Health & Fitness
Speaker's Briefing for March 25, 2013
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos talks about entitlement reform, fraud in the state's FoodShare program, and plans to take on waste in the state budget.
I’m Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and this is the Speaker’s Briefing.
The process of budgeting is an essential function of state government. We want to be stewards of your tax dollars while maintaining funding for important programs, like transportation and education. This will allow us to serve the needs of today while planning for tomorrow. The legislature spends a lot of time combing through every aspect of the budget and every penny that is spent. This ensures that we have the information we need to make the best possible decisions with your tax dollars.
After the Governor introduced the budget in February it went to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau where it was analyzed fully. This week the Joint Finance Committee heard two days of testimony from state agencies on their needs for the next two years. This gives us information to make tough decisions as we head into debate the budget in committees and on the Assembly floor. We will produce a good, balanced budget that can give stability and certainty to the state economy.
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Looking ahead, this spring the Assembly will take up many bills that reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Chief among them is a plan by Representative Samantha Kerkman that will increase penalties for those who engage in FoodShare fraud. An audit last year found that some recipients were selling their card for cash, claiming they lost it, and would be given another. In other cases the cards were used out-of-state on the same day the number was entered manually in Wisconsin. These obvious problems are just the tip of the fraud iceberg. By addressing them we will be able to get a better grip on entitlement spending.
I also want to let you know about a new website that will serve as a clearinghouse for conservative ideas and legislation. http://AssemblyRepublicans.Legis.Wisconsin.Gov features columns, e-updates and press releases from Republican members of the Assembly. There you also have easy access to links to learn everything you need to know about state government. You can also connect with your legislator and learn about the work being done across the state to make Wisconsin a more friendly place to do business.
