Joint Finance Committee Wraps Up; Votes to Kick Center for Investigative Journalism Off Campus

The Joint Finance Committee worked through the night and completed work on the 2013-15 biennial budget this morning. The committee passed omnibus motions on taxes and public education, having passed an omnibus motion on Medicaid earlier Tuesday. The sweeping motions cut income taxes and reduce the number of tax rates in the state, expand private school choice statewide, increase per pupil spending by $150, and reject federally-funded health care expansion.

In its final action this morning, the committee voted for a wrap-up motion on a range of topics. The motion directs the Center for Investigative Journalism to leave its office on the UW-Madison campus. The center is a non-profit organization that collaborates with UW-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Wisconsin Public Television. The motion also implements a pilot program for bail bonds and tax deduction for private school tuition