Fiscal Facts

Wisconsin Policy Forum logo

K-12 referenda passage rates fall

While still passing in sizable numbers in the April 2023 election, local ballot referenda to allow school districts to exceed state property tax limits passed at the lowest rate since 2010. The decline comes after years in which such measures were passed in record numbers and amounts.

Wisconsin Policy Forum logo

Low pay for public attorneys a growing concern as backlogs rise

While recent state budgets have increased staffing levels and pay for both assistant district attorneys and public defenders in Wisconsin, their salaries still lag those of attorneys in the private sector. Meanwhile, turnover and workloads for the positions have increased.

Wisconsin Policy Forum logo

More states adopt paid leave; mandate is key question for policymakers

A proposal in Gov. Tony Evers’ budget would require Wisconsin employers of 50 or more to provide their workers with paid family and medical leave. This comes as more states are adopting such requirements — though so far, the change is not happening as quickly in the Midwest.

Wisconsin Policy Forum logo

Assessing two tax proposals and the possibility of compromise

While starkly different in most details, competing plans to overhaul Wisconsin’s income tax code offered by Gov. Tony Evers and State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu share one common thread: they would sharply change how the state taxes its highest earners.

Wisconsin Policy Forum logo

Policy Forum identifies 5 keys to the next state budget

As state lawmakers begin deliberations on Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal for the 2023-25 state budget, a record projected surplus of $8.8 billion hands them an historic opportunity to make generational progress on some of the state’s most pressing policy challenges.

In a new state budget brief released by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the statewide policy research organization identifies five keys it expects will be critical to the state’s future fiscal outlook, its economy, and the quality of life of its citizens. 

Wisconsin Newspaper Association