Yahara River project in Dane County

$5 million for the Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks

Preparations for a joint museum for the State Historical Society and Department of Veterans Affairs

Funding for the AIDS Network and AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin

Funding for an environmental center in a park in Dane County

Funding for the Oshkosh Opera House

Funding for the Madison Children's Museum

Funding for Eco Park in La Crosse

The Donald J Schneider Highway near Turtle Lake

Require DOT to construct an I90/I94/I39 interchange at Cuba Valley Rd in Dane County with the state picking up the entire cost

A bridge in Wood County

US Highway 61 rehabilitation Project between Dickeyville and Lancaster

US Highway 12 Major Highway Development Project Study between Elkhorn and Whitewater

County Trunk Highway X in Chippewa County with the state paying 80% of cost or $430,000

$1.25 million to the Village of Bellevue for the reconstruction of Manitowoc Road

$900,000 for transportation enhancements for the city of Racine

$250,000 to the Town of La Prairie to replace and expand a bridge on South Reid Rd

$100,00 to the Village of Bellevue for street beautification

$20,000 to the Village of Footville for a pedestrian path


Climbing out of a $6.6 billion deficit will be virtually impossible using this kind of irresponsible budgeting.