Joint Finance Committee Opens State Budget Hearings In Milwaukee Suburb

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee begins state budget hearings today with a session in the Milwaukee suburb of Greendale.

It’s the budget proposal of Republican Governor Scott Walker, and GOP legislators make up three-quarters of the Joint Finance Committee. But Milwaukee County Democratic Party Chairman Sachin Chheda (CHEDda) expects many of the people who testify at the hearing to try to get the Republicans to agree on more funding for public education. Chheda says the governor’s plan to expand private school vouchers may have caused a bit of divide among the GOP.

“Even lots of Republican senators are standing up and saying that we need to prioritize reinvesting in public education, and I think that’s what we’re going to hear most about.”

Chheda also expects a lot of testimony on health care, mass transit, job creation and local government residency requirements. He says the suburban location of the hearing may make it hard for some Milwaukee residents to attend. Joint Finance also plans hearings this month in Green Bay, Wisconsin Dells and Baldwin.