Public Hearings – Budget 2021-23

Wisconsinites will have one virtual opportunity and three in-person chances to attend public hearings of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. These hearings are some of the few chances people have to speak out on issues of the 2021-23 budget.

The hearing schedule includes the following four hearings, all from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

Friday, April 9, 2021 UW-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Hodag Dome, Rhinelander, WI
Thursday, April 22, 2021 UW-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 Virtual

People who would like to testify at the April 28 virtual hearing will need to register in advance. The committee has set up a portal to collect input: 
http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/topics/budgetcomments as well as an email address budget.comments@legis.wisconsin.gov.
If you are planning on attending one of the public hearings, here are a few important things to note:

-The primary purpose of the public hearings will be to hear from Wisconsin citizens, while committee members may ask questions of speakers, it’s not meant to be a debate.
-Speakers (virtual and in-person) will be given two minutes to speak to make sure the committee is able to hear from everyone.
-We will be following the guidelines from local public health departments for the host location regarding masking, social distancing and room capacity.
-We ask that once you are done speaking, you exit the room so other individuals who haven’t had the chance to speak can do so.