Gov. Walker’s plan would put Wisconsin in best financial shape in 15 years

◼ "It sounds to me like Gov. Walker should be commended," said Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee. "Now, our work as a Legislature is to try to take a document that looks pretty good and make it better." - Journal-Sentinel



...The Legislative Fiscal Bureau... said Walker’s plan would put the state’s finances in the best shape they’ve been in for more than 15 years.

It found the so-called structural deficit – the imbalance between spending and tax revenue as laid out in state law – for the 2013-’15 budget would be $31 million. That assumes Walker’s budget passes the Legislature without new spending increases or tax cuts that would add to the deficit.

Under its existing form, Walker’s budget leaves the state with a fraction of the structural deficits seen in the past eight budget cycles. The next lowest structural deficit in recent years was $1.5 billion, or 48 times as much as what Walker’s proposing....