Wisconsin Republicans vote to add new prosecutors, but won’t replace expiring federal funds

Republicans who run the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee voted Tuesday to add dozens of new prosecutors and public defender support staff across Wisconsin — but far fewer than Democratic Gov. Tony Evers asked for in his budget.

The vote was another microcosm of the budget debate at large, where GOP lawmakers have said they’re crafting a budget the state can afford while Democrats have accused them of shortchanging areas of need.

A motion approved by GOP lawmakers would add 42 prosecutor positions in 23 counties, though they wouldn’t be spread out equally. Brown County would receive seven new prosecutor jobs and Waukesha County would receive six. Most others on the list would receive anywhere between a half-position to two new jobs.

Rep. Mark Born, a Republican from Beaver Dam who cochairs the budget committee, said the decision on where to add positions was based on an analysis of staffing done by the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association.

“I respect the professional opinions of the DAs, and I’m glad that, once again, we were able to work with them and to make massive increases,” Born said.

The biggest difference between Republicans’ plan to fund new prosecutors and Evers’ proposal is the way they account for jobs that were funded in the last budget by the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

Evers’ budget would have set aside state money for about 29 positions that were paid for by ARPA funding that’s set to expire in July. That included about a dozen positions in Milwaukee County alone.

Republicans didn’t include any funding in their budget designed to offset the loss of federal money.

“I don’t think that it’s necessarily fair to say that this is going to be preserving safety throughout the state,” said Rep. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, who has worked as a prosecutor in both Kenosha and Milwaukee counties. “We’re going to be increasing need in a lot of different counties under this motion.”

Republicans also voted Tuesday to add about a dozen support and administrative staff to the state Office of Public Defender, including six paralegals. Evers’ budget called for adding 52 support staff, which would have included 24 paralegals.

In a separate motion Tuesday, Republicans voted to spend an extra $20 million annually to supplement overtime costs in the state’s prison system. Evers’ budget called for spending about $59 million per year to supplement overtime costs.

In addition to the supplement approved by Republicans, the budget would spend a total of about $115 million annually on overtime at the state’s prisons.

Other big budget decisions still loom

Republicans could vote Thursday on the governor’s plan to overhaul the state’s prison system, including a proposal to close the Green Bay Correctional Institution.

GOP lawmakers also delayed a vote on the Universities of Wisconsin budget which had been scheduled for Tuesday. Evers’ budget called for about a $700 million increase in state funding for the UW system. 

Democratic lawmakers told reporters Tuesday they’d heard Republicans were considering cutting funds to the UW system. The GOP cochairs of the budget committee did not comment when asked about that prospect.

While Republicans hold a lopsided 12-4 majority in the Legislature’s budget committee, the budget also has to pass the full Legislature to make it to Evers’ desk. That could be challenging in the state Senate, where Republicans have an 18-15 majority, and Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delefield, hinted Tuesday he’s likely to vote against the budget plan.

Editor’s note: WPR is a division of UW-Madison.