2021-23 WISCONSIN STATE BUDGET SUMMARY
This summarizes the 2021-23 state biennial budget, 2021 Wisconsin Act 58, which was signed by Governor Tony Evers’ on July 8, 2021, and calls for total expenditures of $87.5 billion. This summary is limited to issues of greatest interest to the WCC and Catholic groups. It does not report on programs that remain unchanged from the previous biennium and does not consider further statutory changes that may have been enacted through other legislation. Provisions of interest to the WCC that were removed by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) are listed at the end of the summary.
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Support for Pregnant Women and New Moms. Expands postpartum eligibility for women in the Medicaid program from 60 days to 90 days.
Homelessness Initiatives. Provides $600,000 annually for the Housing Assistance Program (HAP). Lowers to $10,000 the required match rate for the homeless employment program, which provides grants to municipalities to connect homeless individuals with permanent employment.
HEALTH CARE
Mental Health. Increases school mental health aid by $6,000,000 annually and provides an additional $3,500,000 annually for grants to school districts and independent charter schools to collaborate with community partners in providing pupil mental health services.
Provides a 15% increase in reimbursement rates for child and adolescent outpatient mental health and substance abuse services and a 20% increase in rates for child and adolescent day treatment. This results in over $23 million in increased funding over the biennium.
Provides a $500,000 increase in 2022-2023 for the child psychiatry consultation program, resulting in $1.5 million of funding in 2021-2022 and $2 million in 2022-2023.
Provides $100,000 annually to maintain funding for farmer mental health assistance.
EDUCATION
Special Education. Maintains the current proration rate (28.2% for eligible special education costs) in 2021-22 and increases the proration rate to 30% in 2022-23. Increases high-cost special education aid funding to a proration rate of 40% annually.
Parental Choice in Education. Increases public school funding and thereby increases the 2021-22 parental choice program payment amounts from $8,300 to $8,336 for K-8 students and from $8,946 to $8,982 for 9-12 students.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Treatment and Diversion. Increases funding for the Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) program, which diverts people from incarceration, by $2,500,000 in 2022-23.
CARE FOR CREATION
Clean Water. Provides $1,000,000 each year for well compensation and well abandonment grants.
OTHER
Broadband Access. Provides $129 million over the biennium for broadband expansion grants.
The following WCC-supported budget items were removed by the JCF.
- Funding to reduce racial disparities related to infant and maternal mortality.
- Prohibiting the use of physical restraints on pregnant/postpartum incarcerated women.
- Using federal funds to expand Medicaid for those earning up to 133% of the poverty level.
- Returning 17-year-old offenders to the juvenile justice system.
- Expanding the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) by increasing EITC rates for working parents.
- Allowing undocumented residents to obtain a noncompliant REAL ID driver’s license or ID.
- Funding reimbursement rates under the school breakfast program as required by state law.
The following WCC-opposed budget items were removed by the JCF.
- Repealing the prohibition on certain federal funds from going to an entity that provides abortion services or is affiliated with an organization that provides abortion services.
- Requiring statutory references to marriage, spouses, and parentage to be gender-neutral and codifying same-sex marriage.
- Expanding the definition of employment discrimination to include discrimination based on gender identity/expression.
- Restricting parental choice in education.
