Rep. Marc Pocan (D-Madison) and Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) were both appointed to the 16-member Joint Finance committee (JFC), the legislative committee that reviews the governor's biennial budget before sending the bill to both legislative houses. Pocan served on JFC last session

The appointments are significant because the JFC spends months reviewing the governor's budget and members are able to insert amendments to the governor's budget in committee. It is anticipated that Gov. Jim Doyle will introduce his 2007-09 biennial budget in early February.

Key legislative issues for the district include providing revenue limit relief for uncontrollable costs (fuel and utilities) and for security-related expenditures. The district will also ask legislators to scrutinize the state reimbursement funding disparity between Milwaukee voucher 4K programs and public school 4K programs.

Voucher schools receive the entire state reimbursement at the end of the first year of a new 4K program (by May 2007 for a 4K voucher school that started in September 2006), while it takes three years before public schools with new 4K programs receive the full reimbursement. MMSD has been stymied by the funding issue in our attempts to establish a 4K program.

Working with the two JFC members, and the rest of the Madison delegation, MMSD hopes to advance important education issues in the legislative arena.

Pocan

Miller