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Commission members hear state budget developments that cut proposed victim-witness funding
Summary
Erin Welsh and others told the commission that the Joint Finance Committee removed earlier proposals for additional victim-witness funding and a 60% reimbursement floor from the governor's budget, potentially leaving local victim-witness programs with uncertain funding.
Erin Welsh, who serves as deputy director in the Office of Crime Victim Services at the Wisconsin Department of Justice and as Dane County supervisor for District 7, briefed the commission on recent state budget activity affecting victim services.
"Joint Finance met... Included in there, very unfortunately, was additional funding and or a change in structure of funding for victim witness services throughout the state. It had been previously proposed that there would be an additional infusion of funding to support those programs," Welsh said. She reported that the Joint Finance Committee removed both the proposed infusion and a proposed floor of 60% reimbursement from the state for victim-witness services. "At this point in time, just based on experience, it's unlikely for that to be added back in," she said.
Welsh said other victim-service funding totaling roughly $68 million was still technically in the budget proposal, but she cautioned the commission that budget content can change as the legislative process continues.
The discussion also touched on federal VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) funding. Welsh said using federal VOCA funds to replace statutorily structured state victim-witness funds could risk supplanting and run afoul of statutory restrictions for state-funded victim-witness services under Chapter 950 of the Wisconsin statutes.
Commissioners and agency leaders said the funding uncertainty reinforces the need for clear, concise priorities to present to county committees and to county board members who set local spending and contracting priorities.
Ending: Chair Dana Pellebon asked members to forward priority language and budget-gap examples so the commission could present unified recommendations to county committees.
