The Joint Committee on Finance voted yesterday to approve an increase in the direct care workforce funding by 12.5MM GPR for fiscal year one and 15MM GPR for fiscal year two. This would have never been possible without the joint effort of all the associations as well as many of you. Thank you to those of you who made calls at our request. We are so thankful that you took this ball across the goal line. You can read the DSPN press release on this historic investment in our direct care workers here.
Last Friday DSPN, joining the other major Wisconsin associations, formally requested that the Joint Committee on Finance adopt Alternative three as outlined in legislative fiscal bureau paper number 368. You can view the request here. This alternative would increase funding in the current bill by $14,763,800 ($6,000,000 GPR and $8,763,800 FED) in 2019-20 and $14,906,200 ($6,000,000 GPR and $8,906,200 FED) in 2020-21 to double the funding that would be provided in the bill. DSPN has been actively working to increase the pass through money for months and we are delighted that the LFB included alternative three as an option.
Thank you again to all our members who reached out to their legislators to support the work we have done.
