Politics & Government

Abele To Legislators: Restore Transit And Child Support Services Funds

In the first and only public hearing in southeast Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele asked Legislators to put money back into transit and child support services.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele testified in front of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) on Thursday asking them to restore funding for the Milwaukee County Transit and statewide Child Support Services.

The JFC met in Greendale for the first of four public hearings across the state on Governor Scott Walker’s proposed budget.

The proposed budget calls for a 10 percent cut in transit funding and Abele wants the funding restored because 150,000 people rely on the Milwaukee County Transit every day. If the funding is cut, routes could be cut and fares might be increased, he said.

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“Few priorities are as important in the current economy as creating and maintaining private sector jobs,” Abele said. “That is why we are especially concerned about the proposed budget’s effects on our already severely strained transit system.”

The current budget proposal also reduces the state’s Child Support Services by $4.25 million, which would also mean they would lose $8.5 million in federal matching revenue.

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Abele called on Legislators to restore that funding.

"In his State of the State address, Governor Walker said he wanted to end peoples’ dependence on government," Abele said. "County child support agencies work toward this end by obtaining health insurance orders in 97% of the cases they file, placing 38,666 BadgerCare eligible kids onto their parents’ insurance in 2012. In addition, outside of a paycheck, Child Support is the 2nd biggest factor in keeping female head-of-household single parent families off of public assistance."

After the hearings, the committee will vote on any changes before sending their version on to the Assembly and Senate.


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