Doyle: “The budget I present to you tonight is balanced. It cuts state overhead.”
This budget leaves us with a 1.8 billion dollar deficit, including $ 1 billion dollars in new bonds, $880 million in borrowed money from transportation and patient compensation, and increases state overhead for health care benefits for domestic partners, state tuition for illegal immigrants.
Currently resident tuition is $5,860 and non-residents tuition is $19,860. During the 2003/2004 budget, UW Board of Regents remitted non-resident tuition for 2,550 non resident students at a cost of $17.4 million.
The Governor’s budget eliminates the cap on the number of non-resident tuition remissions the Board of Regents may award. In addition, the budget authorizes remitting non-resident tuition for illegal aliens even though this provision may violate Federal Law.
Doyle sets aside $ 1 million dollars for Domestic partner benefits for the University for the biennium.
The non partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates the cost for the University to be between $2.9 million and $5.7 million annually for increased premiums. If offered to all state employees, the cost would be $6.6 million to $13.1 million annually for increased premiums. In addition the state would pay between $500,000 and $1 million annually in FICA taxes.
Doyle: “This budget, like the last one, is not just about cutting. It’s about setting priorities.”
It’s not about cutting at all. This budget raises $368 million in new taxes and fees including day care licensing, birth certificates, vehicle registration, health care, nursing home beds, veteran burial fees, etc…..
Doyle: “And, keeping true to my promise, we will eliminate this $1.6 billion deficit without raising taxes.”
Doyle: “It is balanced and fiscally responsible.”
Doyle: “It makes an historic commitment to education.”
The budget increases state funding for education without any safeguards for quality assurance or any education reforms. In Milwaukee where 1 in 3 students graduate high school, sixty cents on the dollar goes to fringe benefits. This increase will do nothing to improve quality.
Doyle: ”It reforms health care, protects our environment, invests in our great University System … and it does not raise a single tax.”
Doyle: “Most of all, this budget protects our schools and the quality of local services, while freezing property taxes.”
This budget does not freeze taxes, it shifts them. As fringe benefits continue to increase faster than other costs, school districts will have to raise taxes to keep up with the increases. Doyle opposes legislation to allow school districts to give teachers the same benefit options as other state employees which would save an estimate $100 million a year.