(Published Wednesday, July 11, 2007 10:32:04 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - Major differences in state budgets passed separately by the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-led Assembly:
TAX INCREASES: All tax increases in the Senate plan, totaling more than $1.1 billion, are absent from the Assembly proposal. Those include a $1.25 increase in the cigarette tax, a 0.8 percent tax on hospital revenues and a tax on oil company sales.
TAX BREAKS: The Assembly budget includes a variety of new tax breaks, including on retirement income, property taxes paid by certain veterans and their spouses, investments made in authorized college savings plans, wellness programs for employees and the production of biodiesel fuel. The Assembly would also prevent single people younger than 65 from qualifying for the Homestead Tax Credit.
FEES: Both chambers agreed to raise the fee to register a car from $55 to $75 a year and raise driver's license fees by $10.
PROPERTY TAXES: The Senate would allow the cap on local property tax increases to double from 2 percent to 4 percent, or the percentage of growth in new construction in a community, whichever is greater. The Assembly plan would not allow property taxes to increase more than the rate of new construction in their communities, which has averaged about 2 percent a year.
HEALTH CARE: The Senate would impose a $15.2 billion payroll tax to pay for a universal health care plan, in addition to expanding BadgerCare to cover all children, regardless of income, as well as low-income pregnant women and parents or caretaker relatives. The Assembly doesn't include either but instead offers tax breaks for health savings accounts.
EDUCATION: The increase in aid to K-12 schools would be $85 million less in the Assembly plan compared to what the Senate passed.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: The university would get $120 million less under the Assembly plan. The Assembly would also limit tuition increases at UW to no more than 4 percent a year.
SCHOOLS: The Assembly would eliminate a school integration program and allow Milwaukee's school choice program to expand to Milwaukee and Racine counties.
WISCONSIN COVENANT: The Senate plan keeps the program, which promises to eighth-graders who meet certain goals during high school that higher education will be available to them, while the Assembly gets rid of it.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: The Senate would extend in-state tuition at the state's colleges and universities to illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria, while the Assembly would not.
CRIME: The Assembly would require certain sex offenders to display bright green license plates.
ENVIRONMENT: The Assembly would reduce authorized bonding from $60 million to $25 million for each of the next three fiscal years for the state Stewardship program, which enables the state to purchase land and distribute grants to conservation groups and local governments to buy land to protect wilderness. Under the Senate budget, bonding would increase to $105 million a year.
LOCAL AID: Aid to counties and cities would be $58 million less under the Assembly budget.
SEX OFFENDERS: Lifetime GPS tracking of serious sex offenders, which passed last year but was retooled under an agreement with Gov. Jim Doyle, is in both budgets.
