Joint Finance Committee Schedules Public Hearings

The state legislature's Joint Finance Committee (JFC) will hold 6 public hearings on the state budget, beginning March 20 in Milwaukee. The hearings are the next step in the budget approval process, which is supposed to be completed prior to the end of the fiscal year (June 30). Library supporters are urged to contact the JFC members to voice their support for library funding. WLA will be sending calls to action next week.

The executive budget includes an increase in public library system aids of 4 percent in each year of the biennium, an increase in BadgerLink funding to allow current services to continue, and a much-needed increase in funding for the four statewide resources contracts. For a more complete summary of budget and other pending legislative issues, see the WLA's Legislative Status Report.