Officials Say Budget Would Leave Surplus

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the current version of the state budget – as adopted by the Joint Finance Committee – would leave a 306-million-dollar surplus. It would be the first truly balanced two-year state budget in over a decade. The package would freeze state-and-local taxes, but fees would go up by around 100-million dollars. The Assembly will start debating the 66-billion-dollar budget today. Republican Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald expects the Assembly to debate it for a day-or-two. The speaker and his brother, Senate leader Scott Fitzgerald, have called an extraordinary session. Among other things, it would prevent Assembly Democrats from blocking passage of the budget for a couple days – and it would go right to the Senate after the Assembly finishes it. Scott Fitzgerald says the goal is to get the budget to Governor Scott Walker by the end of the week, so it can take effect on July first