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DEEP WITHIN BUDGET PROPOSAL
Thursday, February 19th, 2009 -- 11:46 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
Weighing in at over 1,100 pages, Governor Jim Doyle’s budget plan is still revealing some interesting tidbits a couple days after it became public.
For instance, the proposal contains an increase in the elk hunting permit fee to $10 from $3; there currently isn’t an elk hunt.
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The plan would allow the Department of Corrections to move sex offenders from active to passive tracking after 12 months. Republicans who supported requiring GPS tracking for sex offenders criticized the move for watering down the program.
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Doyle proposes eliminating lucrative film tax credits that helped lure the Johnny Depp film “Public Enemies” to Wisconsin last year. A recent analysis questioned whether the credits were worth the investments the film made in the state.
“Public Enemies” alone collected $4.6 million last year.
Doyle’s lieutenant governor, Barb Lawton, a fellow Democrat who has helped lead the state’s fledgling film making industry was upset by the plan.
Doyle wants to replace the program with a $500,000 annual grant program for projects that create permanent jobs in the state.
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The proposal would also allow certain felons to get out of prison early for good behavior. The could earn one day for every two days without a violation of prison rules.
“Low-risk” felons out on probation would be tracked “passively” under the plan.
As of Friday there were 22,637 adults in state prisons.
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There’s even something for Brewers fans. The state would create a new Milwaukee Brewers license plate with the proceeds going to help pay off debt on the team's stadium.
Of course, all aspects of the plan are subject to legislative scrutiny.
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